# European shoulder bags **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913 "2010-11-25T19:36:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/21 "2010-11-26T11:00:11Z")
the correct term is “manbag” and they are pretty much a subject of eye rolling derision here in the UK. Students may get away with an over the shoulder laptop bag but anything more dainty and leatherette marks you out as a dangerous fashionista, prone to lattes and hummous and best avoided. Real men carry one of[these](http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mamstore.co.uk/templates/imagedirectory/Gola-REDFORD-BLK%2520GOLDLarge.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.mamstore.co.uk/bin/pxisapi1.exe/large%3Fitem%3D417545&usg=__3bpmatMCNSG08eX3jh5WWRpgyRg=&h=538&w=593&sz=146&hl=en&start=0&sig2=ldtg0baAwRXQXA33sG7LyA&zoom=1&tbnid=fssKDYBuEZPkOM:&tbnh=152&tbnw=168&ei=DpPvTIGDI8OShAfH7oiyCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgola%2Bbag%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D681%26tbs%3Disch:1%26prmd%3Divs&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=854&vpy=118&dur=48&hovh=214&hovw=236&tx=108&ty=115&oei=DpPvTIGDI8OShAfH7oiyCg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0) preferably with a busted zip. ---
**Author:** ![Walther\_Ego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/22 "2010-11-26T11:28:33Z")
I saw an add about a year ago, trying to build a fashion around them, focusing on the fact that your pants look wonderful when you don’t put anything in the pockets. They seemed to think that this alleged flaw in pant aesthetics has been torturing the minds of the entire male population for years. Haven’t seen one single such bag on the street. Hint: for such adds, it is useful to employ a male person every now and then. You’ll get an inside look on how men think. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/23 "2010-11-26T12:15:04Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > I’d say totally unknown. Unless, of course, your social circle consists mainly of gay men in drag. 😉 > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > a dangerous fashionista, prone to lattes and hummous and best avoided. Now, now. What’s wrong with lattes and hummus? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/24 "2010-11-26T12:47:12Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > Now, now. What’s wrong with lattes and hummus? 🆒 Well, it’s a short, garlic scented and caffeine fuelled walk from there to iPads and funny spectacles. Now I ask you, is that a world we want to live in? ---
**Author:** ![kombatminipig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5ac83/32.png) [@kombatminipig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kombatminipig)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/25 "2010-11-26T12:48:44Z")
As a European, I say that man’s carrying a purse. And I believe that that’s the actual joke. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/26 "2010-11-26T13:02:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Now I ask you, is that a world we want to live in? Not necessarily, but it certainly adds a certain _je ne sais quoi_ to life when you [walk the line](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHF9itPLUo4), [living on the edge](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8mdq6fzzYM). Don’t you agree? 😛 Personally, I draw the line at pink dress shirts, but I’m quite fond of both a good latte _and_ big, macho things like guns. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/27 "2010-11-26T13:13:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRecos7TcA0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRecos7TcA0) Is that a serious commercial or satire? He looks rather ..hmm. Around here a man would rather be dead than caught wearing one of those. It is not done. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/28 "2010-11-26T13:13:33Z")
ETA after hours (and post Youtube search): But I’d definitely stay away from that “European shoulder bag”. :dubious: Not even the most flaming of my gay acquaintances would be seen dead wearing one of _those_! :shudder: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/29 "2010-11-26T13:56:40Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Is that a serious commercial or satire? He looks rather ..hmm. Around here a man would rather be dead than caught wearing one of those. It is not done. > [@Norse](#): > > ETA after hours (and post Youtube search): But I’d definitely stay away from that “European shoulder bag”. :dubious: Not even the most flaming of my gay acquaintances would be seen dead wearing one of _those_! :shudder: “It was a gift” _points with eyes_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/30 "2010-11-26T14:10:12Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Yay! Scratch his eyes out, dearie! > > :p:D:p Lay off of him. A fellow needs a place to keep his tampons, lipstick and nail polish. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/31 "2010-11-26T14:37:37Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > Unless, of course, your social circle consists mainly of gay men in drag. 😉 My social circle only dress in drag during [Red Dress Runs](http://www.google.com/images?q=%22red+dress+run%22&hl=en&num=10&lr=&ft=i&cr=&safe=images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=619) (or in Scotland). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/32 "2010-11-26T15:16:21Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Is that a serious commercial or satire? He looks rather ..hmm. Around here a man would rather be dead than caught wearing one of those. It is not done. The bag was chosen for the commercial specifically because it looked like a purse, hence the joke. But the underlying idea is that those Sophisticated European Men actually carry murses, and that the wife was following the European style by giving her husband the bag. That led to my question of whether these bags are actually popular in Europe, or if the wife just fell for a marketing scheme. (Actually, she fell for it even if they are a fashion.) ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/33 "2010-11-26T15:37:26Z")
Bear in mind that there is a considerable difference between northern and southern Europe. The behavior/style viewed as effeminate by many in the US (and UK) applies much more to southern European countries (including France). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/34 "2010-11-26T16:41:26Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRecos7TcA0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRecos7TcA0) Brit here. I only watched the first few seconds, but that’s a purse. My mother has something very similar. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/35 "2010-11-26T18:39:39Z")
I’ve never seen a man carry a bag anything like that anywhere in Europe during many years of extensive travel. Some of my students lately (as in, last couple of years) have been carrying what are referred to as “pouches”, somewhat like [this](http://www.jdsports.co.uk/product/adidas-originals-sport-mini-bag/05010/), but the bags are made of sports bag materials with prominent logos rather than what looked like oooh shiny leather with a fetching buckle on the one in the ad. And my students are kids. I’ve never seen an adult with one. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/36 "2010-11-26T18:48:54Z")
When I asked my husband what he carries in his [del]purse[/del] bag, he said, “Makeup and prophylactics.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/37 "2010-11-26T18:51:57Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Yup, that’s my experience too. > > The bag in the ad looks like a woman’s handbag. Concur. I posted before I watched it. Any gents shoulder bag smaller than A4 paper and now conspicuously padded to protect camera kit is going to look like a women’s handbag in the UK. I’ve seen men’s handbags like the one in the video in Italy. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/38 "2010-11-26T19:14:12Z")
Conversation I had years ago with a friend who started carrying a bag: Me: “Nice purse.” Friend: “IT’S NOT A PURSE!” Me: “Okay. What do you carry in it?” Friend: “My wallet, my phone and my keys.” –Friend’s wife walks in– Me: “Hey [Friend’s wife], what do you carry in your purse?” Friend’s wife: “My wallet, my phone and my keys. Why?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/39 "2010-11-26T19:20:42Z")
Sweden, Europe, here. - Never seen such a bag. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913/40 "2010-11-26T19:48:58Z")
I carry a shoulder bag. I find that carrying grenades, spare magazines, primacord, and a field knife on my belt is not only uncomfortable, but are difficult to accessorize and gives me a bulky figure that interferes with the clean curves of my classic hourglass figure. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/european-shoulder-bags/561913.md?page=3)