The latest queer show on Netflix is a fun, cute, supposedly comfort show that takes you through a whirlwind of very superficial emotions but, as with any Netflix show, you’re left bracing yourself for its cancellation. Netflix has a history of setting up queer shows for failure, so I will not begrudge the cast or writers (to some extent) for putting out what they put out and will review the show on its merits. (WGA strong and pay the writers). I, however, cannot stand love triangles, and I will not apologize for that.

Glamorous is a show about Marco (Miss Benny), an aspiring make-up influencer who meets Madolyn (Kim Cattrall), an ex-super model who now runs a beauty line which is in need of fresh ideas. Madolyn meets Marco during his shift at his retail job at the mall and is impressed by Marco’s knowledge of makeup and hair products and his fresh insights and employs him on the spot. Madolyn’s offices are a gay haven with her assistant, her son and her tech team being a diverse queer group. This setting makes for a hearty, fun and chaotic office place in which boundaries are barely respected and friendships are bonded and become “families” in that superficial, cute TV way.

The cause of conflict in the show is that Madolyn’s son Chad (Zane Phillips) wants to sell Glamorous by Madolyn, in order to save it from its financial troubles, which Madolyn is not entirely convinced needs to be done as she wants to re-invent the brand and reach new consumers. As the reality of the sale and implications of it set in, some of the loyal Glamorous by Madolyn staff have to battle with what they believe is best for them and try to balance this out with what they consider being best for the company.

Although Marco is positioned to be or implied to be someone who has Madolyn’s ear, as her Second Assistant, in “reality”, Marco is actually focusing on their own life and navigating their own insecurities while coming to terms with who they really are. Although tempted to judge Marco’s choices because we have to project “braveness” on them for living as their true self, the show allows Marco to be as weak and careless as every other person is given grace to be in life. Although they don’t handle their relationships as we would expect of a “brave”, “out” person, being authentic also means picking yourself up when you make mistakes. Ben doesn’t deserve to be the punching bag. However, it is not uncommon that the “nice” guy gets dealt the worst hand in the game of love.

The show, which is very queer-centric, shows the bonds and friendships that queer people develop and the strong support systems that their “found families” provide for each other. Britt (Ayesha Harris) is extremely protective over Ben (Michael Hsu Rosen) and warns Marco not to hurt Ben. Britt also provides Venetia (Jade Payton) with the support and love that she needs to navigate a situation in which she is forced to feel powerless, despite being competent and normally confident in her abilities. She also calls Venetia in and extends grace towards her in the most practical ways, that despite our frustrations at Venetia at times, we find ourselves also rooting for her despite her conniving actions. Venetia herself also provides support to Chad and tries to dissuade him from sabotaging Marco, and the atmosphere of looking out for each other is cemented throughout the show, despite some characters straying from time to time.

The commentary on gay culture and how femme phobic it can be is equally important, as it highlights that it’s not enough to look inward for your self-esteem. It is equally important to have your society and community accept you. Marco tries to change to fit in with their boyfriend’s friends or aesthetics, as well as compromise for someone they like and this is also an indictment on Parker (Graham Parkhurst) for seeing Marco as they are and liking them as they are, even becoming jealous when someone else tries to get close to them, and yet not wanting them to be themselves to the extent that they can’t be seen out together. Parker ends up with someone who looks identical to him in a twist, and yet still tries to go back to Marco, which shows that he doesn’t really like “himself” and shows how the femme phobic rhetoric is usually rooted in self-hatred and respectability politics.

Although the show at face value doesn’t seem to have much depth, and even the conflict seems superficial, Glamorous is an important piece of representation for non-binary, trans and queer people in general. It allows the audience to look inward and extend grace to someone like Marco who hasn’t actually quite had it all figured out but is still on a journey towards self-realisation. I don’t know if we have arrived at a place where we can have queer shows about nothing, just people living their lives without any particular narrative surrounding it. Glamorous does seem to have something to say, and at the surface it isn’t clear what it wants to say, but when you sit with it and think about Marco and their fabulosity, maybe just rooting for them and rooting for queer people is what the main take away is here. Being queer can be an isolating experience and having people root for people like you, flawed as they are, is a good thing. The show is fun and cute and sincere and light. You must watch it!!

Rating- 3.5 out of 5

Streaming on- Netflix