Branding

On a blistering summer’s day a few years back, I reached for the iron rod that was protruding from the fire. I checked the LM logo to ensure that it was red hot before I touched it to the back hip of the cow that we had in the squeeze shoot. The smell of burning hair filled the air as the brand sizzled against the flesh. The iron went back into the fire and we released the cow so that it could rejoin the herd. Growing up helping out on my grandmother’s ranch meant that branding was a relatively normal activity. The brand that is on every cow tells us that it belongs with the herd. Brands are powerful. When branding occurs, there is a loss of individuality because a brand is a mark of belonging to something bigger than oneself. A brand literally indicates belonging to someone or something.

Throughout my life I have been branded many times. For the most part these “Brands” have been harmless, but nevertheless I had to give up things and give my brands power. One of these examples occurred when I played football. Each week I donned a uniform that made me look like every other one of my teammates. When it was game time, I stopped existing so that the team could function the way that it was designed to. My needs and desires were set aside so that I could pursue those of the team. To have that brand, I had to give my time and my body. I enjoyed the sense of camaraderie that came with that brand. I belonged among other like-minded people who shared my goal: to win games. Some of my other high school brands included drama club member, smart kid and student leader. I found my herd with other people that did all of the same activities as me. I loved the sense of belonging that I felt as I walked the halls of McClain High School with the handful of people that had allowed themselves to be branded in the same way that I had.

When I went to college, I began the process of rebranding myself. Gone were the days of being a jock or a drama kid. As an adventure education major, I worked hard to embrace the dirt bag life style that I was introduced to. I let my hair get shaggy and tied it back with a bandana, and I exclusively wore hiking pants. I worked hard to be someone who was not afraid to take physical risks and I built a persona of someone who pushed the limits of what was socially acceptable. I ordered a pair of Chaco’s to complete my new look. My freshman year, I remember climbing up into trees in public places to hang my hammock or practice rappelling from them so that people would see just how adventurous I was. In no time at all my new brand was recognizable. To this day some people identify me by some of the stunts that I pulled during my first months at Messiah College. Over time I found other people who wore the same brand as me. During my sophomore year, I joined the Loft team, which if you have read some of my other posts you will know that the Loft was a group that did leadership development and team building on campus. The Loft brand was centered around community, deep thinking and the outdoors. It took me a while before I refined my brand so that I fit this mold, but by the time I graduated I had found my stride.

Branding happens all around us. As I interact with people, the first things that I notice about them are the logos on the clothing. A person’s external appearance tells you a lot about what they value. If I am with someone who has on all Nike clothing, I can assume that they like sports and want to be seen as athletic. If I see someone wearing a North Face jacket and a Patagonia backpack, then I will assume that they like the outdoors. I have personally chosen specific brands of clothing so that as I interact with people, they will make assumptions about me and the things that I’m interested in. The clothes that I choose are a part of my brand just as much as my actions are.

There is something in me that cringes at the thought of being branded. To give up my individuality so that I can be seen a specific way goes against everything that my society says I should pursue. In America, we are supposed to value our individuality and self-sufficiency above all, but isn’t that a brand in and of itself? The world in which I live is over-saturated with social media which is built upon creating the right brand for yourself. Every time we choose to post something, it adds to our branding. We do not get to decide if we will be branded; we are branded. We exist, we have a brand, we belong to something or someone. This is a jarring reality in a society that worships individuality. While we don’t get to decide if we are going to have a brand, we can decide how we are branded. The brand that I have decided to pursue is one that reflects Christ so intimately that as people interact with me, they experience his love through the way in which I live my life. That is my deepest desire, and while there are other ways in which I brand myself, this is the one that I hope shines through.

I want to end today’s post with two questions for your personal reflection:

1-    What is your brand?

2-    How do you want to be branded?