The Dark Side of HGTV®

HGTV^® is where you go when you want to unwind by watching couples fight over home renovations and get decorating tips from someone trying to sell you $90 throw pillows.

While it’s enjoyable to immerse ourselves in the lives of others, what if this indulgence erodes our individuality, making our homes more mundane than unique and less tailored to our families’ needs? A recent study suggests this is a genuine concern, attributing it to the fear of being judged.  

Investing in Resale Value, Not Personal Value

According to a recent study, home improvement shows on HGTV and other channels can lead people to view their homes through a “market-reflected gaze,” a perspective that can homogenize all houses, eroding their unique characteristics.” 

Annett Grant, a highly respected assistant professor of markets, innovation, and design at Bucknell University, and Jay M. Handelman, a reputable associate professor of marketing at Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, conducted a comprehensive study on how home improvement media influences homeowners’ decision-making. This influence often leads homeowners to decorate according to public opinion rather than their preferences.

The Research

“They’re seeing everything that’s wrong with their home and imagining when people come into their home they’re also criticizing and scrutinizing and judging their home,” Grant told the Washington Post. “It makes people feel quite uneasy about the decisions they make in their home, and so they’re always kind of fearful about getting it wrong.” 

In this context, a “wrong” decision could decrease the appeal of your home to potential buyers, even if you currently have no intention of selling it. This definition of “wrong” shifts the focus from personal preference to market appeal, potentially compromising the uniqueness of your home.

Societal Expectation Overload

The prevailing notion is that buying a home builds wealth and allows you to personalize the space to your liking. However, Grant’s framework highlights the detrimental effects of societal expectations. “There is a shift towards standardization driven by societal expectations, which is not just limited to common areas of the house but also extends to bedrooms and primary bathrooms,” Grant said, according to the Washington Post.

One study participant said people liked her bathroom because it “feels like a hotel” because of the cleanliness and streamlined decor. What once may have been seen as offensive or a commentary on the lack of creativity is now what causes people to swoon. Neutrals reign supreme, and a bathroom that looks like a hotel isn’t “cold” and “sterile” but instead “coordinated” and “streamlined.”

More to the Story

Marketing and unrealistic TV, movies, and other media expectations constantly bombard us. We want to make sure that people think our homes have been decorated wisely to get the most out of our investment. Instead of living in our homes, we have shifted to only considering the future buyer over what would make us happy. This study highlights how miserable humans can feel when we conform to the standards we see marketed to us, especially when all we want is to belong.

References: HGTV is making people so concerned about being judged for their decor that it’s creating a world where everything looks the same, study says | HGTV is making our homes boring and us sad, one study says | HGTV is steering homeowners into boring home décor: study | HGTV Is Bullsh*t, And I Give Up | HGTV is making our homes feel sad and boring, one study found | NBC4 Washington