Swag

It’s no secret that people like swag. 

On a recent trip to a place I love (Iceland), I took my boyfriend, who was blown away by the immense natural beauty. We drove through the country, taking in all the fresh air our lungs could hold. 

When we got back to Reykjavik, the trip had already firmly cemented itself in our brains. My boyfriend, Jay, started looking for swag.

What do I mean by swag? Something - it could be nearly anything - emblazoned with a name. It can more than a place (though it is often places). It can be brand names, TV shows, fave singers… 

We went into one of the many gift shops. I watched as he picked up t-shirts, plates, magnets, postcards: all of them had the word “Iceland” on them somewhere. I remembered my first trip there, and how I wanted to bring back something to commemorate the experience. Some sort of proof, some way of saying “I was there.”

It’s sort of how when I started to feel like a part of my college. I wanted a shirt with with the college font and colors. Something that said, “I’m a part of a this.” 

And Jay has many shirts, hats, and bags with his employer’s name on them. Come to think of it, I have a shirt with my employer’s name on it, too. It creates a sense of belonging. 

But why? Why is swag an inherent part of an experience. “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt” comes to mind. Is it an American thing? Must be something more than that… Does it stem from wanting to make a good memory last as long as possible? Does swag always have to have a photo or text? Can swag be anything?

Swag makes us feel good. As we left the gift shop in Iceland, Jay was content with his choice of swag. It’s here next to me now. Though it’s just a bundle of fabric with a logo stuck on it, it’s more than that. It contains a memory.