Many television shows make fun of men carrying purses, man purses, “murses”, carry-alls, European handbags, or a variety of other things, all of which are basically purses. Usually the character decides he needs something to carry all his stuff in and is eventually drawn towards the idea of a bag to carry all of his things. By the end of the episode he has become a laughing stock and everyone thinks he is not manly. As strange as it might seem, these “murses” are starting to become more common, though cleverly disguised.

Messenger bags have taken a sudden jump in popularity. Men and women alike have started to carry messenger bags, providing everyone with plenty of space to carry all their things, from make-up and pocket mirrors to sports magazines and beef jerky sticks. On one hand, this can be a big benefit for men who can finally carry a bag around to carry their stuff without feeling like they are carrying a purse; however, this can also be very beneficial for women in two ways. First, with a messenger bag many women who otherwise struggle to try and organize a smaller purse may now have plenty of room to utilize. Also, any women with a partner might often find themselves carrying their partners stuff in their own handbag. However, by simply strapping a messenger bag onto your significant other you can be relieved of having to carry extra weight in your own purse.

In some ways it seems strange that an idea that many people made fun of for a long time, such as a man carrying a purse, is now becoming rather normal. But, it does make sense that after years of having to rely on his wife or girlfriend’s purse, men finally decided they needed to accessorize, too.