In this fictional story, the Fab Five of Netflix’s Queer Eye—Karamo, Antoni, Bobby, Tan, and Jonathan—help a young boy named Mason who is afraid of inviting friends to his birthday slumber party.
Mason, who has medium-light skin and pink hair, is worried he won’t be able to make his party fun. The Fab Five come to the rescue, of course. Karamo reminds him “You are perfectly designed” (Karamo’s own picture book is titled I Am Perfectly Designed), and asks him to think of something he’s passionate about. Mason likes magic, and Karamo encourages him to put on a magic performance. Then it’s up to Antoni to help him bake a chocolate cake (begging the question of where Mason’s parents or guardians are and why he has to make his own birthday cake). Bobby helps him decorate his room with pictures of magicians and make room for some sleeping bags. Tan adds some sparkly decoration to Mason’s pajamas; Jonathan styles Mason’s hair.
On the day of Mason’s birthday, all his friends arrive and have a wonderful time as the Fab Five look on.
In addition to the puzzling question of who cares for Mason when the Fab Five aren’t around (parents/guardians are never seen or mentioned), there’s the more troubling scene when they all first meet. After Mason tells them he’s worried about the party, Jonathan shouts “Group hug!” and “The Fab 5 rushed over and gave him a hug. They introduced themselves.” I know group hugs are a thing on the show—but showing people rushing over to hug someone who hasn’t consented to this, before they are even introduced, feels like poor modeling.
There’s no clear queerness depicted except via the “Queer Eye” title, but Jonathan wears a dress that hints at his nonbinary identity and Mason’s pink hair and love of glittery pajamas imply a certain gender creativity, so I’m tagging the book as such.
There’s a slight message here about developing self-confidence, and that’s not a bad thing, but this story is really best for fans of the show.
