The Time Has Come

It is undeniable that women have been subject to centuries of patriarchal oppression. The glass ceiling continues to be broken, but we are decades away from true equality. However, there is one space in which men have secretly coveted the life of a woman: society encouraging her to carry a purse.

Social mores have dictated that a man with a handbag or purse is simply unacceptable. Somehow, there is a fine line between a hip, cool, smaller messenger bag and a ridiculous, absurd, man purse; a fine, gay line. This seemingly trivial distinction has caused years of pain for men. The more technology progresses, the more devices we must carry. From the patrician in the Middle Ages who had a set of really big-ass keys, to the modern man who has keys, a wallet, phones, blackberrys, and iPods all tucked into his pockets. Jeans get tighter but the objects needed to carry around become more plentiful.

In 2005 I thought there was a moment where I thought I would be forced to take the plunge into manhandbags. I had a phone, a blackberry for work, an ipod, and a wallet (or money clip, being the trader that I was)….my denim was just not equipped for such an arsenal. The advent of the iPhone saved me from this pain by consolidating devices, but I never gave up the dream. During these years the gays and the hipsters have made futile efforts at executing the manbag, but never with great success.

Now…it is time. When Steve Jobs says the iPad will change everything, it really will. After a few weeks with my iPad, I want to take it everywhere with me, whether for a day of school or a casual trip to a café. At the size of a slightly larger book you definitely don't need a backpack or even messenger bag, but it doesn't stand a chance of fitting in your pockets (maybe in a pair of Cross Colors from the early 90s). It needs something in the middle, and that middle ground is the man purse. While a self-professed Apple fanboy, I genuinely believe tablet PCs will become the standard. It really, truly is time for the man purse.