Squeamish Bikini
  • Home
  • Squeamish Features
  • Squeamish Reviews
  • Squeamish News
  • Squeamish Contact
  • About Squeamish

Bag It Up

10/1/2012

3 Comments

 
Picture
Bag contents. Photo: Sarah
We are all entitled to our own little epiphanies. These can be small in impact and we can sort of continue as normal, acknowledge their logic without changing a thing. Often epiphany seems rather a grand term to award the tiny realisation, but as the personal is political, what seems small can be universal. This is why it’s often the small epiphanies that go on to dog us, because eventually it could be big.

I am trying to prepare you. I am trying to excuse the small thing I am about to share then analyse. I want to make it clear the item I had a miniscule epiphany, an ‘oh’ moment about is not something I tend to think about.Reader, I am about to discuss bags. 

It was a Carrie Brownstein interview on the site XOjane that reminded me about this bag thought I had been carrying around (hah) for a while. If you are not familiar with the site it was for an item they do called The Same 5 Questions We Always Ask. Oddly the questions seem to vary in both number and subject, so ‘5’ and ‘Always’ tend not to be adhered to particularly.

If you are a woman being interviewed on XOJane you will be asked something about your bag, “What’s the grossest thing in your purse?” in this case. Brownstein answered: “I just carry around air really, I have all these empty bags and there’s nothing left in there…it’s just ridiculous that I even carry a bag. It just seems like the thing you are supposed to do”.

Without my bag I feel like I have forgotten something, I feel anxious and incomplete. But there is nothing in my bag I couldn’t probably force into a pocket (although I wear women’s clothes, which tends to only have fake or few pockets). It isn’t just my bag I worry about; I met Squeamish Louise recently and repeatedly asked her where her bag was, “I haven’t got one with me today” she patiently replied. What is my problem with bags?

Like Carrie Brownstein (I am not trying to shoehorn in how we could be friends or how we’re so alike but…we could be real life friends, we’re so alike!) I more or less carry around air. Come warmer weather I carry around mine and my bag-free friends’ hoodies/cardigans/scarves like a fool.

It is not the first time I have been made to think about the point of my bag. The first time was during English A level class. Our teacher Barry always took time at the beginning of the lesson to discuss with us what books we were reading. Barry’s book was Germaine Greer’s The Whole Woman, ‘according to Greer, a woman’s bag is symbolic of her womb, you women are carrying your wombs about with you’ he informed us.

The Greer quote he is referring to is this: “Why do women always carry bags, and why are those bags so often heavy? Why is it that most women will not go out of the house without bags loaded with objects of no immediate use? Is the tote bag an exterior uterus, the outward sign of the unmentionable burden?”

Perhaps Greer is on to something, perhaps this is quite a stretch of the imagination.

When XOJane interviews men they don’t ask him what’s in his purse, or bag or pocket for that matter. Because when we think ‘bag’ we think ‘handbag’ and that is usually held by a matriarchal figure. Bags full of plasters, hand-cream and spat upon tissues. A ‘manbag’ is A) usually a joke and B) containing important papers.

Whether you think the bag is a status symbol, a required receptacle or your outward womb the question is actually quite personal and potentially embarrassing. Because it reveals certain anxieties you fear may materialise when you leave the house.

It seems like a dull challenge, but those of us (without small children – there’s logic to what the traditional handbag contains) who usually pledge allegiance to the bag should try going out sans receptacle.

 Without something clinging to our backs, hanging from our shoulders and bouncing against our hips we are free of cloakroom charges, free to dance and free to run. I promise you won’t get suddenly hungry, thirsty or need mints.

Go ahead, if anything it might mean XOJane have to readdress those 5 questions they always ask. 


Squeamish Kate
3 Comments
Gareth
12/1/2012 07:20:01 pm

I always assumed women carried bags as for some bizarre reason their clothes never have pockets. Not even on trousers! Is there something about the shape of woman hips that prevent pockets? Or do fashion designers do it on purpose to increase their profits as you have to buy a matching bag?

I don't think carrying crap is a women-only activity either. I'm generally loaded down with lots of things that 'might be useful. Admittedly they haven't been required so far, but today may be the day'. Although in smaller quantities than a lady as my pockets are as cavernous as the sacks you lug around.

Incidentally I dislike your no bag challenge as I know it will inevitably result in my pockets being filled with stuff that would otherwise have been in the bag. And that'll mean I'll have to leave my crap behind.

Reply
Squeamish Kate link
12/1/2012 08:24:16 pm

The pockets can ruin the shape of trousers if they're supposed to be very fitted. But it is when big coats are lacking in pockets I get perplexed...

Reply
Becca
17/1/2012 06:07:15 pm

Seriously it's meant to represent my womb! Poor foetus, it will barely have room! Never fear you can knit a spare at http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/PATTwomb.html

A woman's bag is actually a glamorous receptacle for dumping used tissues, pens, receipts, tampons, chewing gum, lipstick, lip gloss, lip balm, hand cream, train tickets, loose change, purse, book headphones, ipod, phone, keys and anything, repeat ANYTHING else that might just come in handy during the day, which will allow you to feel smug and organised as you pull it from your bag, like the Mary Poppins of bag ladies! It is in fact amazing just how much you can fit in a bag, which brings us neatly back to the womb which, the internet informs me, is a muscular bag only the size of a pear prior to accommodating a baby!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    Books
    Booze
    Cinematic
    Dress Up
    Educating Sue
    Educating Sue
    Friday 5
    Friday 5
    Geekery
    Gender Agender
    Gender Agender
    Glitter And Twisted
    Glitter And Twisted
    History Repeating
    History Repeating
    How To
    Just A Thought
    Just A Thought
    Let's Get Political
    Let's Get Political
    Music
    Nom Nom Nom
    Nostalgia
    Tellybox
    Why You Should Love

    RSS Feed


Squeamish Bikini

About
Contact us
Write for us

Newsletter

Picture
     Copyright © 2013