Like many other college students, I love the Redbubble stickers that litter the back cover of my laptop. Without speaking to me, many people could probably assume a lot of things about who I am just from the seven stickers that are visible on my laptop. This is something that I understand, so I put an embarrassing amount of time into picking each and every sticker that I decide to showcase on my laptop. Not to toot my own horn, but I do get a lot of comments on my stickers, so I decided to just take some time to explain each one and what I want them to say about me in the hopes that I am conveying that message.
1. Joe Biden Sticker
Courtesy: RedBubble
In the bottom right corner, I start off with Joe Biden eating an ice cream cone. MY Vice President, Joe Biden, is known to be an ice cream guy and since I love both ice cream and Joe Biden, I had to pay homage to him. I hope that when people see this they understand that I am a Biden stan, and more importantly that I don’t care for our current vice president (or president).
2. Catch Flights, Not Feelings
Courtesy: Redbubble
Next to Joe Biden, we have a sticker that says, “Catch flights, not feelings.” Although I’ve had this sticker for months, it’s recently become one of my favorite catch phrases when referring to my life as a wannabe jet-setter. This a simple reminder to myself that traveling and making memories will always be the better option than worrying about my love life or lack thereof. I hope that when people see this particular sticker, they think of me as a jet-setter who doesn’t have time for nonsense.
Catch Flights Not Feeling Sticker
3. No Time for Your Misogyny
Courtesy: Redbubble
Continuing on, my next sticker is a French Bulldog that says, “No time for your misogyny.” Like most of my stickers, I think this one can stand for itself, because I truly have no time for the misogynistic ways of our patriarchal society, especially when I’m trying to become a girl boss. I think it’s also important to note that misogyny is usually not even blatant, which is why I hope my sticker conveys that no matter what, I don’t have any time for any sexist or misogynistic ideologies that don’t want me to succeed as a woman. I also wanted a clear sticker that quickly allowed people to classify me as a feminist, because I’m a proud feminist and I want everyone to know.
4. #Unbothered
Courtesy: Redbubble
Right in the middle of my laptop is a cartoon-like Black girl with natural kinky hair with “#Unbothered” written underneath. I have often been told that this looks like a Black version of Daria, an MTV character from the 90s who’s known for her lack of caring. In the same way that I want people to quickly understand that I am a proud feminist, I want them to know that I’m a Black Girl Enthusiast. When people see this sticker, I hope they understand how cultured I am, with the quick reference to Daria, but also not to mess with me because I’m unbothered – at least, I try to be.
5. Jeremiah 29:11
Courtesy: Redbubble
Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite Bible verse and I just wanted a reminder of my faith as I went about my daily activities. I wanted anyone who saw the Bible verse to understand that I’m a Christian, but more importantly, that with God I can do anything because He already has a plan for me.
6. Eat, Pray, Scam
Courtesy: Redbubble
Without a doubt, the most loved sticker on my laptop would have to be “Eat, Pray, Scam.” As a hopeful scammer and finesser, I like to just remind myself that I need to scam life before life scams me. All jokes aside, I’m not literally a scammer, but I do believe that oftentimes there are forces going against you in life so the only thing you can do is eat, pray, and scam until you even out the playing field. I hope that when people see this sticker, they think of me as fun, lighthearted and – most importantly – determined.
7. Tea With P
Courtesy: Redbubble
My seventh and final sticker is actually one of my Bitmoji sitting in a teacup. This sticker is my favorite of them all because not only did I create it, it also serves as a reminder for me to always have the tea. A while back I created a podcast called Tea with P, and this particular sticker has the link to the podcast. Although I don’t keep up with my podcast nearly as much as I should, I love to see the reminder of an accomplishment that I actually thought about and made happen. I hope that when people see this, they think of me as a creative. My Bitmoji is a cute and subtle homage to myself and all the work that I put in, so I hope that when people see it they get that from me. It’s also a subtle reminder that I more than likely have the tea because you can’t have Tea without P.
As a self-proclaimed Sticker Connoisseur, I would like to point out that sticker life is more about who you are and what you want people to think of you than stickers that look pretty. I encourage everyone who wants to invest in laptop stickers to take some time and seriously think about the message you are trying to convey to others. Before you buy your next sticker, think long and hard about what that might mean when others see it.