While the psychology of stickers is still a relatively untapped field, there is a looming sense of its presence throughout our campus. All around ODY, the Student Center and Dana we see water bottles and laptops riddled with students’ hometown pride, sports affiliations, scenic travel locations, and obscure shops encountered abroad. These stickers are possibly more of a representation of the student body than any Admissions Office statistic could offer.
The act of sticker-ing our belongings has slowly crept into the realm of “cool”, identifying our many social, political, and ideological niches, as well as creating images of our individuality. In order to assure the varying stances assigned by sticker affiliation, Bridget Fleming ’16 claims “it’s pretty important where you place your sticker.”
Philosophy major Fleming dove deep to the mentality of adorning possessions, asserting that layering stickers gives a forceful indication of the owner’s sticker game. “I only want to show 75% of the full sticker,” she said. “If I see 100%, I’m a noob and don’t have a strong presence in the sticker community.”
The eclectic combination of SLU-related logos, New Mexico pride, and artistic aesthetic on Fleming’s water bottle showcases her personality in a multitude of ways, much like many other students’ items do. The densely decorated laptop of Sydney Fallone ’17, for example, “screams liberal,” she said, highlighting her passion for the outdoors, land conservation, and her dedication to the sustainability movement.
When it comes to the bigger ticket items like cars, however, senior Klare Nevins said she has “a tendency to not over-sticker,” citing the public sphere of traffic as more critical than the audience of a personal computer. “I make less bold statements,” said Nevins, who tries to avoid the political and bigger issues. “I have stickers from the groups I’m associated with like the Outing Club and my high school, and still try to represent my values. After working on a farm this summer, I added a sticker that says Who’s your farmer? because I could really stand behind it wholeheartedly.”
Nevertheless some laptops gleam in their lack of stickers, and make an equally bold statement in their simplicity. “I like the clean, sharp design of the computer itself,” said Charlotte Crawford ’16. And when it’s a higher priced item, sticker selection is crucial, if there is any at all. As Anthony Rice ’17 said, “You don’t see stickers on a Bugatti.”
For those that have found the middle ground between top-to-bottom coverage and stark nudity, the ornamental aspect of limited stickers is still appealing. “It adds character, and makes my things more recognizable,” said Dana Marrocco ’19. “My stickers relate to me but they don’t define me.”