Fatima Scott
As women, the only items we need to keep in our purse are lipstick, keys, hairspray, a compact mirror, blush, perfume, chewing gum, pictures of loved ones, and a bunch of coupons we won’t ever use.
The average working woman, full time college student, or downtown party gal is grabbing all those items before she steps foot out the door. Sounds impossible, but it’s true. Around her shoulder or in the palm of her hand, this sophisticated lady is carrying a purse. Beneath the buckles, the embroidered stitching, or earth toned colors, are the story of a woman’s life.
As little girls we held on to our diaries, today we hold on to our purses. Whether it’s a clutch, handbag, backpack, or tote, these items have become just as important as a set of keys. Actor and comedian Billy Connolly believes, “A woman’s mind is as complex as the contents of her handbag; when you get to the bottom of it, there is always something to surprise you.” The same goes when reading your diary a year later. There is something inside that will always surprise you or your unwanted readers. Let’s just say every woman’s handbag may need some type of lock, voice activation system, or bobbed wire surrounding it!
Handbags aren’t just containing Advil’s for later, or a stick of gum just in case. These bags are carrying a little bit of our past. Today, girls are wearing vintage handbags from the generations of grandmothers and mothers. Some of us are even carrying around those pictures that make us smile in the oddest of moments.
For the lady that keeps a book in her bag, Bestselling author, Kathryn Eisman’s book, “How to Tell a Woman by Her Handbag” may suite your fancy. Spending two years conducting research, she lists 40 different personality types and broke them down into four standards. Which type of bag lady are you; minimal, prepared, creative or expressive? “A woman’s handbag becomes her constant companion — a place of mystery, the final frontier of female privacy.” said Eisman, from an interview reported by Gold Coast of Australia. Matching today’s blouse and complimenting tomorrow’s shoes, the look of the handbag may easily go out of style, but its purpose may never.
