As students across the country are headed back to school, most of them are looking into what dorm room posters they want to adorn their walls. While some students will go all out in decorating their room to reflect their personality, a good chunk of students will just throw on these typical dorm room posters and leave it at that. While some students actually buy these posters because they enjoy them, most people will purchase them because they know it is common amongst their peers. So in my time in college, here are the most common dorm room posters that we should all agree to stop using as decorations.
1 Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Most girls consider this one of the go-to dorm room posters. I mean what is not to love about one of the most iconic actresses in her most iconic role ever? But the thing about this poster is that it's a bit too common. It seems that anyone who has this poster just threw it on their wall because they thought it was expected. Typically the girls with a Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster don’t really care about the details and will just throw something together without caring if their room really reflects their personality.
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2 Bob Marley
A Bob Marley poster doesn’t exactly tell us much about your personality, but we can sure tell a lot about your hobbies. I have never met someone with a Bob Marley poster who didn’t fit at least some of the qualifications to be a typical stoner. Unless you want to be publicly ousted as someone who smokes weed, I would stay away from any Bob Marley decorations.
3 John Belushi from Animal House
The classic picture of John Belushi in his “college” shirt drinking whiskey from the movie Animal House has adorned way too many frat house walls in my opinion. And the worst part is, most people haven’t even seen the movie. This usually means you want to be considered more of a bro who parties than someone who is concerned with their studies. Why not pick a poster of a movie you have actually seen, not just some guy in college who likes to drink?
4 Keep Calm and Carry on
Can we all make a pact to stop using the “Keep Calm and Carry On” saying from now on? It sends a great message in its original form, but there are way too many variations on this to still be popular. By hanging this poster on your wall, you are basically saying that you will go along with whatever trends are popular at the time. Very few people have this poster on their wall because they actually appreciate the message.
5 Marilyn Monroe
Similar to an Audrey Hepburn poster, a Marilyn Monroe poster is way too common in girls' dorm rooms. Most girls throw it up on their walls because they assume it is expected for them. Just like Marilyn was known for being a sex symbol, girls who have a Marilyn poster want to be the center of attention and be notorious for something.
6 The Great Wave at Kanagawa
Everyone I know who has this poster on their wall claims to be all about academics and being intellectual. This painting is probably most famous for adorning the walls in college dorm rooms. But it makes you wonder if that is the reason it is so popular? It provides a sense that the owner of this poster wants to appear cultured and worldly. How true you decide that is, is up to your personal experience.
7 Albert Einstein
Going along with “The Great Wave at Kanagawa,” people who post this up on their wall want to seem intellectual. Problem is, if you were really that intellectual, you would have posters that could help you with your studies. I am such a fan of Einstein, but it seems that the people who have a poster of him just want to seem smart, but actually don't put that much effort into school work.
8 Beatles at Abbey Road
What is so sad about his poster is that the majority of people who have this poster don’t eve like the Beatles. By posting this in your room, you are trying to convey that you are over trying to stay up to trends, and that you are more into old school things. But what you are really saying is that you are trying to be unconventional without straying too far out of the lines.
9 Anything Related to Drinking
Just no. Unless you want to be known as a huge party girl, avoid beer pong, drinking rules, or anything with alcohol on your walls. These posters are too common in frat houses to want to be on your walls. Even if you are not a huge party girl, by having this kind of poster on your wall, the message you are sending is one too closely related to drinking and partying.
When decorating your dorm room, you should take the time to find decorations that reflect your personality and the message you want to send to other students. These posters collectively just say “I am too lazy to decorate or I don’t want to stray from what is expected.” College is a time to find out the person you want to be, and that can be something as simple as a picking the right dorm room poster. What did you think of these dorm room posters we need to stop using? What posters do you have in your dorm room? Why do you think these posters are so common in so many dorm rooms?
