I don’t watch much reality TV but when I do, it is usually of the “Home” variety – buying, renovating, decorating, switching. So when I was last searching for something to watch and everybody suggested The Home Edit, I gave it a try. Up front: it wasn’t for me. The Home Edit or THE, as it’s followers call it (no, I am not making that up) is based on the best-selling book of the same name by organizing dynamo, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. THE’s system is a rainbow color-coded base which relies on a bevy of clear containers with a labeling system that is supposed to make it easy for the homeowner to remember and find items while looking beautiful. It’s beautiful, but hardly sustainable for anyone who actually cares for a home on their own. Full disclosure: I kind of like THE’s creators and team and would probably enjoy grabbing lunch with them. So none of my criticisms are personal. Except for, possibly, my assertion that this is the whitest show I have ever seen – and I was a Friends devotee. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here is the official trailer for the show:
As you can see, the majority of THE’s clients are celebrities. And the projects these celebrities have hired THE for are mostly renovations or new constructions, so they are offering a large, empty space to work with. Beyond having an extra, empty, expansive closet to fill, the projects are not ones we would have. There’s Reese Witherspoon’s desire to display all her iconic movie costumes and award show gowns and Khloe Kardashian’s multi-car garage that houses product for her side-hustles and nine – nine – motorized luxury autos for her two-year-old daughter, True. It’s fun to watch THE work in these settings, but none of it applies to me or anyone I know.
This begs the question, does their system exist for anything other than entertainment? THE’s claim is, “Our intention is to give people the tools to make a system that’s smart, sustainable and also beautiful.” Beautiful is never the issue, every time they do the reveal, it is beautiful, if not a bit homogenized with the same rainbow format against all-white walls. But the sustainable part is unrealistic for regular people. Refinery29 makes the point, “while watching the show, I also thought about the wealth required to keep it up. In each celebrity’s nearly immaculate home, I thought of the unseen labor that will be required to keep it that way: the paid nannies, housekeepers, chefs, and assistants who will be tasked with maintaining it.” I agree – I doubt tired parents will worry about who put the red Ritz packets in the blue Rice Crispy treats bin. Bins, you see, are key to The’s system.
If (Marie Kondo’s) KonMari can be summed up as “sparking joy,” The Home Edit only needs one word: product… The products in question include clear plastic bins, shelf dividers, bag shapers, lazy susans, shelving systems, and bins that go inside of other bins. The Home Edit has rules about decluttering, sure, but that is not what their empire is built on. Rather, the appeal is immaculate, often rainbow-ordered rows of things, displayed in and on product, product, and yet more product.
Again, this is supposed to be a sustainable system of organizing. Only Ep. 2 features Rachel Zoe and Khloe K. Rachel has rehired THE’s team to redo a closet they’ve already organized once. Khloe, who arguably put them on the map when she posted the pantry they did for her on social media, hired them to do the garage I mentioned earlier. Both projects are promoted as how well THE’s system is working: their customers love it so much they invite them back! But if I am paying $250/hr, hotel, air and product costs, I not only expect this system to stay organized, I expect it to be so easy to follow, I could implement it myself in other areas.
The fault of THE’s system, in my opinion, is its detachment to how everyday folks live. In one episode, as they are organizing a kitchen, Clea and Joanne are crippled by the appearance of a jar of crushed red pepper flakes, having no idea how to categorize it. Motherly interviewed the ladies about how to organize from a parents perspective, specifically childproofing. Clea’s response was, “I never really locked my cabinets I just made sure that things I didn’t want them to access weren’t down low.” My kids grew up in a house with one, solitary bathroom cabinet – and it was locked up like Fort Knox. The show is fun to watch and, like I said, I enjoy the ladies in a sorority sister kind of way. Plus, they are certainly talented: Joanna’s handwriting is so beautified they had it turned into a font that they use for their labels. But I don’t really have time for an organizational system that only applies to 1% of the population.
Photos credit: Christopher Patey/Netflix
I watched it thinking I was going to be into it, but I really struggled with the programme: way too much screaming for me, and it’s all about let’s buy more plastic shit to fit your stuff. I wasn’t convinced at all.
It also fills like there’s not enough material to do a proper show, so they over dramatised on utterly mundane situation (“oh my goooosh, are all the socks going to fit in that drawer” is not a good enough cliffhanger)
The guys of Googlebox completely nailed it on their reaction
Yeah, shoving everything in plastic, plastic, and more plastic is… not “sustainable.” That’s incredibly cheesy. At least get cute little woven wood or cloth baskets and label them (this is what I do, though I also don’t have as much stuff in general lol).
Thanks guys… I looked despondent when I my Netflix showed David Attenborough’s A Life on the Planet and THE side by side 🤦🏽♀️ In a few years you’ll get a fine if you buy this amount of plastic in one day.
I had the exact same reaction. I really just wanted something to play in the background — that I could check in with if I heard some interesting bits — as I deep cleaned my kitchen. And what I got was squealing about nothing, trying on slippers, and adding more elements of chaotic clutter (BIIIIIINNNNNSSSS….that will one day be empty husks or filled to overflowing or repurposed for something unnecessary by my husband). The trying on slippers thing was really where I drew the line — it just felt like a weird invasion, you know? Like, when I do freelance work, I don’t take sips of my new office mate’s coffee, you know? Even if they’re really famous and their coffee cup is an iconic image or whatever…???
For my time and effort, Marie Kondo’s method is so much more helpful for me (don’t move the clutter around — get rid of it with gratitude for its service), and her show is *relaxing*.
Give me Marie Kondo. I didn’t last 2 episodes
Samesies – it felt soulless, the two leads seemed more like passive-aggressive frenemies than collaborators, and the screeching reminded me of that meme of the sorority girls welcoming you into hell. There’s a yawning emptiness behind the forced enthusiasm that both the meme and this show capture. Even their first interaction with their team prompting an “are we in trouble?” like I know it’s staged, but… yikes.
just putting things away by rainbow color? wow. can’t believe they are making a buck off that. so extra.
NK…and that’s also retail 101. As someone who has folded/hung thousands of shirts over the years, ROYGBV, or organizing by rainbow, has been around forever.
And my main take-away is that people just have way too much stuff. I’m a little surprised that this is a show right now – I feel like so many people are more invested in getting rid of stuff than merely storing it right now. Because in the end, if you need that much of a “system” to store your crap, you just plain have too much crap. I feel like people are getting tired of shows that just showcase how much excess these worthless people have.
@josephine totally agree. I simply don’t have enough STUFF for this. And I’m working hard on having less. Not more! So much more that I need more absolutely unsustainable plastic STUFF to put it in. 🤦
My toddler is a little whirling dervish of destruction. I can see myself spend all afternoon sorting his toys by color and placing them in overpriced clear bins only to have him dump them out in five seconds flat. Lol. No thank you. Can you imagine saying to your family, “okay, time to pick up this room!” and then insisting they sort things by color?! That’s a bit OTT.
Yeah, my boys are 2 and 4. And I have a 75 lb puppy. I saw this and had a good laugh. I have a colorful toy bin organizer where I separated the compartments into different categories- mini cars, action figures, blocks etc. Guess how often all the toys are correctly put back into the correct bin.
I got the same message – this show was more interested in further glamorizing wealthy people than actually organizing. They were SO over the top in their fawning over celebrities that I turned it off.
Yup, I had to stop watching. I thought it would be a fun binge watch and ended up being completely turned off by the whole concept.
I liked some of the YouTube content but the buying things/food so that you can have a rainbow effect is stupid and wasteful.
THIS ^^^^ So much this!
I couldn’t even make it through the first episode. The commercialism, faux enthusiasm, and privilege made it horrible. I felt like I was listening to nails being drawn down a chalkboard.
Def not for me.
I liked Clean House (mostly because of Niecy Nash, because, come on, she’s fabulous). That show was great at helping people let go of THINGS. This one seems just the opposite. I have to wonder how much these people even use the stuff that they so prettily store.
It’s a show. It’s one way of organizing. Enjoy it as entertainment, takes things that you could apply to life and move on. Not everything can be meant for everyone
I know the rich is different but seems like conspicuous consumption on steroids .. the plastic.. Does not seem entertaining but I get that you ncan zone out.
I agree. Take it for what it’s worth. Just entertainment.
Nope – it’s one giant advert for their products, that’s all.
Marie Kondo actually has ideas you can apply without spending a dime. Love her. And my drawers have never looked better.
I think folks are just saying that it’s not entertaining. And since we’re the consumers, it’s perfectly fine to speak up and ask for content that is actually appealing and useful (to the extent that a show is being pushed as useful). But we’ll see what happens with the ratings.
I watched it too thinking it was going to be kind of fun, but it was going into peoples already big empty closets and just like… tidying up?
Everything was already there! Apart from the plastic boxes and the matching hangers. Cant believe they managed to eke a whole series out of hanging up some clothes that were (not that) untidy.
I like watching organizing shows or YouTube videos to get ideas. It doesn’t mean you have to do exactly what they do or buy the same products they do.
Seeing the organization soothes my soul and it also gives me ideas of how I can apply some of the concepts. I live in a smallish NYC apartment and never thought it was meant for my situation.
I’m a long time THE fan from Instagram. While I often say I’m the only thing standing between my husband and an episode of Hoarders, I’ve implemented several of their ideas and love it. I added baskets for my bathroom supplies just this week. I can’t afford to do it all at once but they really don’t advocate that for most people. Side note – they also talk about surviving not thriving which has been my catchphrase for 2020.
Focussing on bringing MORE plastic into your home at the moment seems somewhat counter to the growing general realisation that we need far less of this stuff in our lives. Less ‘stuff’ too!
I cringe at all the plastic products they use…. yikes.
Nope. They are suppose to be organizing so encouraging clients to get rid of stuff their solution is to not only not make use of other cabinets or shelving already in the house, they go out and buy more still therefore defeating the purpose. They ain’t editing nothing.
The fact that they got a show tells me everything I need to know.
They are just glorified snake oil saleswomen.
I’m guessing the next goal is an overpriced product line with the Container Store or Target? I remember watching that old organization show with Niecy Nash and one of the organizers told a homeowner she had binitis, an addiction to storage containers. Watching this it’s all I can think of.
They already have an overpriced product line! Not just in the States either. Canadian Tire carries the line in Canada. I wanted to love it, but it’s honestly very impractical.
Niecey Nash’s show helped me start consistently cleaning my home as a young 20 something. I’d always been messy because I was too busy doing other things and never consistently made time to pick up. The inspiration I got from seeing spaces cleaned up and excess shit dumped was such a good start for me.
My mother watched and enjoyed THE and was inspired to find USED systems to organize her sewing room which has always been out of control.
I, on the other hand, have found a form of minimalism to be my preference. I would rather donate or recycle things and get them out of the house than figure out what color bin or basket to put them in.
Clean House! I loved that show, and that’s when I became a fan of Niecy.
Every once in a while I’ll watch Hoarders, and hooo boy do I start throwing things away after that.
I still haven’t watched this show, maybe I will this weekend. I actually do very well when I have clear containers, labels, and organizational systems, so it might be good for me. Much like Marie Kondo’s, there’s probably something helpful you can take from it without having to go 100% into the method.
Thanks for reminding me of that show! It’s now today’s background binge watch. Nieces is the best. I also loved Clean Sweep and will randomly think about putting all of my things out in my yard on keep/sell/toss tarps.
Clean House … Clean Sweep… I loved those.
The other one I remember was a show from Canada called Neat, where the host would walk the guests through the emotional issues related to clutter and what they were holding on to that they didn’t need. The host was Helen – with – a-funny-last-name, that I never quite learned how to spell or pronounce : Buttigieg!
Omg I hate-watched the sh*t out of that show. I was so furious! The solution to everything is “go buy a bunch of crap from the container store”!!! I’d love to know how much these women are charging.
I would love to be an organizer. I celebrate NYE with my best friend. And on NY day we tackle her closest. I’m relentless with making her throw stuff out. I wanted to like this show. But they were too much. I tried watching at different times of the day, but their energy was too much for me. I didn’t stick with the show enough to get a strong opinion about their system.
The fact that their assistant would buy every plastic bin possible started to give me anxiety imagining her having to return what wasn’t used. Also the assistant was a true star. Calm and just putting in the work while Joanna freaked out.
I agree about the screaming. Too much screaming.
Finally I think Marie Kondo’s show was better since it dealt with easy storage & organization ideas along with why recognizing it’s easy to gather so much stuff.
The pics and preview horrify me. I’m doing the konmari method and I’m certainly far from good at it but I have gotten rid of so much stuff—things that don’t suit our lives anymore (kids’ old toys, books that don’t spark joy), ill-fitting and/or out-of-style clothes and shoes, so many gift bags and boxes (why did I have so much??). It’s filled at least 35 large bags for donation or trash. And we’re really not people that glorify shopping and are not hoarders. So when I see this, it just looks like people are keeping a bunch of crap they don’t need (really, Khloe, that many cars for your kid? 🙄) and organizing it with more crap they don’t need (special boxes and labels, etc). A simple suggestion from Marie Kondo is to use shoe boxes and shoe box lids to organize things (not as pretty, but these are in drawers and places that aren’t really on display anyway). I’ve loved that suggestion, especially because I’ve always hated from spending so much for “organizational tools.”
I have to agree, Marie Kondo’s organization tips are much more practical for the every day person. To me, her organization is declutter, recycling (using shoeboxes, etc), and folding methods to save space.
I am not bothered by the plastic and would love to organize my own pantry with that or baskets, but it’s just not feasible for my family, both in terms of cost and convenience.
I have mixed feelings. They use too much plastic but they do have some really great ideas. The show dilemmas are contrived but I appreciate different views on how to sort stuff…and as a book junkie who can quote dewey decimal chapter and verse I can see how rainbow children’s book organization is brilliant. There was an article in The NY Times about the show and commenters went nuts on the “ product“ references and the frivolousness…as if the alternative was that the women should be feeding the homeless or curing cancer ( and sort of implying those commenters were as opposed to sitting at home in Quarantine reading the times). I think they bring an interesting perspective on trying to look at how you store things to make them useful and accessible for your life. Minimalists they are not!
I’m a book junkie too, but the idea of organizing kids’ books by color makes me crazy! Interesting the different takes on things. FYI–920 is my favorite section of the library.
I’m glad I’m not the only one!
Way to teach kids that books exist as decorations… how to find a book if you don’t remember the color?
Me too! – I started twitching when I saw the books by colour. Room Rater on Twitter has pointed out that some people store books with spines to the wall, for a uniform look; Martha Stewart at one time advocated wrapping each and every book in white paper, also for uniformity. This is some sort of weird library apartheid, where diversity is frowned upon. How can you find the book you are looking for? How can I snoop to discover what you are really like if I can’t read your book titles, and check which books have been read, and which have not even been opened?
Sorry. I’m into konmari. That magic changes my life.
@Happy_fat_mama
Same Konmari really allowed me to let things go, because I’d just hang on to them for whatever reason. Now, when I’m buying things, they have to really hit a certain way for me to buy them. It’s improved my wardrobe immeasureably.
The thing I do’nt get is emptying all your food into containers. Therefore throwing away the bags that have the expiration date etc on them.
I actually do that all the time. Not with everything, but definitely with snack stuff. My kids WILL NOT properly reseal a bag of chips or popcorn. But they will put the lid back on a container. Plus the container can serve as the bowl they eat from, and it’s a lot less likely to get spilled or knocked off the coffee table than a bag of pretzels. Our cats can’t resist the crinkly wrapping, so everything ends up on the floor. So the second a bag like that comes into the house we immediately empty it into a large resealable container and throw the bag away. Works very well for us.
I do this too and our snack drawer is so much more organized this way. Huge fan of bulk Costco nuts and repurposed a few of the nut containers for all sorts of things. I put a label on the lids so things are easy to find from a birds eye view. We. used to have all sorts of chip, cracker, snack bags and noone ever likes to eat the last 20% of a bag but if it’s all in a container, protected, the visual alone makes it so much more appealing.
Yes! The containers are all the same size, so it always looks neat and tidy even if you’re just down to the last scraps at the bottom of the package. And the kids love eating the last few pieces out of a bin because they know when it’s empty it gets filled up with a different yummy treat. They’re happy to eat healthier stuff when it’s presented in an appealing way.
I reuse Costco containers too! I have a few with screw on lids that I’ve been using for years. Especially with artwork, I use various containers for water, and the egg containers make great palettes. It’s hard to find stuff without so much plastic packaging, but at least I’m getting another use out of them for a while.
@NightOwl, the chip thing is a great idea! I’m going to have to give that a try.
I pulled out my label maker to make nice fancy labels for all of our chips, crackers, and random dried fruits. For some reason, we have an abundance of empty Bonne Mamam jam jars and use those for smaller things like hard candies, dried fruits, and for things that come in less sturdy bags. As for expiration dates, somehow things just get eaten more regularly when everyone can see at a glance what the options are.
I agree with so many of the comments. With Marie Kondo, people on the show did the work. They had to review their belongings and keep what they really liked (the “spark joy” concept). It was ok if they kept a lot, but they had to really like it and then store it in a way that made sense to them so they could use everything. In THE, most people featured on the show, particularly the wealthy celebrities clearly don’t even know what or how much they have. They don’t really review any of their belongings and then, don’t seem to understand how to maintain the final organizing system or “zones”. So THE MO has nothing to do with sustainability on any level. It promotes mindless consumption and hoarding of things, and then more mindless consumption by paying THE to organize all of your crap with way too much plastic from the Container Store. Yes, their finished product always looks great, and yes there were some nice moments in the series, like when they did the bedroom for the two brothers. But overall, it just felt gross watching it.
agreed @Lisa B. if anyone reading this thread wants to follow someone on organizing I highly recommend my dear friend Kacy Paide (theinspiredoffice on yt, insta etc). while she specializes in paper, digital files and offices, she is constantly sharing solutions for kitchen, family, bathroom too. her style is pretty practical and minimalist and while she does recommend a few products she likes to keep it simple. i reuse jars because of her and now that we live in the tropics have to decant literally everything into containers (no boxes/bags) to keep bugs out. she did not pay me for this post. but seriously watch kacy she’s so soothing.
Thanks for the suggestion Lauren. I cannot keep my desk clear no matter how hard I try so I will check this out.
That sounds good, I will have to look her up. My office especially is a mess, working from home most of the time now.
They had a show before, I can’t remember where it streamed though. I’ve followed them on Insta for a long time, and their first show really drove home that I enjoy them in small doses. The twenty minute show was a little much.
I tried to watch and was over it. I love design and organizing shows but hate when there’s too much saccharine that I end up getting a toothache. It was less focused on the thoughts behind how everything was going to be set up and more on the celebrity, no thanks.
Fun fact: I used to be a professional organizer in NYC. The number one job of an organizer is throwing sh*t away. My job was to rescue people from their own belongings(trash). I never once suggested buying anything additional because: hoarding. My clients lived in very small apartments and would have filled up plastic bins with more stuff had I introduced them. This is why Marie Kondo’s method works, you have to get under a thing to get over it. Just do the work, it’s empowering!
I watched 2 episodes. It’s just about closet organization. Reece Witherspoon and Rachel Zoe aren’t looking to get rid of old clothes. Reece had movie costumes and a big empty closet in a new house to organize and Rachel had a lot of designer stuff also to organize.
All I can say is organizing a closet is physically hard work and if I could pay someone to do it I would. They seem like nice gals but goofing around about trying on Legally Blond costumes isn’t the entertainment I was looking for.
Yes but the weird thing about Reese and Rachel’s episodes are that, from a conservation standpoint, the organization is actually bad for the clothes. If Reese’s costumes and Rachel’s vintage couture are “priceless” and need to be preserved, they should be carefully cleaned and folded away, out if the light, in acid-free paper. Hanging heavy beaded and feathered items will only damage them as their weight will pull them down and stretch them. THE do more harm than good here.
Encouraging people to go out and buy yet more plastic crap?
Are they unaware of the current moment?
Aren’t most of these HOME shows for people that are rich? I mean, budgets are usually blown and no one gets bent out of shape.
No, no, no, no. There’s another decorating show I laughed at which carries the same aesthetic as this show. White. On every level. And regarding minimalism, there’s a new ‘trend’ I read about which gave me a chuckle…maximalism. Which is how I’ve always lived my life. Anywho, why on earth would I order dozens of clear plastic containers? It’s ludicrous. And to expect my home mileau resemble a hospital? Never. I love variety. Don’t they say variety is the spice of life? I can’t trade in my husband or kids or put them in boxes. And needs evolve. I don’t buy the same cereal every single time. And what if my next cleaning binge brings alternate needs? Space? And that trailer gave me tics. They could actually all live in the same house.
I love all kinds of beautiful baskets. All kinds of beautiful bottles and jars. Pick one and multiply??? Never.
I very much enjoyed the show and have learned a lot while not purchasing a bunch of “product”. I honestly don’t think most reviews are fair. Only the first half of each episode features a celebrity who doesn’t need much help. The second half is the “real peoples” part which is very educational. Entire episodes are not devoted to the celebs and that first half is edited to focus on the celebs’ wealth. It’s a dash of HGTV. You can take some things away from the celeb section but the lessons come from the “real peoples”.
While they do sort and edit items, I like the fact they don’t force people to throw a lot of stuff out because not everyone even “real peoples” is a minimalist. I don’t need to go on a spiritual journey, I need ways of managing my clothes and papers in my small bedroom. I like the fact they consider an item’s frequency of use and a person’s frequent activities when putting together kitchens and closets.
The use of containers really sing in the episodes where they are doing “real peoples” kitchens. Not only do the containers create visual neatness, it makes it easier to access items in the back of cabinets and pantries. To do all of the closet container solutions is expensive, implementing a few affordably has given me so much space in my closet and made it more aesthetically pleasing.
I’m not sure why people are skeptical of the success of their system. With any type of organizational system, you have to adapt it to your needs and life, these are not one-size fits all. And then you actually have to follow it. KonMari, THE, whatever else don’t work magically. You must make the effort to follow and enforce it in your home in order to be successful.
I came to post pretty much the same thing! I enjoyed the show for the aesthetic and organizational ideas, and it inspired me to reorganize my fridge – which I did without purchasing a single product! I also watched and enjoyed Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, and that hit me in a different way, and has made me think more about what I already own. I feel like, Marie Kondo’s method is how you get your belongings under control, and then you can use The Home Edit’s method for an extra dash of pretty.
What a bunch of basic bitches, man! I can’t with white rich people and their boring ass homogenized lives.
Also, why do these people need so much stuff? Bins and bins and closets and garages and crawl spaces full of STUFF. It’s gross.
The basic gals comme screeching to celebs houses (and then normal peeps with ‘real’ problems) where they ‘organise’ items to put them in, wait for it, basic plastic – PLASTIC – containers and call it work. Ok then. I only watched one episode (lost a bit of respect for Retta to be honest) and I could not take the screams, which, for me, are just a way of hiding the fact that they are snake oil sellers. I honestly thought Retta was a bit disappointed and was going to give them a smirky response. But no. So what could have redeemed the show never happened. I just remember my husband looking at me with an expression of “what have I just watched and why do I have a headache’?
In the midst of a pandemic when people are worried about how to pay their rent or buy food, it’s sickening to know Khloe Kardashian bought nine luxury motorized cars for her spoiled kid. Utterly disgusting.
I had the same thought with respect to all that food in her pantry. It’s her & her daughter, right? That’s enough food to last several people for quite some time. Will she even use it all up before it goes stale?
I mean, it IS good for organizational purposes to sort stuff in your pantry, drawers, closet, etc. into containers. Things stay in their place better because you can remember where they go and not just throw them into a random cabinet or junk drawer. It also makes things easier to see and access. I know the plastic aspect isn’t good, but this isn’t an expensive investment. You can buy these things at the dollar store and it makes your home much more functional. Sorting your food into containers is also great and ultimately saves space.
My only issue with the idea is that it’s nothing new from THE and something I’ve been doing for a long time, lol. Marie Kondo suggested it as well. Who, by the way, is much sweeter and enjoyable to watch than the THE ladies (I can’t stand Clea).
I prefer Marie Kondo’s show, she works with real people and offers solutions most of us could implement. And it’s not so focused on buying lots of new storage products, but using what you already have.
The rainbow organizing give me an eyelid twitch. Especially books.
Oh god me too. It infuriates me. Especially the books.
i HATE the color-organized book thing. or the putting the books backwards. I hate it so much.
Ditto. The only things I color organize is wine. The rest I can live with.
I would have enjoyed it more if the celebs closets were messy but they never were! I enjoyed seeing the families’ situations more. I enjoy looking at their Instagram more. I could never be that organized. The show seems like a big ad for the container store.
All that plastic is so wasteful. If a system takes so much time to maintain it is not a good system.
Sounds like the quintessential American premise: material goods, wealth aspiration, celebrity worship, more concern for the package than the content, not about the individual but about the object. That’s in stark contrast to KonMari which is about you and moving you forward in your life through identification of what sparks joy (and realizing that much of what you own probably doesn’t) and the difference in relationship to the object in KM where there is an honor for each object and how it has supported your life. The Shinto connections have always interested me.
Exactly this. I was scandalized by all the plastic bins utilized in The Home Edit show. I’m trying to avoid plastic consumption as much as possible. It’s very much a capitalist show with capitalist solutions to capitalist problems. I’ve never fully KonMari’d my belongings but I did it with clothing four years ago and it’s continued to be the framework for how I decide to keep things and also how to shop…if something doesn’t bring me genuine joy, I don’t buy it. It’s helped me realize how cheered I am by bright colors. It’s just a much more integrated system and I do think that over time it has prevented me from excessive buying.
“The whitest show I’ve ever seen”…Hecate, you are so right! That’s one of the first things I noticed about it. Something about the way the ladies squeal and chatter maybe? The way they do their hair and makeup? A certain level of restraint and uptightness? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it (maybe because I’m a white lady too), but suffice to say it made me feel a bit “ew”. Not my cup of tea.