What she possessed and wore: Two skirts, two tracksuits or leotards, one pullover sweater, two pairs of shoes, stockings, bra, nightgown, robe, slippers, cigarettes, and bourbon. What was in her bag: Shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, Basis soap, razor, deodorant, aspirin, prescription medications, tampons, face cream, powder, and baby oil. What she possessed: Mohair blanket, typewriter, two legal pads, pen, file, and house key.
This simple, slightly old-fashioned packing list is taken from Joan Didion’s second collection of essays, “The White Album.” It reproduces a list of clothes, makeup, and other necessities that I “taped to the inside of my Hollywood closet door during my more-or-less steady days as a reporter.” “This list helped me to pack thoughtlessly for whatever story I was going to write,” she writes.
This list has become more famous than many of her essays; not so much the essays themselves, which have been republished in magazines and fervently reposted on Reddit forums dedicated to minimalist packing. And for good reason: there’s something endlessly fascinating about the things people take on trips. Written by musician and poet Patti Smith on the eve of a tour, she describes washing all her clothes in her hotel sink except for “dungarees and my trusty Ann Demeulemeester black jacket.” She lists a Moleskine notebook, “seven little tubes of Weleda salt toothpaste,” “witch hazel wipes,” and “loquat leaf cough tea bags,” and declares, “I think I’m prepared.”
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This appeal is now all over TikTok. The “airport tray aesthetic” has over 16 million related posts, all following the same concept: an airport security tray filled with well-organized and well-chosen items: passports, plane tickets, phones, headphones, jewelry, hats, bags, and even shoes, arranged into tasteful, color-coordinated constellations. Publisher Faber posted a half-dozen trays themed around its books on Instagram.
The trend raises some practical questions: Shouldn’t all of these things really be put through the scanner? And won’t it infuriate people at the back of the line who are rushing to catch their flight if it takes them 10 minutes to position the tray just right? Clearly, these photos are staged, or they should be. Last month, TikTok user Chelsea Henriquez posted a tutorial instructing would-be tray artists to “get out of the way” after they’ve normally gone through security and take their photo somewhere a little quieter. For the sake of everyone at the airport, it’s very good advice.
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