07 December 2006

fashion rant

What are these women putting in their handbags and why so much stuff? Ouch! My Bag Is Killing Me! I can understand if you have a kid you need to carry a load of necessities. But:

“I carry an iPod, a book, a backup magazine in case the book doesn’t go over well, makeup, a phone, my wallet, extra shoes and workout clothes, most of which I won’t even need, but it’s nice to know that it’s there.”

Um, only bring workout clothes on the days you actually workout?

“I had over $2,000 worth of stuff in that bag,” said Ms. Thompson, who works in retail analysis for Cynthia Vincent, a fashion company in New York, “my iPod, digital camera, cellphone, glasses, sunglasses, makeup kit and a ton of other belongings, including a Care Bear that I’ve had since I was born.”

Seriously? Drop the Care Bear. She's 24 years old. Can you imagine how many germs that thing must be harboring by now?

The American Chiropractic Association recommends that a handbag weigh no more than 10 percent of its owner’s body weight.

To me that seems reasonable. Even a super-slim woman should be able to fit the daily necessities in one bag and keep it under 10 pounds (with the exception of a laptop I guess. but maybe that gets it's own bag on the other shoulder to balance things out?) I admit I like a bag large enough to carry a book. But I try to limit my traveling books to paperbacks so they aren't huge and bulky and heavy. And if I bring a magazine or newspaper I generally throw it out (err, I mean recycle) at the train station so I don't have to be bothered carrying it around all day. Cell phones and ipods are small, so they fit perfectly fine in a small- to medium-sized bag--if your bag is too big they get lost.

Okay, so to test my crazy ranting theories, I just weighed my regular daily bag--used for shopping and other errands, sometimes driving, sometimes on BART, sometimes on foot--and it's about 5 pounds. I have a rather large paperback (Foucoult's Pendulum still!), faceplate for the car stereo, cell phone, ipod, keys, chapstick, lip gloss, and pack of Kleenex. If I were going to the gym or carrying a laptop I would need a separate bag or a much larger one. Funny that no one in that article mentions carrying a laptop as one of their necessities.

Sasha Charnin Morrison, 42, the fashion director at US Weekly, admitted that her bags are so large that she often gets stuck in revolving doors. “They may not be practical, but so what?” she said. “When it comes to fashion, being practical is a huge bore.”

What's so fashinable about getting stuck in a revolving door? Sounds idiotic to me. If it's fashionable to clumsily lug around a huge bag, then I prefer to be a loser who is sleek enough to cruise through the turnstiles.

And, forgive my snarkiness here, but you should not complain about pain inflicted by your handbag! You are not an athlete or laborer. If your purse forces you into an MRI, lighten the load. And be thankful that the lifestyle that lets you afford such a fashionable giant handbag also lets you afford health insurance for your stupid injuries.

What do you think?

Pic is Louis Vitton Silver Streak, from The Purse Blog. While cruising for pics, I found this adorable site: Frankly, My Dear...

No comments: