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[BGBW]

I used a handbag (or purse as the yanks call it).

In fact because it was hard to find one in the men's section I had to buy the most neutral looking one I could find in the ladies' department. Obviously if I never told you this story you'd never guess it by looking at the bag since it is a very simple small black cuboid. Perfect for summer when you want to carry things like a camera, phone, wallet and 3DS but it is too hot to wear a jacket.

 

[Deified Data]

Men have glorious, glorious pockets.

 

[Grakl]

hand lotion is important, especially in the winter

 

[Malvolio]

I purposely call my bag my purse just to beat everyone else to the punch. It's a manly looking bag, but in the end it's a purse. I have too much to carry on a daily basis not to have a bag to throw it all in.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

Wait, so if men carry bags can we then pawn our bags on our gfs?! Like they like to do at clubs. "Here baby hold this".

 

[Messofanego]

You're right, it is a lot more socially acceptable to wear pink as a male these days.

But I've got to say, it still looks very feminine. I wouldn't wear pink personally, I think it's still very much a girlie colour. Pink looks great on girls, kind of incongruous and a tiny bit "try hard" on dudes IMO.

Pink being a thing for girls was made up by marketing from a long time ago (blue = boys, pink = girls), and they succeeded in conditioning society that it's the only way. I'm sure someone can link to an article of how it happened, fascinating stuff. There was one article from Polygon that was related, No girls allowed.

 

[andycapps]

Why, GAF? Why?

Let's see, on any particular day, I need to carry:

--Keys
--Wallet
--iPhone
--Hand lotion
--Lip balm
--Notepad
--Two pens
--iPad (if I have a lot of reading to do)
--Condoms (never be caught without 'em, y'all)
--Camera

And I get that, for a guy, that might be a lot of stuff, but even if I only carried half of these items, it would still be more than I'd be able to fit in my pockets comfortably. And with fashion trending towards more "fitted" clothing, even for straight men, it's true for a lot of guys that pocket real-estate is at a premium.

So why is still seen as such a socially awkward thing for men to carry bags regularly? I know so many men who would rather walk around with awkward lumps in their jeans or have to constantly go back to their cars, just so they don't have to carry a sack.

Any other trendy male gaffer carry a bag regularly? And if so, what kind? I need a new murse.

Why do you need a notepad, two pens, and your ipad wherever you go? And why do you need a camera everywhere you go? Are you a journalist or photographer?

 

[Dennis]

This is why men get girlfriends.

To have someone carry our stuff around in their purse.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

This is why men get girlfriends.

To have someone carry our stuff around in their purse.

This guy gets it. But all I carry is my phone and wallet though.

 

[Noisepurge]

Why you're carrying a purse instead of a messenger bag is the real question OP.

most europeans have messenger bags, so convenient!
(every time i visit the US i get asked why do i carry a "manpurse")

 

[theepicoftyler]

no jack yet?

I wear this most days.

 

[Messofanego]

Few more articles on the colour gender divide (not specifically related to the thread title), how it started in the 40s, and how it's starting to break down.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2011/dec/13/women-children

http://www.livescience.com/22037-pink-girls-blue-boys.html

http://jezebel.com/5790638/the-history-of-pink-for-girls-blue-for-boys

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...b/06/children-dont-want-sexist-pink-blue-toys

 

[BajiBoxer]

Why do you need a notepad, two pens, and your ipad wherever you go? And why do you need a camera everywhere you go? Are you a journalist or photographer?

Good point. Unless you do serious photography, the iPhone would be doubling as the camera for most people. And if you do have a high quality camera you need to carry around, you are probably carrying a camera bag rather than a purse.

 

[Messofanego]

no jack yet?

It's just the thing for badass covert ops people.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

ManGAF still stunned by fashion and convenience, huh

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Pink being a thing for girls was made up by marketing from a long time ago (blue = boys, pink = girls), and they succeeded in conditioning society that it's the only way. I'm sure someone can link to an article of how it happened, fascinating stuff. There was one article from Polygon that was related, No girls allowed.

Consider me well and truly conditioned then!

Pink is a cuddly, cute, feminine colour in my mind, I wouldn't choose to wear it. It brings to mind a little girl's bicycle with a basket on the front or fluffy teddy bears hugging love hearts.

 

[BajiBoxer]

It's just the thing for badass covert ops people.

Also a good point.

 

[Weilthain]

I thought this was a joke thread at first. In America men don't carry 'bags' because they are told not to?

 

[Halcyon]

My aversion to having a bag to carry around means you have to carry a bag around. You have to put it on a chair or in a seat. Then you have to worry about people stealing it. You always have to keep an eye on it.

Go to the bar to shoot pool. Have to put the bag somewhere etc.

Would drive me nuts.

 

[xenist]

This thread reminded me that my messegner bag has become ratty as fuck and I need to get a new one.

 

[Matt_]

I'm quite surprised at the response in this thread because man bags are really common in the UK and I'm not talking about satchels or messenger bags

Both are pretty regular occurrences. A bunch of places have started doing promotions to do with them too, often giving them away with aftershave purchases and the like

 

[andycapps]

Good point. Unless you do serious photography, the iPhone would be doubling as the camera for most people. And if you do have a high quality camera you need to carry around, you are probably carrying a camera bag rather than a purse.

Yeah, I guess I just try to be as minimal as I can when I leave the house. Though when I do have to take a bunch of stuff with me it's typically in a backpack or if it's more than will fit in that then it's a duffel bag.

 

[Myke Greywolf]

I use something similar to this (in format). Very convenient and doesn't raise eyebrows (not that I would care). About 20 cm tall, if you're wondering. Large enough to carry wallet, cellphone, notebook, pen, swiss army knife, dental floss, comb, tissues, asthma inhaler, and even a tablet if I want to take it with me.

 

[Ikael]

I am a man and I regulary carry a purse or "messenger bag", there are some really elegant, practic and / or discreet models out there if you know where too look for them.

As for ridicule and social preassure, I would give you the same advice that I give to anyone else: ignore it. Comfort / happiness / fun / a shit on a stick > strangers and their opinions. The whole "society is opressing us all" mentality steams from lack of mental fortitude. Is it convenient for you to carry a purse? If the answer is "yes", then carry it.

Most people that you cross your way with are irrelevant to your life, so why are you giving a rat ass about what they think of you? You're not a teenager anymore. Disregard external validation, acquire happiness.

 

[Ashes]

That Will Smith messenger bag in I Am Legend is so cool.

 

[Mr Cola]

My brother got me this for Christmas one year, still use it, best bag ever

I dont even like Halo but I love the bag

 

[nateeasy]

I carry as little as possible

 

[.GqueB.]

The idea of carrying a purse or murse makes me cringe. It's just another thing to worry about in my hands and I need both hands free for surprise bear attacks or what have you. Give me a backpack.

It pains me to see women walk about with their hook elbows carrying purses around. Doesn't look comfortable at all.

 

[Into]

Women clothing does not typically have as many or as big pockets as mens. Males clothes is usually more loose, allowing for more room for items. Younger women especially wear tighter clothes and that does not allow much room for pockets of any kind.

 

[cwmartin]

I still don't understand why you need to carry all of that stuff everyday. Did I miss the post?

 

[UpperCaseN]

I think your buddies will care less the older you all are. I'm 31 and we've grown past that mindset. Depending on what you have and your clothing style, a backpack for casual or some type of messenger bag if you're dressed nicer shouldn't be a problem.

One of those drawstring bags are pretty accepted too if you don't mind everything being in 1 pocket.

 

[Bisnic]

Use the same bag as Jack Bauer, can't get any more badass than him.

 

[Stitch]

I use this thing

 

[CharlieDigital]

I use this thing

I was debating between something like this and ended up with a Patagonia Mass:

The problem with the triangular slings is that it's difficult to fit square sized things in it (like a tablet, small laptop, or a notebook.

Use the same bag as Jack Bauer, can't get any more badass than him.

It seems so impractical since it'd be bouncing around all the time.

 

[HoosTrax]

The solution is a messenger bag, a fairly gender neutral item.

Also, I am female and I've never used a purse. The three items that I consider mandatory are 1) car keys, 2) wallet, and 3) phone, and I can fit all of those into jean pockets (since I have a smallish phone not a phablet).

If I need to carry more than that (sanitary napkins, contact lens stuff, food/water), I use a small messenger bag that looks like an ammo pack and cost probably $10.

I should mention that I'm a software dev, and if I spent hundreds of dollars on a designer purse, I would stick out like a sore thumb, both with the geek/gamer crowd I hang out with and also at work, not to mention it wouldn't go well with jeans+t-shirt. So the "purses for women" thing is a bit relative, even among women.

---

The gender norms re: clothing / accessories thing is an interesting discussion in and of itself btw -- there have been periods in history where for a man to be dressed in a way that would be considered feminine or flamboyant today was more a sign of wealth and prosperity.

 

[entremet]

Are people forgetting about briefcases. Men have used those for decades for the stuff the OP suggest.

Obviously, as the workplace has become more casual briefcases have fallen out of favor, but that answer the question of why ''pursues'' haven't been common with men. Fashion does have a gendered component.

Men also have sports jackets, blazers and roomier bottoms--trousers, jeans, etc., than women, so further showing why men never really needed pursues.

And finally, for more contemporary and casual stuff, there's messenger bags, which are gender neutral. And yes, many men still care about not appearing feminine. Yes, even today.

Incidentally things like like smartphones should make it easier to carry less--notepads, pens, cameras can be replaced by smartphones functions.

The OP sounds he's also from a big city. Many people also use their cars as makeshift storage for this stuff. But if you live in a city, you're obviously not driving and need to carry more things on your person.

 

[The Librarian]

mens jeans have pockets
womens jeans don't have pockets

Er, slight correction. Women's jeans do have pockets, it's just that the pockets can range anywhere between useless and useful. My front pockets are useless: they can't hold anything except money and maybe lipstick. My back pockets are useful: They can hold my cellphone, pens, credit cards, and so on.

My purse is awesome, though, so I rarely use my pockets for anything. And dresses usually don't have pockets (and if they do, they aren't that useful), so I still stick with my purse.

 

[Halcyon]

Er, slight correction. Women's jeans do have pockets, it's just that the pockets can range anywhere between useless and useful. My front pockets are useless: they can't hold anything except money and maybe lipstick. My back pockets are useful: They can hold my cellphone, pens, credit cards, and so on.

.

I see this alot with women. Their otterbox sticking out of their ass pocket. It confuses me because as a guy I would think)

1) I will sit on this
2) Someone can easily steal it

What is the thought process. Is it that you just don't have any actual pockets and don't care about either of the above problems.

 

[highrider]

I've carried some kind of bag my whole life, usually messenger type. I dislike having stuff in my pockets.

 

[braves01]

Utility > fashion

 

[The Librarian]

I see this alot with women. Their otterbox sticking out of their ass pocket. It confuses me because as a guy I would think)

1) I will sit on this
2) Someone can easily steal it

What is the thought process. Is it that you just don't have any actual pockets and don't care about either of the above problems.

1) Take it out of your pocket before you sit down.
2) You can feel someone taking your phone out of your pocket if it's as huge as an otterbox, otherwise it's too small to get it out without noticing.

 

[Messofanego]

The solution is a messenger bag, a fairly gender neutral item.

Also, I am female and I've never used a purse. The three items that I consider mandatory are 1) car keys, 2) wallet, and 3) phone, and I can fit all of those into jean pockets (since I have a smallish phone not a phablet).

If I need to carry more than that (sanitary napkins, contact lens stuff, food/water), I use a small messenger bag that looks like an ammo pack and cost probably $10.

I should mention that I'm a software dev, and if I spent hundreds of dollars on a designer purse, I would stick out like a sore thumb, both with the geek/gamer crowd I hang out with and also at work, not to mention it wouldn't go well with jeans+t-shirt. So the "purses for women" thing is a bit relative, even among women.

---

The gender norms re: clothing / accessories thing is an interesting discussion in and of itself btw -- there have been periods in history where for a man to be dressed in a way that would be considered feminine or flamboyant today was more a sign of wealth and prosperity.

Cool insight, thanks for this.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Wrong there, wearing pink is quite the trend with men, at least here in the UK. Many businessmen or professional people wear pink ties, pink shirts, maybe not pink pants. This has been for like the last decade.

Do I really need to address this again? Please read what I posted, out loud, slowly to yourself.

 

[universalmind]

why do you need a notepad and pens if you have an iphone and an ipad? Sounds really hipsterish...

 

[massoluk]

My purse, uh messenger bag, has one Android tablet, a kindle, a 3DS, an external USB battery, some misc documents, and a pair of gloves.

/shrug.

It's where I keep all my things. Indiana Jones wears one.

 

[Halcyon]

1) Take it out of your pocket before you sit down.
2) You can feel someone taking your phone out of your pocket if it's as huge as an otterbox, otherwise it's too small to get it out without noticing.

See the step requiring you to constantly take your phone out when you're sitting down would annoy me enough to never see that as an option.

I always assumed it was a "look at my ass" ploy.

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

Utility > fashion

Cargo shorts kind of suck if you put heavy stuff in your pockets.

 

[entremet]

Er, slight correction. Women's jeans do have pockets, it's just that the pockets can range anywhere between useless and useful. My front pockets are useless: they can't hold anything except money and maybe lipstick. My back pockets are useful: They can hold my cellphone, pens, credit cards, and so on.

My purse is awesome, though, so I rarely use my pockets for anything. And dresses usually don't have pockets (and if they do, they aren't that useful), so I still stick with my purse.

Women's jean pockets are more about style than function. They're unusable lol, except for may a folded receipt. Additionally women are trained to use their purses or handbags for the stuff. I've never knew a guy with a change compartment lol.

 

[The Librarian]

Its considered socially awkward because it is socially awkward. Arbitrary, stupid societal rules to keep male and female fashions and tastes different for no reason. It was in the 20th century where women made huge strides in changing attitudes yet men are still stuck in the dark ages. Try wearing a pink skirt. If you are a straight man, prepare for a tidal wave of social awkwardness if not hostility.

Societal rules for dress aren't as arbitrary or stupid as they are at first glance. Different types of clothing are worn by the two genders because men's and women's bodies are different, and so different things look good on them. Dresses are for women because they so often make the female form look good; suits are for men because they so often make the male form look good. Now, this doesn't mean that a suit makes all men look good, or a dress makes all women look good, nor does it necessarily mean that men can't wear dresses, for example. It's just that it's so often the case that it because a norm: "Dresses are for girls, suits are for boys."

I always assumed it was a "look at my ass" ploy.

Obviously it's a "look at my ass" ploy. I mean, it's not like boys stare at us enough already!

 

[Dark Octave]

Why, GAF? Why?

Let's see, on any particular day, I need to carry:

--Keys
--Wallet
--iPhone
--Hand lotion
--Lip balm
--Notepad
--Two pens
--iPad (if I have a lot of reading to do)
--Condoms (never be caught without 'em, y'all)
--Camera

And I get that, for a guy, that might be a lot of stuff, but even if I only carried half of these items, it would still be more than I'd be able to fit in my pockets comfortably. And with fashion trending towards more "fitted" clothing, even for straight men, it's true for a lot of guys that pocket real-estate is at a premium.

So why is still seen as such a socially awkward thing for men to carry bags regularly? I know so many men who would rather walk around with awkward lumps in their jeans or have to constantly go back to their cars, just so they don't have to carry a sack.

Any other trendy male gaffer carry a bag regularly? And if so, what kind? I need a new murse.

--Keys (pants pocket)
--Wallet (pants pocket)
--iPhone (pants pocket)
--Hand lotion (hallway cupboard)
--Lip balm (lol)
--Notepad (phone)
--Two pens (for what?)
--iPad (iPad carrying thing)
--Condoms (married, otherwise would be in wallet)
--Camera (phone)

And if that's not doable because of your skinny jeans (and scarf), use a backpack.