What's On Your Keychain?

I know I've previously mentioned the Keychains In Movies website, which catalogs keychain sightings in films and other media. Recently, the site did a brief write-up on a sighting from the movie Joker that got me thinking. In the film, the title character keeps his keys on a plain ring. Whoever wrote the post speculated, in a somewhat tounge-in-cheek tone, that maybe this was symbolic of societal emptiness. After I read this I started thinking about why people choose certain keychains for everyday use. You'd think that, when it comes to picking something to store the house keys on, the most important thing would be practicality. However, this does not always seem to be the case, especially for teens and preteens.

Judging by the keychains I've seen for sale in stores like Claire's and Five Below, which mostly cater to a younger crowd, it appears that the target demographic for these stores are drawn to keychains that can be considered 'trendy'. These 'trends' frequently change with time. Llamas were trendy for a while, then it was sloths. But something that most 'on trend' keychains have in common is that they tend to favor style over function. You can't convince me that a giant, faux fur pom-pom keychain is practical. Young people always seem to want to fit in and be considered current. But I think another reason why teens and preteens are drawn to 'trendy' keychains is because they reflect some aspect of the buyer's personality. Nothing says to the world that a person is relaxed and laid back like a keychain with a sloth on it.

Another thing I started thinking about was the fact that I myself keep my house keys on a plain ring.

No one who saw my keys would ever suspect that I'm a keychain collector. The reason I don't use any of the keychains in my collection for my house keys is that I'm afraid of losing them, and with good reason. I actually lost my house keys once when I was in college. I think they must've fallen out of my pocket. At the time I lost them, my keys were attached to a keychain with the name of my grade school on it. I think I was almost as devastated by the loss of the keychain as I was from losing my keys, since I knew I wouldn't be able to replace the keychain, having already graduated from grade school. (The grade school I had attended eventually ended up closing, due in part to declining enrollment.) Ever since, I've kept my keys on an ordinary split ring, so I won't run the risk of losing another keychain with sentimental value.

So now I'd like to know what you think. Do you think that the keychain a person uses daily reflects something about that person's personality? Also, what kind of keychain do you use on a daily basis? Let me know in the comments.

Signed, Treesa