People Empowering People: Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness is the only thing people are talking about these days. His hair, his style, his new book, and who he is or isn't dating. Van Ness is the groomsman on the Netflix show "Queer Eye," a reality TV show where five gay men help redo a specific person's lifestyle. Van Ness quickly became the most popular out of the 'Fab Five,' due to his constant positivity and lust for life. He also became widely popular for his bold taste in bright colors and fancy designs in fashion, as well as his fierce and sassy one-liners from the show.

Jonathan Van Ness is also extremely open and honest about his personal light, whether it is talking about mental health or his past struggles with being bullied for being gay. Van Ness empowers his viewers by exemplifying true authentic self regardless of stereotyping over gender and sexuality. He is also extremely supportive of getting younger generations involved in political and current events, posting his endorsement of Elizabeth Warren for President in 2020. Van Ness also posts about the political rights the LGBTQ community fought to get and continues the fight for equality for all.

In September of 2019, Jonathan Van Ness branched out even more with his vulnerability by announcing a few days before his new book came out in published a New York Times article about how he is living with H.I.V. and the struggles that come with it. Van Ness has used his rise to stardom to bring light to issues that no one would talk about – and through this he was able to normalize a situation that thousands of people go through, and empowered them to not feel isolated and alone in their struggles.

Throughout the course of the TV show "Queer Eye," Van Ness has been able to empower the 'heroes' on the show through the care-taking and grooming of their appearance. It is so important to feel comfortable in your own skin, and Van Ness really helps them create and step into the person that they want to be. It is inspiring to see on the show and inspiring to see people take action and create change.

My favorite thing about Jonathan Van Ness is how he fights fear. He has used his platform to show the world, especially teenagers and young adults, that it is okay to not be perfect, and it is okay to be open about your recent or past struggles, and it is okay to ask for help. Van Ness helps people from all across the world connect and build relationships, and is teaching people day after day what it means to live openly and truly as yourself.