Why are handbags by its very nature feminine?
Posted by ESIN AKAN
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It’s tempting to answer the question by saying, “because most men would not be caught dead in them.” Each woman is different. However, handbags are utterly feminine at its very core.
Some may beg to disagree. After all, while men would not carry a red tote bag, some will not mind walking with a messenger bag. We are in an era of man-buns and manbags, after all.
Men do have to carry stuff they need: portfolio, books, and laptops. Sometimes, they don’t, especially if they are out for a more relaxed reason. They think wallets can carry just a credit card and a business card. He is good to go.
With women, though, the handbag has become a necessity. How many women do you know who go to town without at least a black leather clutch bag with an attitude?
The history of handbags certainly has clues about why the handbag has been tagged as feminine. During the 18th century, women’s clothes could not accommodate objects that the women felt necessary to bring. So, they started bringing along what they called a reticule. They kept their coins in them. It gave them a sense of independence, being able to pay for themselves when out and about.
During the following century, the chatelaine had become popular with middle-class women. They had to work and study. So, they had to bring along more than just a few bits of coins. Their bags carried useful stuff, such as a pair of scissors or a batch of books. They needed books that could carry their heavier belongings.
1920s flapper girls proved that you did not have to be going to work to bring a purse. Their bags held cigarettes and coins, for example. A black leather clutch bag seems suited for your average flapper.
Even today, handbags are more often feminine than not. They suggest a wealth of secrets in the form of cosmetics, handkerchiefs, wallets, and books. The contents need not be strictly feminine, but the need to organize and be ready for anything is. After all, who ends up having to bring her necessities along with her child’s? It is the woman.
On a trip to the shop, a single woman may not have anywhere in her tight jeans and frilly blouse to keep her wallet. Smartphones can be too big for the pockets. Keeping bills and coins in the pockets is more associated with male behavior. So, this single woman must have a handbag to carry what she needs.
Even the mom needs a handbag to go shopping with her child. Her child will ask for a toy or a snack. Mom should be able to provide this, all from the wealth of space in her handbag. We suggest that mom use a red tote bag. Zest up a day that could be humdrum full of chores.
There could be a long list of reasons for why the handbag has become very feminine in its core. However, we believe that women should be able to make use of a beautiful bag just because she deserves it.
She does not have to shop or be a mother. She does not need to have the world on her shoulders. All women deserve a purse that she can be proud of.
Average woman or not, we believe we have your bag of choice. We have all types of handbags for all types of women at Esin Akan.
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