Netflix’s Queer Eye is exploring the Latine community. The popular makeover show’s new ninth season includes an episode featuring a Mexican-American hero named Christopher Magallanez, who opened up dialogue about machismo within the Latine community on a worldwide stage.
To get a better insight into the episode, Remezcla’s Alma Sacasa had a chance to sit down with the Fab Five stars – Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown, and newcomer Jeremiah Brent – about machismo, vulnerability, and expectations in our community; something they noted during episode 7.
One of the themes commonly experienced in the Latine community that Las Vegas resident Magallenez hits during the episode is machismo and avoiding vulnerability. In the episode, Magallenez’s family touches on these subjects by saying he’s “too serious,” and doesn’t show feelings, which is common in Latine households (typically older generations), where men show little to no emotions.
Thanks to the Fab Five’s help, throughout the episode, the viewer sees Magallenez move forward in life after his father’s death with vulnerability – from remodeling his father’s home to his own to verbalizing his feelings about grief with his sister, Adell, who nominated him for the show.
“He wasn’t so much about like a classic machismo, but more in the quiet-in-the-loud family part,” Van Ness recalls about the episode with Remezcla. “And once we were able to get some time with him and share one-on-one time with him, it felt like he really came out of his shell and I so hope that he continues that with his life.” The episode also showed how he was confident enough to ask for a job promotion to elevate his life.
The stars also talked about the unexpected expectations that Magallenez dealt with in his family. On-screen, Adell shared that Magallenez took their late father’s role as the family’s caretaker, which closed her brother’s outside world. After their father’s death, his world revolved around work and family, giving no time to relationships or personal growth. This was reflected in Magallenez’s state of living: in his father’s old house furnished with his old belongings.
“I think Chris was playing a role in his family that he didn’t necessarily want or need,” the Fab Five’s newest member Brent said about Magallenez taking on the “father” role. “I think giving him the opportunity to live a life much bigger on his own terms and giving him the confidence to be who he wants is really what the show is all about. It’s how you can get to living an authentic life that’s as big and as beautiful as you want it to be.”
By the end of the episode, Magallenez was completely made over with a new wardrobe that better reflected his 40 years of maturity. The stars also remodeled his place to accommodate his life as oppose to keeping his father’s old furniture.
Despite his life going through major changes, one thing that didn’t change was the love his family shared on-screen. The Fab Five gushed about the family’s love for each other. “His family desperately cared for his progression and they wanted him to be the best that he could be,” France said. “So, I loved being part of that [the Latino] community. I loved being in that world for a moment.”
Queer Eye’s ninth season is streaming now on Netflix.
