I think it’s really interesting how a car-obsessed nation chooses to use vehicles as a form of personal expression.  From the basics like model and color of the car to the ornamentation that is added to it, Americans really get into their cars.  And, in a sense, they really exercise their freedom to express themselves in more ways than one.  Oftentimes it can get pretty personal and revealing.  It’s at once fascinating and bizarre (yet completely accepted in mainstream culture).

Take bumper stickers, license plate frames, and other stick-ons, for example.  They express political views, personal life details, a certain sense of humor, or a way of life (among other things).  I see cars with bumper stickers supporting the candidate they’re voting for or advocating world peace.  I see cars with license plate frames joking about how they’re a spoiled princess or proudly declaring that they’re the world’s best mom/dad/grandma/grandpa.  I see cars with plastic stick-on stick figures outlining each member of the family – parents, children, and pets alike.  Then there are the dedications to a loved one lost.  It’s amazing the variety of things you can put on the back of your car for all to see.

Of course there’s also the license plate itself.  Everyone has to identify the state in which they reside, but many go beyond that and get fun backgrounds and custom characters.  In California, there is space for 7 letters or symbols and it’s amusing all the things people come up with.  I’ll have to compile some pictures sometime.  Most of these often take a bit of interpretation, since a lot of the letters have to be missing to fit the parameters.

Now let’s not forget the interiors as well.  Do you have a tassel dangling from your rear view mirror?  Or maybe a scented dolphin to freshen up the air?  Oh, and what about that flaming steering wheel cover you use and the Hello Kitty head rest covers?  Right… that’s not weird.  I never really understood people who had to cover up the insides of their cars, unless the steering wheel cover was a grippy one because the original got worn so smooth it became slippery.  Still, plenty of people adorn their seats with their odd taste in cartoon characters or cute little animals.  Let’s not even delve into the tissue box in the back with a pastel yellow cover and flowers sewn on top.  Really?  The Kleenex box designs just didn’t cut it for you?  It’s not like the box will get cold, you know…

Yeah.  Americans LOVE their cars and use it as the ultimate form of self expression.  Whoever knew that revealing these random details about your personality and preferences to complete strangers you’ll never even speak to would be such a popular phenomenon?  I learn a lot about the people driving in the traffic around me just with a glimpse of their car.  Truly amazing, and perhaps sometimes TMI.