Twenty-two years since the series' 2003 premiere, the stylist reflects on his role evolving society toward greater compassion and awareness.
Remember when “metrosexual” was a phrase? Now, we’d just call it “stylish”—the Queer Eye guys have taught us all so much. Since he joined the cast on Netflix’s reboot in 2018, Tan France has seen firsthand how powerful self-perception can be—and how clothing is often used as armor for someone who doesn’t feel confident.
That’s why the Next in Fashion host is partnering with the pharmaceutical company Lilly on the Changing the Thread Collection, an immersive campaign featuring garments embroidered with real stories from adults who use Zepbound (tirzepatide), Lilly’s prescription medication for chronic weight management. France, 42, shares that he doesn’t use the medication himself; his role is as an advocate to spark empathy and help “unthread” the stigma surrounding weight, body image, and health.
“There’s almost a sigh of relief when we’re discussing obesity, because they’re not necessarily raising their hands and coming to you,” Dr. Clara Lee, an obesity specialist and Lilly physician who worked on the campaign with France, told The Healthy. “But when you bring it up in a non-judgmental and safe-space kind of manner, the amount of relief and the willingness to work is just unbelievable. I think it speaks to how much weight bias and stigma exist that make people feel like they have to hide.”
France spoke to The Healthy about how he’s witnessed the “armor” of clothing as a stylist, how he feels about Queer Eye coming to an end, and why he never wears makeup on camera.
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The Healthy: Tan, can you tell us what drew you to partner with Lilly on this Changing the Thread collection, and what message do you hope people take away from it?
Tan France: The Changing the Thread collection is a movement to unthread the stigma of obesity. What drew me to it is that I’ve been doing a version of this, quite honestly, in private for decades. But in particular, what I do on Queer Eye is to encourage people to consider things openly and with understanding. And that is what this movement is about—to reframe how we talk about weight and replace that bias with understanding.
The Healthy: What do you hope people see or feel when they experience these pieces, and can you talk a little bit about what clothing means to somebody as armor when they’re at different weights?
Tan France: I’ve always seen clothing as a tool—and a tool that everyone deserves to use—to show up as themselves without any shame or apology. What I’m hoping is that people will see the need for a better understanding of people’s experiences.
During the exhibit, you’ll see clothing that is from real Zepbound users, and embroidered onto this piece of clothing are stories from these users. The stories are so powerful—understanding that so many of these pieces of clothing were used to hide away. I hear this story so often from so many people living with obesity: “I just wanted to hide away. I just wanted this one piece of clothing that could cocoon me so no one would know what was going on.”
The Healthy: There are so many celebrities who have talked about how no designer wanted to dress them. Tell me about your experience as a stylist in terms of breaking the stigma around obesity?
Tan France: I’ve got a lot of people in my family who struggle with their weight—and when I would watch them get dressed, it was so clear what they were doing. They were just trying to make it so that people wouldn’t look at them, so that they wouldn’t have to feel any kind of shame. And so when it comes to style and fashion and the change in what we see on the runway, what we see in magazines, great positive steps are being made. We are seeing different body shapes on the runway, different body shapes in magazines—but it hasn’t gone far enough. And I know that those who have suffered with this their entire lives still feel like there’s so much judgment. So what I’m hoping with this campaign is that even if the fashion industry isn’t changing quickly enough, we don’t have to wait for the fashion industry to give us permission to treat people kindly or to have a greater understanding.
The Healthy: You’re not a Zepbound patient, but tell us a little bit about your perspective of these tools and what you’re sensing in Hollywood and fashion.
Tan France: We know what Hollywood’s like. It’s not the same for the public. One person can do something in Hollywood, and it doesn’t mean that you’re going to do it in your small town. So I’m going to refer to real people when I say this: seeing the likes of my siblings openly talk about weight and openly discuss the weight stigma is something that I’ve never experienced before, and they have done that over the last couple of years in particular. The main thing for me is that it’s becoming more and more common for people to openly discuss that they are using something like Zepbound, and I really appreciate that. I don’t want there to be shame when it comes to somebody using this product if it’s helping them.
The Healthy: Tell me a little bit about your own relationship with body image and how your view of health and self-acceptance has evolved over the years, and what nutrition, fitness, and health look like for you?
Tan France: When I started in the fashion industry, I was like 19—it’s been over 20 years—and people didn’t talk about body image. They didn’t talk about diverse bodies. We didn’t talk about our feelings related to our bodies. It was something that you pushed down; you didn’t mention it, regardless of whether you were feeling good or bad. The main thing that I see—the issue when it comes to clothing—is that so many people who are struggling with their weight see clothing as a massive burden; getting dressed is a massive burden. And I do love that we are pushing for a movement that changes, hopefully, the way they view getting dressed. I don’t know if you know this, but Queer Eye ends this year. We’ve done our last season—that’s the end of that chapter for me. But that doesn’t mean the work stops.
The Healthy: What current or upcoming projects are you most excited about sharing, and how do you feel about that chapter of Queer Eye ending?
Tan France: It’s bittersweet. I feel very proud of the work that we’ve done over the last almost 10 years. That show is so beloved by so many, and I think it’s because, for the first time, so many people felt seen and heard. There’s so much more I want to do. Queer Eye was my first show, and I’m excited to spread my wings and see what else there is.
The Healthy: We ask everyone—what is one self-care ritual or wellness habit that you refuse to skip?
Tan France: I really like skincare. I don’t wear makeup on camera. Most people in my industry—I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t wear makeup on camera—I’ve always refused to. Instead, I really take care of my skin.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
