Closet Character

     The closet, primarily thought of as a storage space for clothes, has evolved into something completely different in today’s world. While maintaining its traditional function, it serves many other purposes for different people. These purposes, along with closeting behaviors, can reveal a person from the inside. They show that person’s true qualities, an idea that might seem creepy at first, but, essentially, is the absolute truth. A fashion statement, athletic participation, an individual trait revealer, and the place to hide in or fear are all doors that lead to unique closets. Surprisingly, the closet becomes, in many ways, a part of a person’s description.

     As the primary function states, the closet holds clothes. This is the most common category of closets, probably the only one most people are aware of. The clothes inside the closet are what make this type of closet special. They represent the style, fashion, and overall appearance preferences of the individual. The closet can be filled with top quality brands, representing preference to the luxurious style, or it can be filled with sweatpants, t-shirts, and hoodies, appealing to the comfortable style. However, the previous examples represent, a normal behavior of mixed brands. Some people, lean towards the more extravagant side, tending to buy a single brand because others don't seem to hold any worth. Thus, their closet becomes a representation of their tastes.

  However, closets can assume a different classification. They are able to represent a person’s interests beyond fashion and appearance. The most common feature of these closets is their containment of sports related items. Whether it be basketball shorts, swimming suits, or martial arts uniforms, closets are able to reveal what activities a person might be participating in. Older, worn out tennis shoes or running shoes can even tell the story of the past: what a person used to like.

  Then there are the trait revealers. These closets tend to be on the extreme sides of the spectrum. For example, a closet that has some clothes folded nicely, but other wrinkled won't say much about the owner. However, there are closets that look like a jungle with clothes thrown everywhere, including on the floor, and not a single item that is wrinkle free. Surely these represent someone who is lazy, disorganized, but also someone who just doesn't care. On the other hand, closets with organized hangers and neatly folded clothes must represent people who are neat and organized. Whatever the extreme is, some closets simply function as behavior displays.

  The last category of closets belongs to children. Contrastingly though, they don’t primarily serve as storage for attire. Their most important function is a ‘hide-out’, a place to hide from the big world, a place where childhood games took a side adventure. To other children, however, the closet represented the hiding place of the world’s most feared monster. Many can still relate to the habit of closing their closet door before going to bed.

  A closet is not just merely a closet. It is a place that secretly represents a person for who they are. It tells about their preferences, activities, and memories. What would the world be like if we judged people based on their closets? What closet category would you fall under?