Ladies, we need to have a little chat.
Something has gone terribly, terribly wrong and on behalf of all men I am here today to say if this whole thing is going to keep working, something needs to be done about it.
I'm talking, of course, about the handbag/purse market.
See, the other day I went shopping for a purse for my mom's birthday. This is something I had done once before and despite coming out with a gift she loved (I actually have quite a good eye for these types of things), I swore I would never do this thing again.
It had become clear to me that the purse section of Macy's was no place for the male of the species. I was disoriented and confused, lost in a sea of nonsense for hours. I think I blacked out about halfway through because I don't really remember what happened. It's all a blur to me today, but that promise I made to myself, the one I eventually broke, stayed with me. That sense of horror never left me.
It came down to this once again. With my mom's birthday just around the corner, she needed a gift and we were out of ideas, and the ones we had we didn't know how to fulfill. So it was time to face this nefarious foe once again.
It started with a trip into the Coach store at the mall. I recognized the brand name and knew my mom liked it so I figured to give it a look. Upon walking in I found a bag that was tiny, the perfect color for my mom, and even by my standards, cute. It was the perfect gift. I was surprised by how simple that had been. Maybe things had changed. Maybe I had changed. All that was left was to look at the price tag. It was well over $250. The blood rushed from my face, I felt sick, I was dry heaving. What world was this? Who would pay more than $250 for a bag? And a small one at that!
Ladies, this is a serious smudge on your credibility as decision makers. I mean, that collectively. Look, I know the response to this, I can hear some of you saying it right now: "Not all women pay $300 for a bag, plenty of us think that's just as disgusting as you do." I know that very well. In fact, my own mother who I was shopping for in the story above would never pay that much for a bag. But you're all guilty by association.
No one needs 10 different bags and even the women folk who don't pay a the amount of a ransom for their only child seem to have more bags than I can count. And there are apparently enough people to pay that high of a price that its nearly impossible to find on for less. You need to hold your fellow ladies accountable for their actions. This reflects poorly on all of you because when I'm walking down the street, you're the only ones I see with purses and I don't know which ones spent my rent on their bag.
I'm not alone on this. On the list of things men don't understand about women, I'll admit, purses aren't exactly in the top 5. But that's largely because we don't even know enough about it to know how little we understand. I want every woman here to take a man (or conversely, every man here to do this on their own) be it your son, father, brother, cousin, uncle, friend, or significant other into a department store and actually make them look at how big the purse section is and show them some price tags. Look at their face. That is the face of ultimate fear and confusion. You must then orient said man and remind them that they're in a department store, they are not actually plummeting to the depths of hell, it just feels that way.
He may try to sputter some questions at you, never quite getting them all out. Simply quiet him down and say, it's not for you to understand, it's like tampons. He'll then make a grossed out face and go about his normal activities. Given that you're in a department store and in the purse section, this probably means zoning out and going to a happier place in his head, much like an abuse victim would do. This is why he never noticed that the purse section is bigger than your home before.
I'm not your enemy, ladies. I'm just trying to improve communication between the sexes. And honestly, if you want this whole "life and love" thing to work out, none of you can pay $300 for a purse anymore. I'm sorry. We can work out the exact limit the other time. But, just know, that your current spending habits on purses as a gender are abhorrent and bewildering to us, so things need to change.
Comments (33)
As far as designers go, Coach is actually pretty cheap...I know girls who have shelled out a thousand dollars or more for just one bag.
My friend and I went to the mall once and brought along our male friend. We took him shoe shopping. That was interesting...he didn't understand why my friend just HAD to buy these 2 pair of shoes that she loved when they were both really overpriced. I agreed with him, but since I'm used to seeing this type of behavior from girls, it didn't bother me, whereas he just did not understand at all.
Last week my husband and I went window shopping. We went into the Coach Outlet store. I was just looking. He said he would buy me a bag...insisted upon it even after I said no. He helped me look through handbags, wallets, and wristlets for like 45 minutes. We agreed upon a bag and he bought it for me. I'm afraid to use it, it's the most expensive thing I own besides my car. He had way less sticker shock than I did, which surprised me. He even seemed to enjoy the experience...like he was my sugar daddy or something. lol. Just sayin, maybe you should hold other men accountable when they buy these things for their women, cause we aren't necessarily buying these items for ourselves.
I will NOT spend more than $30 on a purse.. thats just stupid.
I have two Coach purses, but only because I got them as Christmas gifts from my parents..I don't have the money on my own to afford one. I am a purse fiend, though =P
women like things that make them feel confident. having a super-hot bag, or some seriously sexy shoes are just a couple of those things. your heels and your bag will never cheat or lie either :P
ure hilarious...yea the handbag issue is complicated....i have a lot of bags yea coach is ridiculous u didn't even look at chanel 1,000 for a bag...how about 30,000 for a bag? lol.
I can understand having one or two expensive bags. Any more than that is a bit much if a woman is buying them every few weeks or something. But if you have the money (i.e. if you're pretty wealthy or at least financially stable), then why not? It becomes a problem when women become addicted to buying bags, quickly become tired of the ones they've bought, or spend money that they don't have on them. Everyone has their values, they just need to watch that it doesn't go overboard.
How does buying an expensive purse ruin our credibility as decision makers? Is it because you think were all the same? Or is it because you just can't handle paying for something you deem trivial?
Unless you know the exact value of everything you buy, and never pay over that price, you will never be able to make that statement. But thanks for trying?
it's ok to stop by the purse section, no one's gonna think you're less than a man.
I have a weakness for pretty purses as well as designer perfume. But I don't like itty bitty purses. I like huge bags that can carry however many books I'm currently reading.
Haha, guilty by association.
yeah, coach isn't that expensive...
funny.
I only own one purse at a time, and usually get a new one about once a year, on sale, for something less that $30. Because I have never gotten into the purse craze and I know guys don't give a rat's ass about purses. Then again, I do have a shoe problem, and guys don't care so much about those either.
Isn't this kind of like saying how men and women will never communicate properly because women don't understand why men spend so much time and money on electronics and/or pimped out cars?
I've never been into purses, let alone the expensive ones.
weird of me, i guess >.<
I'm proud to say that I will never spend more than $20 or $30 on a purse. Or any other fashion item (shoes, jeans, shirts, etc), for that matter. It's ridiculous. I love this line: "Ladies, this is a serious smudge on your credibility as decision makers." Sure there are purses that are more expensive and are really cool, and maybe they do make some girls feel more confident, I don't know. I'd rather be more confident with myself without having to think, "Hey, look at my great purse." I'm not going to go out and buy a purse I think is ugly or anything, because it does add some sort of fashion statement but it's certainly not worth as much as some girls spend.
Some ladies enjoy having expensive bags... it's like a man having a big HD tv with surround sound that their friends oooooh and ahhhh over.
As a man would you rather have a 1080P Sony Bravia or a 750 Vizio? It's the same thing for girls....just with bags.
I've been purse-shopping with girls several times, and it really is an interesting scenario to watch. Actually, shopping with them in general is interesting in and of itself, but the purse thing... it's like a cross they have to bear. They shrug and sigh the entire time they're in the store.
Maybe it's a stupid idea, but... have you ladies ever considered making your own?
I have spent and will continue to spend ridiculous amounts on bags
but not if they're from Coach.
The real kicker is the ad for "cheap handbags" on the side of the post LOL
Though I have to admit, I agree with sweetsweetsugarjunkie, to an extent.. there are plenty of things that I would feel the same way about shopping for my husband. Like suits and cars. Maybe it's because he's definitely the woman in the relationship, but the moment we enter any place that sells suits, my eyes glaze over. Which is good because if I saw the prices, I would just drop dead on the spot.
haha I was laughing the whole way through. I agree, it is our fault that the prices have skyrocketed(sp?). Our weakness for pretty things that we can show off can take control every once in a while....... All in all, excellent post.
Women buy designer purses for other women not for men. My boyfriend cant tell the difference between dolce and gibbana and some Ross knock off and I would never expect him to be able to. But other women (the ones with class and taste) can. When we see another woman with a purse that just came out and is designer and thereby expensive we think wow that woman has money, class, good taste, or if nothing else a pretty well off boyfriend. Its a status thing. Like men and cars.
you all do it too you just use different mediums then us...
I'm a girl and I kinda understand where you're coming from. I hate carrying around purses. That's why I have my pockets =D
A girl with $$$$ Designer handbags = high maintenance girl.
Not my cup of tea.
People can be way to materialistic.