The Block fans divided after show's major 'woke' change: 'Long time coming'

Sunday night’s episode of The Block sparked an online debate amongst fans after the judges decided to change the name of one of the rooms due to its problematic origins. Before judging each of the team’s bathroom renovations, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer discussed the use of the word ‘master’ when referring to the primary bedroom and its attached ensuite.

“Something I just want to address from today, we are in the main bedroom and this is the main bedroom ensuite, and we’re so used to saying ‘master’ ensuite,” Shaynna said. “But do you think that’s the right term to use these days?”

“My opinion is this,” Darren replied. “There are undertones of colonialism and sexism and I personally refer to it as a main bedroom. If something doesn’t make someone feel good and you can change it, change it.”

The trio of judges then made an “executive decision” that after using the term for the past 19 seasons of the popular reality show, they would refer to the rooms as the ‘main bedroom’ and ‘main ensuite’ moving forward.

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Chris Carroll, director of TLC Interiors, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the change is “a long time coming” as interior designers stopped using the term ‘master’ quite a while ago.

“Those of us in the industry have been using the ‘main’ or ‘primary’ bedroom terminology for ages,” he says. “The same goes for retiring ‘his and her’ basins. They're called dual or twin basins now.

“Times change, and we should change with them.”

What are the origins of the term 'master bedroom'?

While the ‘master bedroom’ simply refers to the biggest bedroom in the home in 2024, it has been described as a problematic term in recent years due to its ties to slavery. Historically, the ‘master of the house’ would typically be a man who dominated over the other members of the household - usually women, servants and slaves - and would sleep in the ‘master bedroom’.

The first recorded mention of the term ‘master bedroom’ was in a 1926 Sears mail order catalogue in the United States, with bedrooms previously being described as ‘chambers’.

The New York Times reported in August 2020 that several industry groups had planned to stop using the term ‘master bedroom’ amid the Black Lives Matter movement, with the Houston Association of Realtors becoming the first organisation to do so.

The Block viewers weigh in on the change

While the slight tweak has very little effect on The Block or its viewers, a handful of people took to social media to question the judges’ decision and describe the change as “woke”.

“I've never heard anyone have an issue with ‘master bedroom’,” one person argued, while another agreed, “Seems like a mountain out of a molehill kind of deal”.

“The word ‘master’, meaning main or principal, is sexist? Surely we're being punk’d,” a third wrote, followed by someone else who said, “I would be truly baffled if anyone was genuinely offended by ‘master bedroom/ensuite’. Surely they’re taking the piss”.

“As a black person, I don’t see why their talk about ‘master and main’ was necessary. It’s a damn bathroom,” a different user replied.

Fans applaud the show's decision

However, plenty of people applauded the decision and explained to those who were seemingly offended why it was important for our language to evolve alongside society.

In response to one person who asked how the term ‘master’ is sexist, a fan wrote: “The term master bedroom comes from slavery, when men were in power.”

Another viewer also replied to someone who said they hated “the Americanisation of Australian culture over time”, writing: “Homesteads in Australia had masters also, but I agree that the word doesn’t have the same connotations as in the US. Names and terms change all the time, so I don’t see the big deal. Primary or Main is a natural and generic term.”

“I doubt anyone was ‘offended’, but there's nothing wrong with making changes for the better and adjusting language to be inclusive,” a different user added.

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Others also pointed out that similar shows around the world have been using the term ‘primary’ bedroom for quite some time and The Block has taken a while to catch up.

“If you watch any American real estate shows, they've been calling it a ‘primary’ bedroom/bathroom for years now. ‘Master’ is definitely not PC over there due to their history with slavery,” one person shared.

“Most reno and real estate shows in the US have been using the term ‘primary’ bedroom for years now, so not using ‘master’ isn’t a new thing,” another said, while someone else commented, “House Hunters stopped using ‘master’ a while ago. It’s interesting they are discussing this now”.

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