Welcome to Anatomy of the Male Mind where we never shy away from controversial issues. Today we are asking our man panel to go where we have never gone before.
Take it away, guys!
Adrienne: How do you feel about a “man purse”?
I think in the part of the world I live in, I just might get shot if I were to carry one. If I didn’t get shot I might wish someone would shoot me because I would be losing my mind. I can’t see any reason to consider carrying a “man purse.
Trace
I do not like the man purse. I will go as far as a fanny pack clipped around the waist, but as far as carrying something in the hand or across the shoulder, IT AIN’T GOING TO HAPPEN! If you have so much stuff to carry and it can’t fit in your pockets, get yourself a cool looking school bag/backpack …even a briefcase with a shoulder strap, but no man purse.
Rob
Adrienne: Would/do you carry one yourself?
Not no, but HELL no!
Trace
No, I do not carry one, I use the back pack/school bag.
Rob
Adrienne: Do you ever foresee an occasion where you would carry one?
Absolutely not. A backpack possibly, but only under certain situations or conditions. I have done this on vacation at the beach. Works great when all you need is a toothbrush, some soap and a comb, along with flip flops and a set of swim shorts. I don’t ever foresee an occasion where I would even think I would/should carry one.
Trace
Only if I had just robbed a lady and I know it’s full of CASH. Besides that, not ever.
Rob
Reader favorite Jack Russell took this topic to another level. Here is what Jack had to say:
Man-purse? Please. Believe me when I tell you there is no such thing. As President Obama was quoted during the primary, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” As such, if a person of the male gender is carrying a purse, it’s still a purse. Guys, if you’re carrying a purse, you need to check the expiration date of your man-card.
I devoted twenty minutes of Internet research on this topic before responding to Adrienne’s “man-purse” question so I feel my opinion is based on sound man-logic (men only need twenty minutes to become experts). My research, at the very least, confirmed my first-blush reaction. No matter how well a purse is marketed as a man’s purse it’s really nothing more than a tote bag, travel bag, brief case, messenger bag, laptop case or document carrier. I actually own a few of the items I saw being sold and marketed as man-purses or ”Murses” as some clever marketing firms have recently labeled them. I even found one man-purse travel bag that was made from clear see-thru vinyl. The see-thru feature is supposed to make it easier to get through airport security. At least at the beginning of the trip your underwear would be folded and presumably clean.
I call upon men of all ages to stand with me and refuse to buy any item marketed as a man-purse. I have no idea why the current trend is to attach a feminized moniker to functional man-products that have been sold for years. The bags, carriers and cases that are being made and sold to serve men’s needs don’t need new marketing gimmicks to sell. Men need manly carrying bags (and nobody needs to see inside of them). Men need carrying bags that look manly and are functional for men and if they smell of earth and musk it’s an additional man-bonus. If you’re worried about your carrying bag matching your Giorgio Armani suit, you’re over-thinking your accessories.
Consider the analogy of a man-purse to man-scaping. If you’re a man and have eyebrows that look like caterpillars have perched themselves above your eyes … trim them. If you have more hair growing in your ears and nose than on your head … trim them. Actually, let me retract that. If you have any hair growing out of your ears and noise … trim them. If you take off your clothes and your girlfriend thinks that Bigfoot broke into the bedroom … think about electrolysis. But if you’re a man and thinking about getting a Brazilian waxing … you’ve overshot the mark. The point being, tote bags, travel bags, brief cases, messenger bags, laptop cases or document carriers are acceptable means to carrying and organizing your manly stuff. Carrying any bag that looks like a purse or is marketed as a Murse is overshooting the man-mark.
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RU Readers, how do you feel about the man purse? We’d love to hear from you.
Thanks to the men on our panel for enlightening us. And to Jack, you are the bomb!
Join us on Friday when Theresa Stevens, Managing Editor, Red Sage Publishing, returns with answers to another reader submitted topic.
Kelsey's serving up bite-sized morsels for your noggin on her new 
Thanks, guys. Entertaining as always.
I haven’t done the research Jack Russell, but I did see a Progressive commercial recently. It featured a European handbag (aka man purse). One of the characters thought it was cute that he was holding his wife’s purse. The look on the guy’s face was priceless.
Thanks, Tracey
Posted by Tracey Devlyn | March 17, 2010, 5:32 amThanks, guys! You always make me laugh.
Tracey, I saw that commercial and found it timely! LOL.
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | March 17, 2010, 7:26 amlol….thanks for the great post….nothing like starting your day off with a chuckle. =)
carrie
Posted by carrie | March 17, 2010, 7:56 amI really want to know what differentiates a messenger bag from a man bag – is it material, compartments, style, the man’s “chic factor,” or something else? Personally, I find canvas more manly than smooth leather. Color could also be a factor. Guys, I say stay away from red, lavender or magenta. Also – I find that if you sling the bag so that it hangs down your back instead of on your hip, you’re better off on the man scale
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Great post, guys and Adrienne!
Kels
Posted by Kelsey Browning | March 17, 2010, 11:15 amThe whole issue confuses me. I think the smaller the bag the more taboo, but what do I know? I’ve been a girl all my life! LOL.
Posted by AdrienneGiordano | March 17, 2010, 12:34 pmThese things were very popular back in the late ’80s/early ’90s, although they weren’t called “man purses” back then, at least to my knowledge because I’m not sure what they were called.
My husband, a decidedly manly man and his brothers, all had them, as did many other dudes I knew. (Should I throw in here that we’re New Yorkers?) The bags, which is how they referred to them, were stylish, leather, masculine, and not much bigger than a small clutch. It was cool with me because I didn’t have to add his wallet, travel sized lotion, chapstick, hairbrush, and whatever else to my purse. He could carry those items for himself.
Today, he probably wouldn’t be caught dead with one unless it had a very manly, very stylish, masculine look to it, and it was ,em>not called a “man purse”.
Posted by PatriciaW | March 17, 2010, 2:02 pmThat was pure awesomeness.
Thanks for the chuckles and the insight.
My husband doesn’t need a murse. He just takes me along wherever he goes and hands it all over. “Honey, can you put my sunglasses in your purse? And my keys? And my notebook? And my phone? Jeez, hon, I thought we just got you a bigger purse. You need to quit carrying so much stuff.”
But at least sometimes I get access to his wallet this way.
Posted by Jamie Farrell | March 17, 2010, 2:14 pmMy favorite bag is the Leather Messenger Bag. Black leather Features interior organizers, along with two zippered pockets. I can hold my laptop, they don’t call it a man bag for nothing LOL.
Posted by Tokyo Tony | December 6, 2010, 6:01 pm