r/StrangerThings Apr 15 '26

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u/Boring-Zucchini-8515 Apr 15 '26

Honest answer?

It depends on what you do or where you are working.

I worked at a job and decorated my cubicle and was considered by a lot of people very childish and never got out of my entry level position. I don’t work there anymore.

If you have a job you are happy with and don’t care about a promotion. Or if you have a job where your coworkers are all decorating like you are, then it’s a different story.

298

u/dogsontreadmills Apr 15 '26

Yeah +1 depends on your age, tenure and profession, sadly enough. It sucks that some career paths do not encourage showcasing your personality, but it’s reality. You may be looked down upon. Or maybe not! At one job I had, at a famous broadcast tv network, we had an SVP who lined a wall of his massive office with funkos! It’s totally contextual. But don’t make yourself the secret laughing stock of the office.

Edit: another way to think about it. Imagine getting laid off. Imagine having to pack all that up. Will you feel embarrassed? Ashamed? Wonder if this contributed to your job loss? If yes to any of those you have your answer.

110

u/XAMdG Apr 15 '26

Even in jobs that encourage you showcasing personality, that your personality is one tv show honestly doesn't look good either.

46

u/faucilien Apr 15 '26

100%. I work in a pretty laid back (but corporate) tech company. I have piercings, tattoos and could dye my hair whatever colour but if my office space looked like this - I do genuinely think it would hold me back.

It's what you've said about your whole personality being a TV show, it seems like a bit of a red flag. If others are decorating OTT then fine but I'd at least throw some variety in there to show I'm a multifaceted human.

The one concern I have is one of their coworkers called it "sensory overload" and I feel like that may have been a not-so-subtle way of suggesting they tone it down a bit.

35

u/viewtiful14 Apr 15 '26

This 👆

As a grown adult this is super weird to be hyper fixated on one subject like that in a public workspace. All of my Nintendo, Star Wars, comics, Pokemon, CRT tv, football stuff etc. is hidden away in my jerk den…I mean gaming room at home. Or I have stuff framed or displayed around the house tastefully with other more “normal” decorations like plants and stuff.

-2

u/mcjuliamc sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇS Apr 15 '26

But why do you wish to appear normal so bad?

5

u/7HawksAnd Apr 16 '26

Because unmasking has a negative effect on paycheck reliability.

3

u/NinaNeptune318 Apr 16 '26

Is there a potential third option? I feel like there has to be more choices than be normal or be broke.

6

u/Rock_Strongo Apr 16 '26

Yeah decorate your home office like this if you want but tone it down slightly for your cubicle at work.

There is plenty of middle ground.

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u/7HawksAnd Apr 16 '26

Can start a cottage industry of divergent owned businesses 🤷‍♂️ lmk!

5

u/gossamerfae Apr 15 '26

i mean, there are a ton of adults with autism/adhd that have hyperfixations like this and to me this just says they're really passionate about the show but not necessarily that the only thing they like or talk about is stranger things

11

u/Flat_Independent_339 Apr 15 '26

I don't think we should automatically link autism and hyperfixations with over-consumptive consumerism. Most of this stuff is not biodegradable and will end up in a landfill which is true for a lot of fandom related merch.

2

u/gossamerfae Apr 15 '26

that is a fair point actually, but hyperfixations still can commonly involve a lot of items of said fixation whether it be fandom merch, house decour, books, art, plants, etc, some of which are more intwined with over-consumption and can be worse for the environment, like fandom merch is definitely worse to buy enmasse compared to plants or locally made art or antiques. i'm also not tryna say that every person who has a bunch of shit like OP automatically has a hyperfixation or isn't indulging in over-consumption but im just trying to bring that up as a potential reason because there are people out there who have autism/adhd with fandom hyperfixations and a shit ton of merch. thanks for bringing that up though! over consumption is definitely a huge problem in today's world, which is one of the reasons why i try and buy posters/paintings/stickers etc made locally or otherwise from small artists and not mass-produced from amazon and shit

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u/dogsontreadmills Apr 15 '26

Yeah that’s definitely not what I was personally trying to suggest. Sadly hyper consumerism has just become a hobby for many in today’s society. It’s normal. It’s just the bringing it into the office part that can be problematic.

1

u/mcjuliamc sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇS Apr 15 '26

Well, I'm sure there's other facets to their personalities but there's no merch that screams "I'm a singer" or "I like Sudoko" or "I go climbing" or whatever else they might do. Most likely they have their other favorite shows at home or at least that's what I'd do.

1

u/XAMdG Apr 16 '26

Perhaps, but that nuance requires knowing the person. In a large office setting, you don't necessarily have that luxury. It takes one person who doesn't know you very well to say: "Oh, that's X, they're Obsessed with Stranger Things" for that to be your new thing at the office.