Women - How long can you survive without a handbag?!?

Question

Last question for the day - I promise. I have to do an essay now. Thanks for your replies. Have a nice weekend!

Answer 1

Generally, don't leave home without it. I think men should have them too.

Between not wanting to risk losing my money, cards, or whatever else I keep in my wallet, I don't want to be going around with stuff like this in any pockets. Besides, if you carry a wallet and some credit cards and ID it would make your pockets big, fat, lumpy. If you don't carry a wallet, you'd have to be remembering all your little, tiny, cards and money and whatever else every time you leave the house - so you may forget something or have it fall on the floor when you're stuffing your pockets!

Then there are keys. I don't bring all my make-up, but there are a few make-ups I bring - so they'd yet more bulk. If you want/need a little hairspray there may be the little hairspray bottle, and, of course, there's the comb. I have hair that needs to be combed every time I move my head (for the most part). I can't imagine people not needing to comb their hair through a day.

Then there may a cell phone or any other small electronics a person may want to keep with them. Again, stuffed in pockets they tend to be lumpy when combined with money, ID's, combs, and whatever else.

A bag gives a woman a place to carry a closed umbrella in case its going to rain. Then there are things like breath mints or a toothbrush and small toothpaste. Women may have other personal items they like to make sure to have with them. Sometimes a person has need for a small flashlight or a place to keep a small book, CD, or folded up newspaper. People may like to bring a certain type of teabag or sweetener with them or have room to keep a bottle of water. Some people take a camera with them at all times. Its handy to have a place to keep gloves in Winter so they're less likely to be lost. Some people like a safe place to keep sunglasses or eyeglasses. Some people like a few clean tissues for emergencies. Some may like to keep something like a breakfast bar handy. And, of course, there are keys.

Smokers may like to keep a spare package of cigarettes or a spare lighter or matches. Some people have a medical situation that requires them to bring along their medication. Some people like to keep a few heachache tablets or antacids handy.

(By the way, while I won't generally leave home with my shoulder-bag, I don't take all the stuff I've mentioned above. I'm just saying some people may want/need to.)

A well organized bag that has a shoulder-bag that a person just grabs on the way out the door and hangs over her shoulder means not only will she have flat pockets and not only is she less likely to lose things, but she's pretty much ready for anything - being caught in the rain and having make-up wash off, having to look under the seat of a car in the dark to find dropped keys, staying over someone else's house unexpectedly, being able to read in a boring situation, being able to listen to music, make a phone call, providing more than one form of identification if its necessary, (rare as this may be) getting rid of bird droppings that have been known to fall on shoulders and heads, and any number of other situations.

I don't like tiny, useless, bags that hold no more than pockets would (although at least they solve the stuffed-pockets problem), and I don't like giant, cumbersome, sachels. A good-sized, shoulder-bag with lots of compartments to keep things neat and organized, though, is a wonderful thing!!

People who don't carry a bag are often asking other people for tissues or aspirins or breath mints. If they get caught in the rain (and are people who wear make-up) they get stuck looking awful for the rest of the day. They often lose keys and cell phones. Some, I suppose, don't lose stuff and don't carry stuff and don't worry about being ready for anything because, in reality, if a person gets stuck in the rain or needs to find dropped keys in the dark or wants to listen to music or use an ATM card I'm sure people without handbags find a way.

Still, there's something very organized and independent and handy and polished about having a good shoulder-bag and about being the person who is always just kind of ready for whatever arises - and, believe it or not, not having to worry about gathering up a bunch of stuff every time a person leaves the house and instead just automatically grabbing a bag is, in its own way, kind of liberating.

Purse and sachel toters, unite!!!!

Answer 2

I bought my first handbag a couple of weeks ago and I've used it once. If I go out, I stick everything in my pockets, what else do you need apart from keys, money and mobile? During the day, I use a day bag or back pack whatever you want to call it, because I need something big enough for my books and my work clothes.

Answer 3

i thought i was the only one, i rarely use a handbag. there are some times when a lady needs to be discreet,so handbags can be functional.
it does seem true that women are moving away from dragging them along. i would think that only women who rely on freshening up their makeup ,would feel the need to have them . lets face it , going out causes sweating of the face and those which wear makeup , do not want a streaky face. it is no shame to use one ,
and is a kind of symbol for feminism, but i definately won't be spending a small fortune keeping up with the fashionable ones.

Answer 4

I used to be addicted to handbags (Fendi).
Once I searched (for 18 months) high and low for a pink daisy fendi, spent $2200 on it...now am older I can't be bothered with them (except for my pink popcorn fendi ).
I only drag them out of the closet maybe twice a year.
Other times I just tell me old mother to keep my cards in her purse and stuff me cash in my pocket.
So NOT ALL women need bags or are dependant on them.

One thing I have noticed...as most women get older their size of handbag GROWs and GROWs...untill they are quite hefty items.
I swore this would never happen to me..and so far at 37 I only have "normal" sized bags.

Answer 5

I'm what's known as a tom boy! I sometimes use a bag, but due to the fact that I don't feel the need to carry around half of my dressing table &medicine cabinet, I can go pretty long without a bag! - Does that answer your question?

Answer 6

A study was done on this at, where was it, maybe Wal-Mart? Women would leave their handbags in the upper basket of the shopping cart and then get totally engrossed in looking at stuff with their backs turned. Employees went around taking the handbag out of one cart and putting it in another. Only 2% of the women ever noticed the difference.

Answer 7

Not very long cos without my hand bag i'd lose my car keys, so i wouldn't be able to get home, i'd lose my purse so i can't pay for a taxi, i'd lose my mobile so i won't be able to phone for the taxi, and even if there happened to be a taxi, he wouldn't take me home free of charge because my charm wouldn't work on him because i'd be looking dog rough cos the make up that i would have had in my hand bag would be long lost by now and i wouldn't be able to reapply my lippy!

Thank god for my handbag!!!

Answer 8

For ages!!! I hate carrying a handbag around. Yet I still, and so do others. find myself quite ladylike, it's just that I think carrying one around... well I've tried, but I keep on forgetting the darn thing, I just don't Cary that much around I guess, always stuff my pockets with what I need. It might be fashionable but it's just not me!

Answer 9

I can survive all night without one - because I have a little GD55 mobile phone that I put in my right bra cup to carry around and my money fits into my left bra cup - it only becomes a problem if I get lots of change and then it looks like I've got T.B. (**** on the belly - lol)

Answer 10

I don't have a handbag I have an overly large messenger bag for all my important stuff (music, books, notepad, pens, water, more music). There's no make-up or toiletries of any description in there and my money and keys are in my pocket.

Answer 11

As a busy working mother of two, I couldn't survive without my handbag - it has my life in it. Plus, if you delve deep, you'll find two cups of juice and assorted soggy snacks, courtesy of the kids!