Advertising, politics, religion, personal beliefs, humor, and more: bumper stickers have been made for almost everything and are commonplace worldwide. However, the one purpose that all bumper stickers share, regardless of the message therein is self-expression.

Ever since modern bumper stickers were invented by Kansas City silkscreen printer Forest P. Gill in 1946, car owners have used them to show off their personality to anyone and everyone who can read them. Even after more than 70 years, they are still just as popular as ever, especially with high school teens.

Many students here stick this common medium of expression onto their own personal vehicles. Eyrie reporters and photojournalists toured the school’s parking lots in order to find out what messages the students’ cars carry.

Some students use bumper stickers to display their societal beliefs, one of the most common designs being some variant of “coexist,” urging society to put aside their differences and simply get along.

The simplest use may be the most popular: simply showing off what the owner likes personally. “Vans” shoes, national parks, Minnesota, school pride, and the currently popular “Supreme” label are just a few examples of bumper sticker subjects found here.

Aside from various personal beliefs, the near-impossible to remove stickers can also point to the vehicle’s history. From past accidents that the car recovered from but the sticker did not, to its lineage and ownership – a car passed down through the generations, once used to take the student home from middle school, now used by the student themselves.