Are HGTV Shows Driving Debt and Jealousy?
By Movieguide® Contributor
With the surge of home-improvement shows since the 1990s, homeowners are renovating and doing DIYs more than ever, not to mention feeding that little green monster named Envy.
“Home improvement shows often glamorize the process and make it look easy (which in itself has spawned semi-spoof shows like FIRST TIME FLIPPERS), and the results can be pretty demoralizing,” Evie Magazine reported July 8. “While it can be fun to poke fun at shared #pinterestfails, not meeting unrealistic expectations can have serious consequences on our health. HGTV faced scrutiny in 2012 when rumors circulated about certain shows being staged, which was later confirmed by a blog post from one person’s experience on HOUSE HUNTERS.”
Chip and Joanna Gaines helped curve the American mindset with their wildly popular show, FIXER UPPER. Instead of looking at old homes and thinking they aren’t worth the effort, millennials started to see their “potential.”
“But…what’s the repercussions of only ever judging potential, or in other words, ‘every little thing that is wrong or could be improved?’” Evie asks.
“Unrealistic expectations met with a generation that struggles severely with addiction and comparison, which sounds like a match made in Tinder hell. No wonder online therapy services are riding this new cultural movement and making bank,” Evie reported. “The global online therapy services market was valued at $7.67 billion in 2022 and grew to $9.62 billion in 2023. By 2027, that number is expected to almost triple to $24 billion.”
And then there’s the matter of the budget. Shows like FIXER UPPER are marketed as inexpensive. But if you look at the typical cost of a kitchen remodel, which is $25,800-$42,000, it’s not exactly cheap.
The shows also stir up major feelings of envy and comparison. This leads to thoughts that features of your home need to be perfect simply because it isn’t. Or thoughts that you need to own a home when that’s not the best option for your wallet. Acting on those thoughts can get you into debt.
Now, homeowners renovate “for the masses, not for their own happiness,” a 2023 Washington Post article claims.
Bucknell University associate professor of design Annetta Grant wrote in a research paper on how homeowners compare their homes to the ones on HGTV and constantly consider how their homes will fair if they resell them.
She said homeowners “are seeing everything that’s wrong with their home and imagining when people come into their home [that] they’re also criticizing and scrutinizing and judging their home. It really makes people feel quite uneasy about the decisions that they make in their home, and so they’re always kind of fearful about getting it wrong.”
So, what to do about the perfection problem that plagues millennials? Practice gratitude and ask yourself the right questions.
“Gratitude brings us back to the roots of what home renovation shows excelled at: helping us to see a different way and conceptualizing what may be hidden by a poor paint decision,” Evie writes.
Another thing to remember is what you see on social media and TV isn’t perfect. The shows end before the renovation gets that lived-in touch.
“The key is to be mindful of why we consume the media that we do. It can be empowering to take control of our environments: to open up a space simply by choosing the right furniture height, to heighten ceilings by selecting the right curtains, to brighten a room with our color choice,” Evie says.
But “Check yourself by remembering your intention when you started your renovation or project. We need to check our desires with reality by asking ourselves some basic questions: Am I updating my living room because I’m embarrassed by it, because it’s not like those I see on Instagram? Will the financial benefit be worth the investment? Is now the right time? Am I updating my kitchen cabinets because it’s life-giving, empowering, fun, and will add value to my home?”
On the flip side, creative projects can be healthy for many individuals. Creativity can reduce stress and lift moods.
It’s a source of joy for many HGTV stars, like GOOD BONES’ Mina Starsiak Hawk. Movieguide® reported:
“I love what I do. And I actually — weirdly enough, even though it was never a goal of mine — I love making TV. I love working with the people. I love doing something different every day, and something that’s challenging,” she said.
“So, are shows like FIXER UPPER bad for our mental health? They can be, but only if we give them the power to. Binging them might end up being more dangerous than installing that thrifted light fixture, but that’s only if we don’t keep our intentions and impulses in check,” Evie concludes.
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