Makeover TV Shows are Kind of Curing My Depression

After countless failed experiments, I have finally found the cure—or the closest thing to one—for my anxiety and hopelessness. It was right there all along. I'm talking about makeover TV shows, of course.

It was a Wednesday when I woke up feeling shittier than usual and came home from work feeling even shittier. It’s like someone had just put my life under the microscope for the first time. I was forced to see and acknowledge everything that was ugly and bad in my life.

I wasn’t making enough money, getting enough sleep, or skinny enough to fit in what used to be my favorite pants. I’d sold my soul and pushed my body to its limits, and yet I still didn’t make enough progress to turn things around. On top of everything, I still had to get through two more working days before it’s the weekend.

I was determined to at least end the night in a good note. I thought of scrubbing the bathroom floor to tire myself out but I barely had the energy to even hit the shower. I could’ve cried it out, but I have an embarrassing tendency to not stop crying once I start. I knew it would only accelerate my destruction and the last thing I wanted was to wake up the next morning with puffy eyes.

I ran out of ideas so I naturally turned on the TV and saw that rerun episode of Say Yes To the Dress was on. I paused and rolled my eyes. A show on brides trying out dresses? Please. But then as I kept watching, I felt this lightness in my body. And when the episode ended, I was lifted, transformed into a brand new person. Just like the bride to the dress, I was ready to say Yes to whatever life has to offer. I didn't know what was happening then, but I liked it.

Now every time I feel uneasy or unmotivated, I turn on the TV or go on YouTube to watch episodes of How Do I Look Asia, Bedah Rumah—or any makeover shows that I haven’t seen—to get that instant fix.

Some people think they're too smart for TV and much too cultured for predictable and unrealistic makeover shows. In reality home makeovers take longer than what’s said on screen. But guess what? These shows make me feel better than a Rp 1,000,000 ($71 USD) worth of session with the best therapist in Jakarta. Crying my heart out in a room with a licensed mental health professional just doesn’t come close to watching an episode of makeover show after work in my pajamas.

A friend told me that it’s expected that people get hooked on makeover shows, because we grew up with premises like “from zero to hero,” “ugly duckling turned into a swan,” and the likes.

At the beginning of the episode, you’ll see a subject with a very specific problem. They need fixing, fast. I like the sense of urgency that the show creates. It helps me forget about my problems and just focus on theirs. Usually, the subject needs a dress for their wedding, a brand new look, or a home renovation. But never all three at once, at least not on the same show. This part is refreshing to me because what I see is the world I wish I lived in where people get to deal with their problems one at a time.

And these people, they’re just like me. Well, I don’t look like any of the brides on Say Yes To the Dress, because they’re all white, but you get the point. These people are not famous, or rich, and they don’t have their life together. They need help the way I need help. And watching homeowners on Bedah Rumah walk inside their freshly renovated homes, kneel down and pray, makes me believe that, someday, a complete stranger will waltz into my life and turn my life 180° too.

“It really gives us hope,” my friend told me. “If their lives can get better, why can’t our lives get better?”

Most importantly, in these shows, progress is visible. What good is change if you can’t see it, right? In real life, progress takes some time and it’s rarely obvious. The other day I told a colleague how I hate that, after starting to work out regularly, I still couldn't see my body shrinking. She said that maybe I shouldn’t see doing exercises as a means to an end, but rather see it as a part of my new lifestyle. Yeah, I don’t know what she’s talking about either.

I want progress and I want to be able to see it when it’s there. So until real life can get me that, I’m gonna stick to these shows. It’s better to see changes in other people’s lives than not seeing any changes at all. Now pass me the remote and the Pringles.