There were two types of people on social media when Mrs
Hinch rose to fame, those who said "I've been using Zoflora alllllll my
life, it's nothing new" and the other people who went and bought crates of
it to stuff their Narnias with tonnes of cleaning booty. Hinch got people's backs
up, whilst the majority of people loved her content and wanted sparkling,
spanking homes a lot of people questioned her mental health and diagnosed her
with OCD, others called her sad and some said she was boring but she undeniably
has something, whether she's your cup of tea or not she's clearly liked enough to
gain so many followers in such a short amount of time and become a full-time
influencer, the job of the decade.
There are numerous arguments for and against the success and
popularity of this woman who made it to insta-fame and there are many different angles that
people go in at to tear her down or raise her up. Even my own stance on the
topic is ambiguous; in one instance I’m astounded and somewhat concerned that
cleaning could become such a trend but I’m also guilty of believing the hype.
12 weeks off work is long time and much like Mrs H’s claims, I found clarity
from post-stroke anxiety in falling into a rigid housework routine and found
myself even shoving tumble dryer sheets down the back of the sofa on one occasion…just
the one mind. I do have a barrsket that I shove my cleaning bits in and cart
around the house whilst getting the daily jobs done and I am liberally spraying
my soft furnishings with diluted Lenor more often than I’d like to admit but I haven’t fully jumped on the Hinch
bandwagon and that’s for two reasons;
1. I have this weird dislike of trends, you know that ‘it’s
cool not to find cool things cool’ attitude that people have? I’m of those
people; I try and tone it down because I’m a simple soul myself and don’t have
anything going on in my life to make me any less of a basic bitch than marble
Mary with her rose gold accessories and pumpkin spiced latte loving ways but I’m
just not quick to jump in on a trend in case it's not as cool as people first thought and then I can smugly declare how I never thought it was cool to start with when the hype dies down.
2. I’m not buying into the Gleam machine. I find there’s
something insidious about the affect that the management of some content creators has on them in the long term. I feel like individuals are milked dry upon discovery and
soon become slaves to their brand and forced to spiel out the same old content
until they’re (putting it bluntly) too old to get away with it anymore.
There’s been a shift in long term managed Youtubers who have needed to produce ‘more
mature’ content to suit their ageing and loyal audiences whilst remaining child friendly
enough to reel in new subscribers from a generation who don’t know life before Youtube and Instagram etc. To her credit Mrs H
does state in her book that she’s aware that’ she can’t ride the cleaning
product train forever and comments on numerous occasions that she wants to ‘stay
grounded’ and remain authentic but, how much authenticity can someone retain
when they become a brand?
From reading comments on her audio-book Facebook advert and
various tweets and Instagram comments a lot of people seem to be outraged about
the fact that she’s risen to fame for ‘just cleaning’ and when you think about
it, it is outrageous that chores that most of us undertake have been turned
into a brand with die-hard fans and given Mrs H an alleged net worth of £1m. I
think most of the outrage also stems from the fact that although it’s a ridiculously
simple concept, once it has been done it can’t be done again. Anyone attempting
to produce similar content will only be considered as a ‘Mrs Hinch rip off' and
accused of copying her content. This is something that the likes of Gleam will
have undoubtedly taken into consideration and thus allowing Mrs H to wear her
cleaning crown without threat for the foreseeable, I’ll be interested to see
how her content develops with time. As a follower I’m becoming less engaged
with the Procter & Gamble ads and I don’t need anymore tutorials on putting my
sink to bed but hats off to her, there’s still something preventing me from pressing that
Unfollow button and it’s curiosity.
The story of the down to earth commoner, woman of the
people, representing the working glass, girl done good story never gets
old. Look at Princess Diana and the Duchess of Cambridge; we were told and told
by the press over and over that these women were 'commoners', just like us (with
their aristocratic rich AF families and sickeningly expensive educations) and
watching them rise to the top engaged the world. The same has happened on an albeit
smaller scale with Mrs H, she is 'just like us', she has a quiet life, living
with her Handsomes and pottering about with Vera and Minkeh et al. Since
discovery, more of her story has unfolded and kept people hooked on the Hinch
Hype. For me it’s her health story, I also have a condition that makes my blood
clot more than it should and I’m on blood thinners for the rest of my
life and like her, when and if I get pregnant again I’ll be injecting myself
daily with heparin. Following her pregnancy and witnessing her appear to have
had a fairly easy time (all things considered) has given me a bit of hope and
that’s not something I don't want to be letting go of.
Emily Clark very recently argued in the S*n that “Housework
and women’s work have historically amounted to one and the same, and whether
she realises it or not, Mrs Hinch is spearheading that misconception” I can see where Emily is coming from with this point however, women and men
for that matter have progressed since the 40’s and Mrs H’s hubby is often seen
undertaking the hinching whilst Mrs H puts her feet up and relaxes, there
hasn’t been one instance where she said ever stated or implied that hinching is gender specific so should we be blaming Mrs H for women who choose to get on
the hinching train, taking on the majority of work with it?
Housework and 'womenswork' may be one and the same but
hinching and housework seem to be almost entirely different. Granted, they’re
the same tasks with the same outcomes but hinching is more of a way of life and
more importantly, a choice. Emily also said that not being able board the Hinch
bandwagon makes her feel like a failure she claims that “no matter how fun
hinching invariably becomes, it is still unpaid labour” I see the argument in
this however, someone needs to do it regardless of whether you’re jotting your
jobs down with a dimante-ended pen or not and no one is going to pay you for
cleaning your floor and no matter how much of a feminist you are, the patriarchy can't be blamed for your blocked bog if you're living the single life.
I also appreciate the fact that those fans desperately attempting to emanate Mrs H's way of life by following her routines, shoving wardrobes in their garages and making backwards hinch lists etc. may be shooting themselves in the feet when it comes to sharing the house/hinch work with their male partners, as cleaning has been transformed into a hobby and, hobbies are optional just like Xbox, football and watching people play Xbox on Youtube but where to we draw the line and stop blaming influencers and take accountability for ourselves? As a blogger it's probably odd that I'm uncomfortable with influencer culture, whilst I appreciate that people are influenced by what they see on social media and thoroughly understand ads and sponsored content, whilst influencers are being clamped down on by the ASA and CMA to adhere to strict rules to ensure they're not misleading followers, shouldn't consumers take some accountability and not be so easily influenced? (before anyone pipes up...no, this does not apply to kids, we're talking about grown ass women here).
No one is telling women who don't live in spotless grey and white themed houses that they're not good enough. More often than not my house has a whiff of cat piss, I haven't caught up with my washing ever and as I'm typing this I've noticed a slice of Nutella on toast (Nutella side down of course) poking out from underneath the sofa. I've hoovered up twice and washed up three times, I've folded laundry, sprayed the sides and my home still looks like 57 toddlers have had a rave in the living room and my kitchen could be featured on some kind of Channel 5 scumbag tennant exposé but do I feel like I've failed as a woman, mother and partner? naaah. Us womenfolk need to be as strong as our foremothers, y'know the ones who gave their lives for our rights, the ones who starved to death so we could vote. Stop allowing your worth as a woman to be determined by the comparison of your home to another woman's on Instagram.
I'm still undecided where I stand on the hinch hype and rise of the domestic influencers; I'm kind of there, outside the party with my Minky in hand cleaning a bit but mostly watching and lurking, waiting to see what happens and staying enough distance away so that I can shove my minky in pocket and smugly declare that I never thought it was cool anyway when the hype dies down.
I also appreciate the fact that those fans desperately attempting to emanate Mrs H's way of life by following her routines, shoving wardrobes in their garages and making backwards hinch lists etc. may be shooting themselves in the feet when it comes to sharing the house/hinch work with their male partners, as cleaning has been transformed into a hobby and, hobbies are optional just like Xbox, football and watching people play Xbox on Youtube but where to we draw the line and stop blaming influencers and take accountability for ourselves? As a blogger it's probably odd that I'm uncomfortable with influencer culture, whilst I appreciate that people are influenced by what they see on social media and thoroughly understand ads and sponsored content, whilst influencers are being clamped down on by the ASA and CMA to adhere to strict rules to ensure they're not misleading followers, shouldn't consumers take some accountability and not be so easily influenced? (before anyone pipes up...no, this does not apply to kids, we're talking about grown ass women here).
No one is telling women who don't live in spotless grey and white themed houses that they're not good enough. More often than not my house has a whiff of cat piss, I haven't caught up with my washing ever and as I'm typing this I've noticed a slice of Nutella on toast (Nutella side down of course) poking out from underneath the sofa. I've hoovered up twice and washed up three times, I've folded laundry, sprayed the sides and my home still looks like 57 toddlers have had a rave in the living room and my kitchen could be featured on some kind of Channel 5 scumbag tennant exposé but do I feel like I've failed as a woman, mother and partner? naaah. Us womenfolk need to be as strong as our foremothers, y'know the ones who gave their lives for our rights, the ones who starved to death so we could vote. Stop allowing your worth as a woman to be determined by the comparison of your home to another woman's on Instagram.
I'm still undecided where I stand on the hinch hype and rise of the domestic influencers; I'm kind of there, outside the party with my Minky in hand cleaning a bit but mostly watching and lurking, waiting to see what happens and staying enough distance away so that I can shove my minky in pocket and smugly declare that I never thought it was cool anyway when the hype dies down.
Great post! I haven't entirely jumped on the Hinch bandwagon - illness means that there's a limit to what I can do daily but I don't feel in the slightest bit bad about that. I check in on Mrs H's stories sometimes because I quite like her and love seeing Henry Hinch but I don't feel the need to create a narnia. Others do and that's up to them. If she has helped people with their mental health then that can only be a good thing. I'm not hugely into trends but also am not a fan of hate - I think if people don't like her and what she's promoting, they just need to unfollow her. I don't mind her P&G ads because I think she always used the products anyway so why not get paid? I did lol when I heard Robbie on Eastenders talking about Hinching last week! xx
ReplyDeleteI loved this, very well written missy! I've bought a few products she's recommended and really love The Pink Stuff but I think she gets a lot of stick for a woman that just likes to clean! xx
ReplyDeleteI was nodding all the way through. I find cleaning helps my anxiety so much, but then do feel a tad concerned with all the cleaning products and the effect it has on the environment. Great post. xx
ReplyDeleteyaaasssss this was such a good read, i'm with you on this one x
ReplyDeleteVery good blog post x
ReplyDeleteI love your honestly in this post Issy! Thank you for sharing x
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting read - embarrassing but I'd never heard of Mrs Hinch before reading this so just had a look at her Insta. Definitely a very idealised version of family and home life!
ReplyDeleteJasmine xx
Jasmine Talks Beauty
I love this! I've found her less appealing over the past few months, just boring... but I like you have been unable to unfollow through curiosity. She to me is beyond reality, not something to aim for at all, just an extreme!
ReplyDeleteErin || MakeErinOver
I totally bought into the hype, and still do to a certain extent. Unfortunately, we live in a world that likes to tear into successful people, especially if they fall into the 'influencer' category. Mrs Hinch with her spotless house, bubbly personality and stunning looks was always going to be an easy target. Even though everyone on Twitter claimed to already know everything she was preaching, I didn't really have anyone who passed down cleaning tips or who used old school products like Zoflora so I did actually learn a few things but I do feel like her approach to cleaning is very excessive.
ReplyDeleteI haven't followed Mrs Hinch, or brought into the hype but that's because I loathe cleaning (much to my cleaners joy!) but I see both sides on the whole thing. I loved reading this though x
ReplyDeleteI haven't followed Mrs Hinch as, well, in an ideal world I'd prefer to have someone do my cleaning for me! I loved this post though - so well written and made me curious to check her out for myself!
ReplyDeleteFran xx
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ReplyDeleteI love this post - I've unfollowed her recently as I just found it all a bit 'much'. I don't think we all need a narnia in our garage. The shops are never going to run out of flash bathroom cleaner so you don't need 10 in back up!
ReplyDeleteEm x
I love this post Issy. I must admit, Mrs Hinch's outlook and tips have actually made me enjoy cleaning...ok, enjoy probably (definitely) is not the right word lol but I do find it a lot easier to do now and don't dread it. That being said I don't watch all of her content now as much as I did at the start because at the end of the day, cleaning is cleaning and I don't personally find it a hobby! However if there's anything that can make cleaning that little bit easier (and quicker) I'm all over that haha.
ReplyDeleteChantelle x
The Girl In The Tartan Scarf
I don't follow her and I haven't understood the hype over cleaning to be honest. I think she over cleans things and it's not healthy!
ReplyDelete