Allow Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness to Help You Look and Feel Better
Whether he’s mixing up a DIY facemask or trimming an out-of-control beard, Jonathan Van Ness has charmed Netflix audiences as the grooming authority on Queer Eye. Here, he talks grooming, self-care and how fragrance can bring people together.
Have you noticed that guys are more interested in grooming than they used to be?
I think men have always been interested in it, I just think there was more shame around expressing interest in your external appearance because that was associated with being feminine or extra or something that men weren’t supposed to do. Men have always been curious and interested in grooming, they just didn’t have a space to talk about it where they felt like they weren’t going to get made fun of.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle to finding the right grooming routine?
Whether it’s men or women, I think if they don’t really have a grooming routine that’s part of their daily ritual, they would feel a little overwhelmed. On Instagram, there’s so much grooming content and YouTube, there’s so much grooming content and when you think about magazines, there’s just so much content. Where does one start? It’s a little too overwhelming, almost like a show that has 37 seasons and you just now heard about it.
So how do you find out about the right products?
I’ve always gleaned my info from asking people who I like how they smell and I like how they look. But I’ve done that since I was like six so it’s been like a lot of years of amassing information.
What are some of the top essentials you think every guy should be using?
Every guy needs to have a good eye balm or an eye cream that works in their arsenal. No matter what your age or where you are, a good SPF is something that has to happen. And just like a nice fragrance, a good solid fragrance comma deodorant. Like just those together. I mean, not that you’re using your deodorant as your fragrance but just dealing with your underarms and dealing with your scent is a great way to have people want to be closer to you and have people give you compliments in a pretty easy way.
You’re known on Queer Eye for being super upbeat. How do you maintain your positivity?
Taking care of myself! I definitely have to do things that make me feel revived and nurtured. I definitely gotta workout everyday. That’s a non negotiable. It used to be yoga every morning. Now it can be more weightlift-y but yoga is definitely still in there. I meet with my therapist once a week. That always really helps to keep me grounded. I’m definitely not the cleanest eater all the time but I try to eat in the way that like makes me feel good most of the time. But she does deal with cheat meals every once in a while. And I would say that I’m not always positive. I definitely wake up on days when I am feeling a little bit more negative or a little bit more down and I think that that’s part of life. We all have to ride those waves, too.
