Tan France, star of Emmy award-winning Netflix hit Queer Eye, kicks off his UK book tour at Manchester’s Dancehouse with an evening chatting about and signing copies of his new memoir Naturally Tan. From summers spent working in his grandfather’s denim factory to becoming a clothing designer after secretly enrolling in fashion college, Tan France has now successfully reinvented himself Stateside. Stepping into the spotlight as the face of Queer Eye, he is oft seen busying himself helping America become fabulous again one makeover at a time. But this is the big reveal as the fashion advisor tells his own rags-to-riches tale via a collection of personal essays that have been described as at once humorous and touching, and always heartfelt and compassionate. Mixing up style tips and lists tinged with his trademark wit with ponderings on real-life issues, such as identity and acceptance, he discusses what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional South Asian family while also growing up as one of the few people of colour in South Yorkshire. He tells of finding his voice and his style, of coming of age and coming out, and of how he wound up across the Pond happily married to a Mormon cowboy from Salt Lake City. Tan says: ‘The book is meant to spread joy, personal acceptance and most of all understanding. Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be.’
Tue 4 Jun, Dancehouse Theatre, 10A Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 5QA, Tel: 0161 237 9753, 7.30pm, £16.50, thedancehouse.co.uk
- Words:
- Sarah-Clare Conlon
- Published on:
- Sun 2 Jun 2019
