172) In The Closet

The other day I heard someone say, "I'm a closet Britney fan," and I got to thinking about the expression. Generally understood to refer to an enclosed recess for linens, household supplies or clothing, the closet has evolved connotations of deep secrecy. According to its usage, it's the place we go to be our true selves, to engage in all the behavior that we deem socially unacceptable.

Skeletons in the closet, gays in the closet, 7 minutes in heaven (in the closet), R Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet"(see below) - somehow the small, dark confines of the closet provides protection from the judgment of the rest of the world.



The irony is that when used as an adjective ("I'm a closet anarchist" or "I'm a closet McDonalds fiend), it becomes a qualifier. It allows us to reveal something about ourselves that we want others to know, but don't want to be judged for. By being just a closet something, we don't fully embrace said something, and acknowledge it as uncool, unpopular or even unsavory. By insinuating that we only indulge in the privacy of our closets, it somehow becomes acceptable.

That being said, what we choose to reveal in our closets says a lot about the type of person we want to be perceived as.