It’s in the bag. Or is it? (From Bournemouth Echo)

It’s in the bag. Or is it?

7:00am Tuesday 7th July 2009 in

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IF you were to see me walking down the street you might think that I had the body of an Arnold Schwarzenegger. Only a little more compact. And with the ‘muscles’ only bulging on the breasts, hips and buttocks.

That is because I don’t have a man bag. Or indeed muscles. The bulges are my pockets, that are packed with more odds and ends than Just William’s. Today, for example, they hold a mobile phone, eight keys, 18 coins, a notebook, a chequebook, a voice recorder, some lip salve, a handkerchief, three pens (two working), a scrap of paper with a feature idea scribbled on it that I can no longer read or remember, and a wallet containing little money but a collection of long-forgotten plastic cards and, some would allege, a moth.

This week, research carried out into women’s handbag habits suggests they give an insight into their owner’s character. But what about men? Not long ago, any male would squeal, “A handbag!” (in a bass pitch) if asked to carry one. Even his wife’s. For 30 seconds.

Today, some may regard manbags as a mere fashion accessory but they make sense. With iPods, mobiles, BlackBerries and other such paraphernalia, manbags have come into their own. The alternative is holes in pockets.

So why don’t I carry one? Because, sensible or not, watching men or women trying to find anything in the jumble in their bags requires the exploratory skills of Dr Livingstone. Bags, they say, have become symbols of power. Maybe... but would you rather look like bag-wielding Mrs Thatcher or Arnie?

(You don’t have to answer that one.)