IT seems the latest accessory for the woman about town is a GBF - or Gay Best Friend to you and me.

This isn't a new phenomena in America, where shows such as Will and Grace have been presenting gay men as a must-have for months.

But now the trend has reached UK shores and we're not just asking the new man in our lives to be our best friend - we want him to make-over our partners as well!

Two new TV shows are working on the tired, old theory that all gay men know about style and all straight men haven't got a clue.

The shows, Fairy Godfathers and Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, ask women to hand over their boyfriends or husbands to a group of trendy gay men who promise to turn their lives around.

And they don't just stick to the wardrobe - every detail of their straight lives is picked over by the gay designers who are determined to make them cooler mates.

I have mixed views on all this - shouldn't we have stopped identifying people solely by their sexuality by now? I don't think it's healthy for society to be promoting the image that all gay men are camp and all straight men are slovenly - talk about them and us!

The gay men in these shows may have the power to turn the world pink but they are very limited as role models for anyone searching for the confidence to come out - you'd be hard pushed to find a teenage boy who would want to associated with a Fairy Godfather!

Then you have the men who are subjected to the transformations - from the clips I have seen many are not just straight. They are bigots who use the most offensive terms to describe the experts. The gay men in these programmes may not mind being called every name under the sun, especially as they get the last laugh when their transformations take shape, but I don't think such ignorant views should be aired without a hint of confrontation.

Then (on a lighter note) the advice the gay experts give out is pretty lame and nothing that most straight men don't already know - they just choose to ignore it.

The fashion advice seems to focus on pink shirts, while grooming is taken to the extreme with far too much time spent in the beauty salon.

Yes us girls want our men well-turned out but ten minutes in the bathroom should do nicely - the day he spends longer getting ready than you is the day to move on.

But to give them some credit, the gay experts in both shows did ask the men what they liked and disliked and mostly managed to win their guinea pigs round.

Advice such as keep your fingernails clean and don't wear smelly trainers is sound and if every woman in the country could get her man to match the colour of his belt and shoes the world would be a more stylish place. But then they go and spoil it all by advising that a man should hand his partner a cocktail every time she walks in the door!

For most women this would immediately arouse suspicion - a guilty conscience? An icebreaker to some really bad news? A quick and easy seduction technique?

At the end of the day it's quite comforting to find your husband or boyfriend where you left him - sprawled on the sofa, in front of the football with a beer.

OK he may not be accessorised to within an inch of his life or be much use at the cleaning but at least you know he'll give you a bear hug without worrying about creasing his shirt and carry you to the boudoir without breaking a nail!