Biography
Friends and Family
Kelli
[Sister]
(an older sister, who first taught him about styling hair)
::
Hugh Edward
[Father]
(Ed)
Pets
French Bulldog
Dog
[ 2005]
Trivia and Quotes
Quotes
I think that absolutely, without the shadow of a doubt, gay people have a right to be married; have a right to have their relationships counted and validated. They already do count and they already are validated, that’s a fact. And we live in a country where there are laws and systems and I think that our relationships need to be integrated into those. We shouldn’t wait for Straight America to validate our relationships before we behave as if they’re validated. In other words, if you’re in a relationship and you feel like you’re with your life partner, you should just behave and act like you’re married. I think that’s a very important thing we can do for ourselves - to sort of heal ourselves
Early on in my life I had made a pact with myself that regardless of what [others] had in mind for me, I would always follow my bliss.
I`m very proud to be a gay American human being. I feel very honored to be able to do what I do, being a gay man. I`ve tried to take tthe opportunity to be as positive a person as I can be, as positive role model as I can be. But I`ve always been active in the gay community and have always gathered my strength from the gay community.
Ever since I was young, I was always interested in exploring spirituality. I know that there are many paths to God, there is not just one path.
I don`t ever apologize for who I am because then I let someone else decide who I am.
If you`re gay and you feel in your heart that you are a Catholic and that is how you need to worship God, then you just go on and do it. Don`t let anybody tell you that you aren`t welcome, and don`t let anyone take your church away from you because it`s not their church, it`s your church.
What we Five do is not just slap a haircut or clothes or exterior style on them. We want what works for them - the rock-n-roll of their lives.
You know what I like about disposable razors? They`re disposable.
Our sexual lives are maintained by the shadow side and the light side, so the more we can understand and embrace enlightenment, the less need there is for chemical enhancement.
Queer Eye is a makeover show, meant to help our straight brethren.
Some of my awareness as a homosexual person created a certain amount of shame around HIV, which I`m still dealing with.
That said, we don`t approach these improvements as only a surface aesthetic. The producers and we think that these men are helped with their inner needs when they pay attention to their externals.
The externals are important but I`m not interested in superficiality.
There really is something raw about sexuality that`s real and good and we must continue to learn to not be ashamed of it. But - we have to honor the reality of practicing safer sex.
We shouldn`t any of us be afraid of teaching protective measures to save lives.
Our Quakers love us. we`re big with the Quakers. It`s all about cleanliness.
I just don`t know that shame and fear need to be our teachers; rather, compassion, understanding, and love should be our guides.
I like a woman with priorities.
It`s definitely there - this impulse to be creative - and we`re trying to help the man on his journey to become who he was meant to be.
It`s not being marketed as a gay show by a gay person. It`s just Ellen DeGeneres.
I`m all for guys being butch and guys being men. I identify with that and appreciate that. But if I`m going to stab my gay brother in the back who isn`t butch and who maybe acts a little bit more effeminate, what good is that?
I`m no interior decorator, but just I have a feeling that plastic plants in the bathroom... probably not a good idea.
No nose hair. Ever. You`d be surprised at all the little twigs sticking out. I just can`t get it. How can you see that and not just want to hack it off?
As far as the grooming goes, if I`m introducing someone to skin care, I really hope they`ll take what I`ve given them and use that for a long time.
Call me old-fashioned, but I like my conditioners to be conditioners and my shampoos to be shampoos.
Drugs and alcohol can be so destructive.
Everyone`s hip to the fact that we all do things to accentuate our looks - and it`s much more accepted.
For myself, Queer Eye feeds more to my heart and my soul than as a platform for a career.
For the first time in my life, I want the right to get married. I`ve met somebody who meets the criteria of what I`ve always imagined in and wanted from a partner - someone to marry and to bring children into the world with.
I enjoy my relationship with straight men. It`s very nurturing. It`s very validating to hang out with straight guys and be accepted. So many of us, we were not accepted when we were younger by straight persons in high school.
Trivia
In addition to the honor of being named one of People magazine`s “50 Most Beautiful People,” Kyan has been profiled or featured in international magazines and news publications including: Allure, Glamour, Vanity Fair, People, Entertainment Weekly, In Style , Out, Us Weekly, Women`s Wear Daily, Time, Newsweek. Kyan also contributed to the Queer Eye book, “The Fab Five`s Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better & Living Better”.
Before starting work on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Kyan worked as a colorist on several TV shows, including What Not To Wear and While You Were Out, and magazines, such as Child Magazine.
Kyan gained his certification in cosmetology from the Aveda Institute. He first moved to New York in 1999 to work for Aveda, starting out on the shop floor and progressing to help open the Aveda Institute, which he then enrolled in. He graduated at the top of his class.
Kyan stands 5`10 tall.
When Kyan landed the job on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy he was working as a colorist at the upscale Arrojo Studio in Soho. A client had heard about a new makeover show that was looking for a grooming person, and recommended he go after it.
Kyan gained a degree in communications from Loyola University New Orleans, graduating in 1999. He previously studied Philosophy at Brookhaven Community College in Dallas, Texas.
Kyan owns a dog, a French Bulldog named Louis. Louis was featured on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in 2006 when a very young puppy; the zoo keeper being made-over gave Kyan puppy grooming tips.
In 2004 Kyan published his first book, a women`s beauty guide titled Beautified.
In 2005 Kyan started training to become a qualified instructor of Kundalini yoga.
In 2007, after Queer Eye ended, Kyan moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
Kyan`s legal birth name is Hugh Edward, but he was always known as `Eddie` growing up (his father, who has the same name, goes by `Ed`). He changed his name to Kyan, which he describes as a "spiritual name," when he was in his twenties. Everyone, including his family, calls him Kyan.
|
Comments
Continue the Conversation