I have a #genuinekoshchan, as they say on twitter, for the menfolk today. And to be absolutely fair, I also pose it to the women who will not identify with what I am going to ask.
How, in the name of all that is holy, do you people manage without handbags? To take off from what Shwetha wrote on her blog some time back, there are things that are essential and must be carried everywhere.
I'm known for my penchant for big handbags. I have, in my defense, tried buying smaller purses in the effort to look more formal or some such thing, but the things just don't fit in! There's my wallet (which in itself is fairly bulky), my keys, my little pouch which holds all the various loyalty cards I have (and as I've mentioned before, I have a lot), the case which holds both my glasses and my sunglasses, tissues and hand cleanser, and basic medicines which I always carry around. If it's the monsoon I carry a little umbrella with me, if it's winter a teeny-weeny bottle of moisturizer, and if I'm headed to work or for meetings, then I usually have a note pad and a pen. Sometimes there's a book. There's also the little Ganesha statue my mum gifted me which I carry. My phone and its earphones are usually in my hand anyway because I use it to listen to music - assuming I know where my earphones are, they are currently missing, does anyone want to gift me a pair?
I change my bags often, and each bag has a bunch of miscellaneous stuff anyway - old movie tickets, earrings I was wearing and took off because they hurt, the receipt from a restaurant or the NH-8 toll gate, the last eyeliner I lost. But the essentials listed above - those I move from bag to bag.
So tell me, how do you manage without all that? I mean, even if I'm going to a shaadi and am forced to discard my nice handbags, I usually have a tiny purse with the phone, some cash, and mayyyybe an eyeliner and/or lipstick to be on the safe side - because you know, we're girls and we need to use/carry these things blah blah blah. And if the car is there, I leave a handbag with everything else in the car!
Most of the guys I know roam around with just their wallet and their phone*. I used to stare open-mouthed at these girls in college who could come with one register and a tiny clutch purse which wasn't even big enough to carry their car keys and their phone. Well, they also wore heels to college, know full well that that was just a disastrous idea given the cobbled paths we had, but that's besides the point. My point is, don't you need all this stuff?
*This may be a good time to point out that the brother is not like that. He perpetually needs music and a book and so carries a jhola everywhere he goes. Very shmart the brother is.
7 comments:
Heh! Interesting question. Because, we (read old-fashioned men) always wonder why women have to carry so much around with them. I usually like to go empty-handed everywhere, allowing my arms to swing as they please. For carrying all necessary stuff, there are the multiple pockets that come with shirts and pants. A wallet, a handkerchief and a mobile phone take up 3 pockets. A pen slides in well anywhere, but notes these days are taken on mobile phones (wishful thinking!).
I won't deny that there are times I wish I had something bigger to carry things, but those testing times are few! (Those are also times when the pants feel so heavy that there is a threat they might fall off!)
And I thought I was the only who insisted on carrying a household with me every time I stepped out!
I can't NOT carry a handbag. Because I can't keep things in my hand..Not even a hand bag. I'll surely drop them or leave them somewhere. So actually I need a shoulder bag. I've only just started using a big hand/shoulder bag but all it carries is my wallet, my phone, my keys and my notebook and pen. I keep my sunglasses in my car usually. However I do have a list of things I'd like to carry when I can get over being lazy. Here goes nothing:
wallet
phone
keys
glasses/sunglasses
extra hair-band/clip
wet tissues
a men's kerchief (coz when my nose starts running, tissues just don't do it for me. They usually tend to stick to my nose and that is weird)
colour tinted lip balm
deo/perfume (usually keep it in my car right now)
extra sanitary napkin (I might not need it but someone else might)
moisturizer
lozenges (for cough or car sickness)
nailcutter (because when I suddenly realize that my nails need cutting.. I need to cut it or it stays stuck in my head! Stuck reminds me of..)
listerine mouth wash (because the place where my wisdom tooth used to be is vulnerable to solid foods and can bleed)
Comb? (I can usually go without a comb for days, but if I'm going to carry all of the above, what's a comb? No harm.)
Sticky notes
Pen
Gluestick
Gem clips
a notebook/diary
a scarf/stole
and... a book.
That's all. :)
i noticed this difference when i was 14! i was travelling to delhi from kuala lumpur, and there i was, the teenager me, carrying a backpack with various absolutely important and essential things. and the guy who i was travelling with, was not even carrying a wallet! his pants had like a million pockets all over the place, and he kept taking things from them. i nearly fainted.
Nice relief knowing that I am not alone :)
Yes, so... about your question. The reason why we men don't need a handbag is actually a no brainer. We have little or no use of the following things:
Lipstick
Perfume
Tissues
Eyeliner
Vanity mirror
Tampons
Earrings
Accessories
Brush and comb
Coin purse
I could go on, but antiglam supersar! has pretty much nailed it above with that extensive list.
My slip disc requires me to shed weight both on the hand bag and my hips and its a losing battle :(
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