The Power of a Purse

There's some unwritten rule about being female that goes something like:

So, the search begins. It has to be big enough to hold everything, small enough to not get in the way, organized enough to be able to find stuff quickly, and it's appearance must sum up everything you are as a person.

Simple enough.

So, for the last two years I've been using a purse that was made by an artisan in Costa Rica. It was perfect; not too flashy, long straps resembling a backpack, small pockets on the side for easy storage, and a huge pocket on the inside for whatever my heart desired.

Until... (dun dun dun)

The straps started ripping.

Ty's grandma sewed one strap back on and then the other strap started to go, and I was just coming to terms that I may have to replace my bag. And then my mom says, "What do you think about Coach purses?"

And I say, "I think the C's all over the bags are a little gaudy. Like, we get it, you're rich enough to afford a designer handbag."

Then she says, "Well, do you want one?"

She'd already found her bag: a black Kate Spade purse that's structured, simple, and totally Mom. So when her boss gave her a Coach purse as a Christmas bonus, Mom didn't need it. So I got it. Because Mom's cool like that.

What I didn't anticipate about my new life-carrier was how I'd feel while holding it: embarrassed.

I don't like what designer bags represent: flashiness, superiority, excess money, and a little bit too much emphasis on what others think about the purse I'm carrying. Maybe other women don't feel the same way when carrying a fancy purse, but I sure do.

Also, I feel a little ridiculous holding a Coach purse when I'm wearing sweat pants.

Anyway, I promise I'm not just raggin on this super nice purse my mom gave me, and there's really a super deep point I'm getting to here (as deep as one can get while talking about purses) and it's this:

All purses look the same on the inside.

Let's face it. A purse is just a glorified tampon/receipt/cell phone/credit card/old gum catcher, no matter how expensive it looks on the outside.

The purse that started it all.