Purse Adventures

As I was reading The Purse Forum's handbag thread, I came upon various experiences by women (mostly women) who encounter snarky remarks from strangers when they are out and about with their handbags. It was both good and bad remarks.

There was also a Youtube video posted by someone (I believe it got removed already) which showed two girls, one who was wearing a designer handbag. They had a small/micro camera hooked onto them and were basically going around town, yelling at all the ladies who were wearing bags (whether they were expensive or not), and saying things like "you'll never be me because you'll never own a bag like mine" or something to that degree. To summarize, it was a video about putting people down based on what they can/can't afford.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know there are far more serious issues out there in the world today that need to be recognized. But realize this is a blog, not a news reporting agency. I write based on what hits my head first, and sometimes there are so many things going on, it's hard to gather it all up and write something neat. This doesn't mean that purses are always on my mind though. But at this point, I definitely needed some sort of distraction.

Anyways, going back to what I was saying before.

The forum members got really annoyed at what they saw, because in today's society, flaunting one's wealth can be seen to others as a "show off" type of thing. And one reason why the non wealthy have a hard time dealing with the wealthy is because of that intimidation. The way I see it: we are all humans. It doesn't matter if one was given more than the other, but you're still human. One day you may have all this wealth, but the next day you could go bankrupt. Then what do you do?

The video may have gave a false ideology that all wealthy people are like that. They put others down, they bad mouth those who can't afford expensive handbags, they are all entitled brats etc. It's just a generalization, because in reality you have all types of people and all types of background, wealthy or not, who work hard to get their handbags. This doesn't mean they are wealthy. It just means they managed to handle their finances properly in order to be able to afford one.

I'm a regular working class citizen who pays my taxes. I work hard for what I have, and help others as well. To those who meet me off the streets, they won't know that. If I wore one of my designer handbags, they will just think I'm an entitled brat whose rich parents or boyfriend/husband bought for me. They can think whatever they want, but as long as I know what path I chose to get to where I am today, that's all that matters.

It's also about the attitude. If I gave a snobby attitude back, then of course they will have that image that all designer handbag owners are snobby. One of the things I read was about how random strangers will approach these ladies and ask about their handbags. Not that there is nothing wrong in asking about a product, but they will go into questions like how much did the bag cost, is it real, what kind of job do you have in order to afford it etc.

These are all legit questions. But that's just like me approaching a man or woman who drives a Lamborghini or Ferrari, asking them how much their car costs and what do they do for a living. You can easily search the price of those cars online, so it's not like the prices are hidden from the public. For someone to ask a stranger that, in front of public, it is intimidating. So I don't blame those owners for not answering, or for turning their backs because it is a personal question. If you already know the price range of those exotics, why would you go up to the owner and ask them? To me, that's just stupid.

Going back to the handbag price questions, same thing. The prices are readily available online on the company websites. It's not like it's hidden from the world (ok, minus Chanel but even when searching used handbags from consignment shops, that already gives you an idea of what it costs). So if ladies already know about the brand and about how expensive they can get, why would get go up to a stranger and ask them? You're pretty much just rubbing it in their face.

Another one was how random strangers approach the ladies and ask if they could touch their bags. Again, it's up to the owner to decide if they want to let their bags get touched or not. It's almost like how someone approaches a stranger and asks if they could pet their dog or cat. It's all about the attitude whether you really want people to touch your possessions or not.

How do I deal with stranger questions? I personally haven't had any strangers come up to me to ask me about my bag, whether it's intimidating for them or I don't know what else was going through their minds. I did have a couple of friends ask about the Chanel and how much it cost, but of course it was asked in front of a group of people. Now that can get a bit awkward. However, I answered by saying "cost enough for me" and that was that. But when we were more in a private setting, that's when I brought it up again and answered her question. It's a bit more challenging with strangers in a public setting because it's not like you can pull them aside to a quiet area and answer their question. People find ways to answer those questions in creative ways. I can only think of "priceless".

I do have coworkers admire the blue and pink Prada bags. The blue one always gets asked at work, and if I could bring it next time, so I say sure. They touch it, and I let them of course. Because I know how hard working they are, and most are busy with kids and raising them. If this is what makes them temporarily happy, then I'll do it. The pink Prada had a bit of a photo session while I was gone for my conference. Quite a few of them took pictures carrying it and posing with it, for memories and to also show their families. It was really fun and cute to see them do that and have so much fun doing it. And that's what brings me the happiness; when I see other people being happy and having fun.

In the end, it's all about the attitude. Handbag owners will get the same questions asked as those who own supercars. It's a matter of approach and response. The best ones are the creative answers, because those can spark some interesting conversations.