Japanese organizing guru Kondo's new reality show, which dropped on New Year's Day, works because she doesn't dominate the proceedings, says Jen Chaney. "What’s nice about Tidying Up is that Kondo doesn’t judge her clients for their fixations and hang-ups," says Chaney. "She tries to meet them in the middle. When Margie, a recent widow, tells Kondo she’d prefer to deal with her late husband’s clothes sooner in the process than Kondo typically recommends, Kondo gives her the space to do that. The conjurer of life-changing magic has been criticized for suggesting an approach to cleaning that seems too rigid, but she doesn’t come across as overly strict here. Either she’s more flexible than she has often gotten credit for, or she’s been propped up by the life-changing magic of solid reality-TV editing."
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TOPICS: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, Netflix, Marie Kondo, Reality TV