Ruling the House: A Semiotic Perspective on Norms in Home Makeover TV

This essay presents a socio-semiotic analysis of domestic normativity through the lens of home makeover television, aiming to investigate the normative dimension underlying domestic renewal practices. It begins by framing the concept of norm within semiotic theory, emphasizing its cultural, ethical, and intersubjective aspects. A selection of programs serves as a case study for examining recurring narrative and discursive organizations, as well as the figures of the expert and the homeowner. Particular attention is paid to the expert’s dual role as norm-setter and moral mediator, guiding both the material and existential transformations staged in these shows. Here, experts promote specific forms of life and exercise a strategic and tactical competence in addressing normative constraints. Practices such as tidying, cleaning, and renovating are framed as processes through which space and subjectivity are jointly reconfigured and realigned with socially recognized normality. Ultimately, these programs are read as programmatic discourses that contribute to the circulation of normative ideals of domestic life and self-conduct.