What Do Bumper Stickers With Letters Mean? (4 Types Explained)

Depending on intentions or goals, people use bumper stickers to pass different information and to achieve different goals. In fact, some people go as far as using coded stickers, most especially with readable and unreadable letters.

Have you seen those bumper stickers with letters before?

Because you might be confused about what they mean, we have researched extensively into the world of bumper stickers to discover 4 things bumper stickers with letters could mean.

Let’s get into it!

Here are 4 things bumper stickers with letters mean:

1. Aimed at Particular Social Movements

Most bumper stickers with letters are aimed at some particular religious and social movements. Some of such stickers could have the letters below:

LGBTQ

This refers to an initialism aimed at promoting the social concerns of the bisexuals and transgender. It specifically represents the words Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning.

LGBTQ is a term that could be used to refer to anyone who is homosexual. It is no news that while some people are recognized as gay or lesbian, there are a few others who question their sexuality. So, you may likely find such stickers with an omission of the Q to be LGBT or with its inclusion.

These letters connote more than just the words they represent; they’ve become a movement aimed at gaining a universal acceptance for people who see themselves against their social constructs in terms of sexuality.

So, people who use the LGBTQ stickers could be promoting such a movement.

BLM

Like LGBTQ, BLM is another couple of letters that refer to another social movement. In full, the letters stand for BLACK LIVES MATTER, and it is an international anti-racism movement that seeks to denounce all forms of racial discrimination and inequality experienced by black people.

While this movement is a decentralized one, it became popular in 2014 as it started being aimed at stopping police brutality and other social vices that mostly affect blacks.

The BLM movement has become widely spread, and it is no surprise to see people support it just with the use of a bumper sticker.

2. Aimed at Achieving Religious Goals

There are several other bumper stickers that emerged out of the need to proclaim some religious goals. Some of such stickers include:

WWJD

Don’t get it twisted when next you come across bumper stickers with the letters WWJD. It’s not referring to any WWE character; it’s a religious activism term that stands for “What Would Jesus Do?”.

This is a phrase used to express adherence or serve as a reminder of one’s adherence to upholding the Christian beliefs and morals.

The WWJD abbreviation has been in use since the 1990s when the Christians wear it as a hand band before the concept got transferred into the world of bumper stickers.

So, when next you see a bumper sticker with the WWJD letters, know that it means “What Would Jesus Do?”, and it serves as a reminder to stand firm on the Christian’s morals.

COEXIST

Unlike the other letters introduced earlier, COEXIST is a little more apparent, even though it means more than its ordinary meaning.

Ordinarily, the word COEXIST means living together. However, when written on bumper stickers, it serves as a religious message aimed at promoting tolerance between religions.

The idea of religious co-existence embedded in COEXIST emerged from the creativity of Piotr Mlodozeniec, who used the letters of the word to create a blend of different representations of different religion.

In its art, created in 2000 as an entry in the International Art Competition aimed at promoting understanding and coexistence, Piotr used the symbol of a crystal, a star, and a cross to represent C, S, and T, with OE AND IS coming before and after the star to form COEXIST.

Note that crystal is a symbol of Islam just as cross symbolizes Christianity. The star in the middle of the COEXIST symbol represents the Star of David, which symbolizes Judaism.

Ever since this representation has been introduced by Piotr, different variations of the artwork have been used as bumper stickers, with either the 7 letters or the image, to promote the religious tolerance message.

Learn more about this by checking our post on what the COEXIST bumper sticker means.

3. Representing the Initials of the Driver’s Name

Bumper stickers with letters could also represent the initials of a person’s name. The person could be the driver or the vehicle owner. It’s just one of the ways people show deep love for their initials.

Moreover, the letters could also be the initials of a school name, a workplace, or a social organization.

In other way, the letters on a bumper sticker in this regard could also serve as the nickname of the driver or the vehicle owner. So, don’t get worked up when you come across those bumper stickers that seem to have no meaning to you.

4. Indicating a Vehicle’s Country of Origin

These are the bumper stickers that come with an oval shape. They typically feature two or three letters which represent the country or city where a vehicle is made. You’ll learn more about this kind of bumper stickers in the subsequent section.

What Do White Bumper Stickers With Black Letters Mean?

White bumper stickers with black letters are a minimalist approach to creating simple designs. The aim is to give a very obvious message that is easily readable.

Since black and white are contracting colors, having black letters on white stickers is the best way to pass a conspicuous message.

So, white bumper stickers with white letters do have some specific messages they pass.

Below are some of the captions you see on such stickers and what they mean:

BE KIND: It’s just a simple note aimed at changing people’s attitude positively.

DRIVE SAFELY: Since you’ll be sharing the roads with other motorists, this is a message aimed at having safe drivers on the road to minimize the occurrence of accidents and collisions.

FEMINIST: A way of making everyone knows one’s social stance against gender equality.

POLICE: One of the best way to make people know that a vehicle owner is a law enforcement agent.

In short, you’ll notice that these stickers are aimed at passing specific information which is best designed in an eye-catching way. That’s why such stickers are designed in white bumper stickers with black letters.

Make sure to also check what bumper stickers with numbers mean.

What Are the Oval Bumper Stickers With Letters?

Oval-shaped bumper stickers are popular in Europe. They are mostly found on European vehicles to show their country of origin.

These stickers typically feature two or three letters in a black color, with white or light-colored stickers.

Here are some of the things that the letters on oval bumper stickers mean:

1. Indicating the Vehicle’s Country of Origin

On this kind of bumper stickers, you’ll see letters that represent a country or city where the vehicle is made. You can see DE – representing Germany, FR – representing France, BE – Belgium, PAR – standing for Paris, ESP – representing Spain, and the like.

Aside from indicating a vehicle’s country of origin, oval bumper stickers have also been used for other functions, as shown below.

2. Representing a School or University

These oval bumper stickers will come with letters like MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UCLA – University of California, Los Angeles, HBS – Harvard Business School, and others.

3. Representing a Sport Team

The letters could also be representing the driver’s favorite sport team. On such stickers, you’ll likely see CFC – Chelsea Football Club, FCB – FC Barcelona, NYG – New York Giants, LFC – Liverpool Football Club, and the like.

You might also want to check what the fish bumper sticker means here.

Final Thoughts

Bumper stickers with letters have become very popular in the United States. These stickers have been useful for not only informational purpose but also for promotional ones.

So, whether a bumper sticker features a single letter or some strange combination of letters, it actually means something important to the person who uses it.

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