The Eternal Question: Why Do Women Carry Handbags?

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Why, exactly, do ladies travel everywhere with handbags? Radio talk show host Brian Lehrer delves into inane "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" territory with a recent radio show on purses, asking "Why do women need handbags when men get by with pockets?" He posits that the "one-word answer" is makeup. Instant access to beauty products doesn't seem to be the main reason ladies tote massive pocketbooks: most of the females who call in to the show lug Blackberries, workout gear and books around on a daily basis. Lehrer gets a chiropractor to weigh in on the physical harm that heavy bags can cause; he states that women should only carry 10 percent of their body weight in a bag (otherwise you could have back problems) and that backpacks are best for distributing the load. Not that anyone will be ditching their Bottega Veneta for a Jansport any time soon.
· The Weight of the World on Her Shoulder [WNYC]

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