The Trend of Tidy

thefeelingsmutual
Sep 8, 2019
4 min read

Updated: May 4, 2020

In our fast-paced consumer society, we are bombarded with new trends every few months. Leopard print, Millenial pink, Indoor plants, Wellness, Poke bowls…The list goes on with each trend more wholesome than the last. Even so the latest craze is somewhat unexpected.

From make under tv shows to how-to books and a new wave of organising influencers, tidy is the new buzzword.

One of the early trailblazers of tidy was Marie Kondo, author of the bestselling bible The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In the book Kondo introduced her KonMari method which famously involves assessing whether to keep or discard belongings based on if they ‘spark joy’. She advocates for an organised life that is free of clutter and unnecessary belongings. She now has an empire which includes a Netflix series and a global team of consultants helping to tidy homes around the world.

In the UK, Instagram star Mrs Hinch has proved an unlikely influencer, appearing on daytime TV shows and releasing a book giving tips on cleaning, her favourite products and how cleaning has changed her life and helped to alleviate her anxiety.

Marie Kondo and Mrs Hinch are not alone. Instagram has 105k posts featuring the hashtag #tidyingup and 101k for #thingsorganisedneatly. Bookshelves are filled with titles such as Tidying in Style, The Little Book of Tidying and Stuffocating: Living More With Less. Tidy is also a growing business with a wave of personal organising experts and companies popping up to assist the time-starved and messy.

So why tidy, and why now? A culmination of factors have inspired a collective desire to clean and organise.

The tidy trend is closely linked to the other millenial obsessions of mindfulness and anything with the word ‘clean’ in front of it, which are both responses to our overwhelming lifestyles. In the modern world, our lives -and therefore minds- have become increasingly cluttered. We work long hours, have a billion box sets to watch and an endless parade of social events to attend.

We are so mentally overwhelmed that when it comes to our physical space, we’re craving simplicity with less visual stimulation to crowd our thoughts. Not only does a tidy space make us feel less stressed; studies have shown the actual act of tidying gives us a sense of achievement and self -efficacy which in turn leads to happiness. Who doesn’t feel emotional satisfied when walking into a newly clean room? As the saying goes :a tidy home is a tidy mind.

In a recent interview with Marie Kondo, author Elizabeth Gilbert perfectly summed up the therapeutic distraction of tidying ‘If you’re too afraid to look into the scary attic in your mind, look into the scary attic in your home.”

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Another factor is our human desire to be in control of our environment. In the Trump/Brexit era, the Western world has lost its sense of order and predictability: chaos reigns. With Brexit being an impossible conundrum to which nobody appears to have the answers, we are left seeking to assert control and order over the things within our power- namely our own homes. We may not be able to solve the political crisis, but we can organise the mayhem of our underwear drawer. When faced with a pressing problem at work, who hasn’t found themselves procrastinating by blitzing our desks instead of dealing with the real issue? Tidying enables us to cope with the issues in the macro environment by addressing those in our micro-sphere.

And if all that wasn’t enough to tip us over the edge into maniacal spring cleaning session- we’re also facing an environmental disaster. Following the Extinction Rebellion protests in London, the crisis facing our planet is at the forefront of our minds.

Thanks to fast fashion and our consumerist culture, our homes are full of unnecessary clutter that we’re convinced we can’t live without. But going back to Kondo’s question- does any of this spark joy? We’re beginning to realise that for the most part the answer is no and our constant need for ‘stuff’ is leading us to destroy our planet in the process. Our desire for shiny new things has given us an onslaught of cheap, un-sustainable and environmentally unfriendly clothes, household items and trinkets.

The trend of millenial spending has shown us that people are starting to value experiences over physical belongings. We’re looking to de-clutter and reconnect with things that have that hold the most emotional value and add to our experience of life.

There’s a possibility it may be a passing fad; the latest way ritualise and commodify everyday tasks such as taking a bath or writing a to do list. However there are arguably benefits to our wellbeing and environment that indicate the tidying trend could be here to stay. So if you’ve been inspired to get your tidy on, here’s a starter’s guide of everything you’ll need to become a cleanliness guru.

Read:

Stuffocation: Living More With Less by James Wallman

Practical Tidyness (A Tidy Life) by Martha Roberts

A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind by Shoukei Matsumoto

Tidying Up In Style by Natalia Geci

The Little Book of Tidying by Beth Penn

Shelfie by Martha Roberts

Watch:

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo

Available on Netflix