Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 2, August 2001 | Page 93

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“Size Matters”: Narcissism on
American Bumper Stickers
If we are to agree with the view that individuals and social groups at large
have some degree of freedom in creating the cultural worlds in which they interact,
as open-minded researchers we must be attentive to less traditional modes of selfexpression and how they contribute to global cultural processes. One medium of
communication that has received limited attention and is worthy of closer scrutiny
is the use of automobile decals, or bumper stickers. The study of bumper stickers
is potentially laden with unique insights into the minds of Americans and the
Zeitgeist of popular culture (Heeren, 1980; Stem and Solomon, 1992).
Bumper stickers are easily obtainable and affordable vehicles for the expression
of personal views, humor, opinions on social problems, various frustrations and
ideas, as well as self-proclamations and group affiliation (Stem and Solomon,
1992). It is highly difficult to accurately estimate the size of the bumper sticker
population. The numbers vary enormously across space and time, but according to
three recent surveys conducted by Endersby and Towle (1996) they seem to oscillate
between one sixth and one fourth of the total population of cars. Jankowski and
Strate’s (1995) numbers are similar, but they are particularly interesting for they
point to the enormous decline in political stickers (which represent about 5% of
the general population). Gardner’ s (1997) findings on the ownership of stickers
are particularly interesting as they violate the commonly held assumption that
stickers are less likely be found on newer and more expensive automobile models,
typically owned by upper class members. Indeed her qualitative, non-random survey
of over 200 drivers established that anyone, irrespective of social status, class,
age, gender, political orientation, or education level is equally likely to affix a
sticker on their car. Newhagen and Ancell (1995) followed a more systematic
approach by surveying 40 suburban neighborhoods selected to represent racial
and class differences and found stickers to be more common on cars parked in
low-income areas. By means of open-ended interviews Gardner also found that
individuals who display them are simply motivated by the will to make a statement,
to send out a message, to personalize their vehicle, or to identify themselves by
standing out on the road. Previous studies also argued that the choice of displaying
signs such as bumper stickers, pins, or yard signs serves important social
psychological functions. Cars function as extensions of the self (Belk, 1988), and
stickers can serve as additional symbolic expressions of one’s self-concept (Stem
and Solomon, 1992).