The New Spiritual Consumerism

Remember my mom had a framed photo of "I complained because I had no shoes until I saw a man that had no feet" in the hallway. Not perfect today but find my life more fulfilling scaling back on the stuff. Still working on it but these types of shows simply perpetuate over the top consumerism with the end result of happy, happy. You can not "hug" a LV handbag or that new expensive white sofa.

The cat suit guy episode worried me so much. He has depression. He needs a doctor... not (just) a new haircut and some clothes and a playroom for his kid.

I would love to see the reverse of this show. Five moms unravel some well dressed over achievers to unleash their inner self.

Now I am kinda embarrassed about that fiddle leaf fig I bought at IKEA.

The article doesn’t mention the nomination process that goes into the program. In each case, someone has believed that this was a person who would truly benefit from the process.

"Her [Marie Kondo's] work suggests that objects don’t just make us feel good — objects feel things, too. She writes of old books that must be woken up with a brush of the fingertips and socks that sigh with relief at being properly folded." I've decided to stop reading this article and give my socks some well-deserved love.

I would argue that it is not money per say that they need but a way to organize their life and that includes their physical self and space. Americans spend a lot of money on junk. Junk that accumulates and clutters their life. The more stuff they buy the more they have to work to pay it off. That’s the capitalist trap. It’s useful to help people realize that they don’t need too much stuff only a small amount of the right stuff to keep themselves content and feeling good. In fact when you look at these peoples homes it’s often full of stuff that is never used or useful and just weighs them down and depresses them. Purging is very cathartic both symbolical and spiritually. Grooming is also a very important aspect of emotional and mental health. Why disparage it? Men especially need help in that department and it can be done for fairly cheap. I love the show and I do get the articles points about materialism but caring for ourselves is a good thing and caring for ourselves on a minimal budget is doable. There are worse shows out there to disparage and criticize. This feels like petty nitpicking.

As an antidote to a show obsessively fixated on superficial body makeovers, watch Netflix's "Diagnosis" about helping people find answers to serious health problems.

I've often fantasized about having a Queer Eye makeover but what stops me in my tracks is being filmed and having to have some sort of catharsis on camera. Just like celebrity tears during a Barbara Walters interview, we all wait for Karamo to unearth some deep seated emotional block to the subject's having a more fulfilling life. And once he does - voila! I think this amateur psychotherapy is exploitive. The most egregious episode was the one about the 64-year-old man who passively agreed with everything told to or done to him. A new dog was not going to solve all this man's problems.

Does this article itself perhaps focus too much on the surface of a show that does the all-important teaching of how to care for one's self (even if only in appearance), one's space, one's inner landscape, and one's diet? A lot of the people on the show did not have stellar parents, communities, support groups, etc. I see the Queer Eye cast as offering a temporary burst of care and healing that catalyzes moving the previous inertia borne of pain and fear. There are many steps between where Queer Eye begins and a societal transformation takes place, but caring about the choices we make and objects we buy is a very big first step towards altering the momentum of our country/economy to a more sustainable one. Queer Eye offers exposure to other ways of being. Judge those as you may, but it's very difficult to improve when we haven't experienced any alternatives.

"The trouble is that when “Queer Eye” offers these comforts, the show implies that its subjects have previously lacked them because of some personal failure." No, that's "one" trouble. The issue is not the disease that needs this (as you suggest possibly temporary) cure. The cure is sick itself.

Self-actualization by means of consumerism. Nothing new here. When I'm watching my TV And a man comes on and tells me How white my shirts can be Well he can't be a man cause he doesn't smoke The same cigarettes as me

Thank you! Someone finally said it! I don't watch this show, and I avoid all media dedicated to the "self-care" movement. So much if it actually seems more dedicated to making people feel anxious, guilty, and insecure. I have about as much stress as your average white, well-educated, upper-middle class married lady and I manage it by saying yes to the things that contribute to my life and no to those that don't. Making time for drawing and volunteering don't make me a spiritual person but I enjoy both. Good enough for me. Meanwhile, there are individuals and families half a mile from my nice home who don't have the time or income to worry about self-care, though when I ride by on my bike I see a few finding simple and unselfish-conscious ways of enjoyment. Tending a little garden, sharing morning coffee in the usual spot next to the old garage with the regulars, or walking a beloved little dogs to the park. Free of Instagram-ready poses and inspirational memes. These folks have been a real inspiration to me. I always wave and they wave back. I'm reluctant to intrude but secretly hope the regulars by the old garage flag me down and ask me to join them.

I enjoy this imperfect show, knowing that it’s a reality show that’s not actually reality. I get that the “fixes” are superficial and that most of the make-over subjects could really benefit from a year or two of therapy or long-term antidepressants. For me, the show’s importance comes from watching cis-gender people interact with gay men. People and their families spend extended time with these five dear guys - folks who may not have had any time with gay people in their entire lives. The message for me is, we’re all human with individual gifts we bring to the world and we can be connected in love. One man in his sixties names his new dog “Fab Five.” He seemed genuinely grateful for his transformation. At the end of one show, Van Ness says to one of the subjects, “I love you so much, I’d go to Sephora for you on Black Friday.” Those lighthearted moments are uplifting and sweet and fun. During this hateful Trump era, don’t we all crave a little lightness and humor and affection? As Trump disconnects us, isn’t it crucial that we witness the ability of disparate people to connect? I find the show addictive and magical and instructive. We all have our tough, dark times. We all need caring, attention and love. The show models healing and connection. It also makes me laugh! I don’t need to dissect it. I simply accept it as a soothing balm for my soul.

Human beings are inherently spiritual -- we all need myths to give our lives meaning; we all worship something. An increasingly secular America has replaced organized religion (perhaps for good reason) and family with a grab bag of beliefs in money, things, celebrities, "likes," and political movements. It's working, if we are to believe the stiff smiles on their Facebook pages.

NOT consuming is political and spiritual. Conspicuously consuming and indulging in vanity makeover products is falling in line with the powers that be, no matter if the salespersons are "progressive."

I stopped watching this show as it became more and more vacuous and just endlessly shrieking, screaming LOUD!

But wait, isn't business straight, white, male, and Republican? One of the upsides of capitalism is that it does not indulge in tribalism or identity politics, not when that could stand in the way of profit. If it can promote consumerism through being gay or trans-gendered, then gay and trans-gendered it will be. Capitalism stopped being exclusively white and male the instant white men started losing their hegemony over the spending dollar. Cars were marketed to women in the 1970s, not because women deserved to be treated equally, but because marketers found that women made 70% of the car-buying decisions. If there is a black market for a product there will be marketing directed at the black community. Free market capitalism is amoral and respects few ethical rules, but it is not racist, sexist, or transphobic. It plays politics in terms of fighting for commercial advantage in taxes and regulation, but it only cares about itself. It does not try to change society; it is neither progressive nor regressive. Free market capitalism is a mirror, telling us exactly what we want to hear. If you don't like what you see, change yourself and your aspirations, and the picture reflected back will change too.

Stunningly insightful commentary in this piece. I’ve watched all four seasons, eagerly consuming the fairy-tale transformations while at the same time feeling a vague discomfort. Amanda Hess has precisely identified that discomfort. It’s fascinating that the show’s ostensibly progressive agenda (empathy for people of all backgrounds) is layered over the unmistakable message that the subjects “have previously lacked [comforts] because of some personal failure.” When you start thinking through the whole Queer Eye phenomenon, there are so many moving parts: you could do a thesis on the aspects of the social class divide, and on what is and isn’t stated in this show. Someone needs to make a rogue documentary (or even do a journalistic piece…), in which a perceptive filmmaker revisits the Queer Eye subjects from earlier seasons and explores the longer-term outcomes of these makeovers.

Materialism will never further anyone spiritually. Desires are inexhaustible and until we realize that, we won't find peace or serenity. The business world understands and feeds on our weaknesses and desires and turns them into profit by telling us that they now can fulfill all of our spiritual as well as our material needs if we buy what they sell. It doesn't work that way, never has, never will. We need to wake up to see through this and find our own way to spiritual fulfillment. No one else can do it for you.

Van Ness, described here as “magnetic,” is in my opinion a deeply problematic figure. He embodies many of the traits we deem “toxic” when associated with a straight man. He is very apt to harass his own subjects, often telling them their new looks are so alluring he wants to sleep with them. The other hosts are truly lovely but it floors me every time I watch the show (I am a fan for the most part) that Van Ness is getting away with proverbial murder. As if sexual harassment, when perpetrated by anyone from any marginalised group is “cute.” His latest proclamation that he is “gender non-binary” is also deeply problematic (as are so many of these declarations, Sam Smith being another glaring example) as it reinforces tropes about being a woman than many females are eager to cast off. Van Ness is a big fan of high heels, dresses, and revealing clothing. These are all aspects of the “woman” cliche I have zero interest in. We should be a society where wearing a dress or heels doesn’t make you need to adopt another gender. That seems like the opposite of progress to me.

In the aspirational lifestyle the American elite projects, its no longer good enough just to richer than everyone else. You also have to be more spiritually grounded, ethically sourced, and perfectly groomed lest the peons think they can touch you.