today at work

[Princess29]

As some of you might be aware, I work at at airport as a passenger screener. I was working in this one section where it was just myself and a woman processing the passengers. We selected a man and he happened to be carrying kind of a satchel type bag and my colleague started off about how she thinks its ridiculous when men carry handbags.
Now this was hardly a handbag but she started off on a bit of a rant (just to me, not to the passenger).
"If you want to carry things, that's what pockets are for" and stuff like that.
Now I would say this woman (to this point at least) was fairly intelligent but when she started going off like that (and despite my attempts to show that she was wrong), I lost a little respect for her.
Now you would think that this would have been a chance to instill a bit knowledge in her about bags but given her attitude and that I was at work, when she asked me if I carried a handbag, I had to say no.
To say otherwise wouldnt have been a good choice

[Jamie001]

Why did you say no? These narrow-minded folks need to be corrected and shown the errors of their narrow-minded ways. Going along with them or otherwise ignoring their narrow-minded opinions doesn't help our cause. I suggest that you go to work tomorrow carrying a handbag. :devil:



As some of you might be aware, I work at at airport. I was working in this one section where it was just myself and a woman processing the passengers. We selected a man and he happened to be carrying kind of a satchel type bag and my colleague started off about how she thinks its ridiculous when men carry handbags.
Now this was hardly a handbag but she started off on a bit of a rant (just to me, not to the passenger).
"If you want to carry things, that's what pockets are for" and stuff like that.
Now I would say this woman (to this point at least) was fairly intelligent but when she started going off like that (and despite my attempts to show that she was wrong), I lost a little respect for her.
Now you would think that this would have been a chance to instill a bit knowledge in her about bags but given her attitude and that I was at work, when she asked me if I carried a handbag, I had to say no.
To say otherwise wouldnt have been a good choice

[Lorileah]

You can tell an ignorant person...but you can't tell them much.

She is very narrow minded and really has no case. If what she said were true then what if the man didn't have pockets? Or for that matter her uniform did have pockets, did she carry all her stuff in them.

Chalk it up to ignorance. At least ignorance can be corrected

[Princess29]

I guess it was really more bizarre than anything. I mean the bag was just a general bag and not the slightest bit a handbag.
Men carry all sorts of bags through the airport, I dont know what triggered her outburst

[Senban]

Jamie001 said - "Why did you say no? These narrow-minded folks need to be corrected and shown the errors of their narrow-minded ways."

Perhaps but not necessarily in work when on duty in a public area.

As for bags, loads of men carry satchel bags and laptop bags and every other type of bag these days. They're male bags designed and sold for males and damn practical too. I have one myself although it's fairly unisex but even so, I'd carry one for the amazing level of convenience it provides.

Personally though my current favourite is my new shopper which is right here next to my desk in work as I type :D

[Shelby]

My rule of thumb when going to the airport. Nothing goes in the pocket since it all has to come out at the TSA. Put whatever you don't need while on the plane in the checked in luggage and carry a bag for small carryon items and personal things like wallet, coins, ID's and tickets. I carry a regular gender neutral backpack like used in by school kids. I even wear easy to remove shoes.

My brother on the other hand will wear cargo pants with his pockets filled with all kinds of stuff.

Dress for the TSA and carry a bag.

[Tina Dixon]

Well women have pockets also! But hey with all the gadgets that people carry on them now a days I see lots of guys with some kind of hand bag, hell Indiana Jones carries one, right?

[Jilmac]

I worked in the building trades all my life and knew a co worker (male) who used to carry a shoulder bag containing his lunch, wallet, and personal items. He said he didn't have to worry about losing items from his pockets, and he could secure the satchel in the crew shanty or gang box. Nobody ever questioned him about it.

[Karren H]

I love people like that... And it doesn't mater what you say or what logic you use they will stick to their beliefs... Ohh well..

I would have said that I only carry a purse when I wear my best dress.... But having to work with someone like that day in and day out that probably wouldn't have been to smart on my part!!

[MsJanessa]

well as long as the bag matches the outfit who cares? lol--there are some women who have definite ideas about gender and never would concede that the lines should be blurred, much less crossed---sounds like your co-worker was one of those types

[Monica]

My rule of thumb when going to the airport. Nothing goes in the pocket since it all has to come out at the TSA. Put whatever you don't need while on the plane in the checked in luggage and carry a bag for small carryon items and personal things like wallet, coins, ID's and tickets. I carry a regular gender neutral backpack like used in by school kids. I even wear easy to remove shoes.

My brother on the other hand will wear cargo pants with his pockets filled with all kinds of stuff.

Dress for the TSA and carry a bag.

By doing that, going trough security is almost a breeze. It is a funny show to watch those emptying their pockets and forgetting stuff going trough the metal detector, while all I have to do is put a bag and a laptop on the slide.

Yoga pants are my favorite pants for traveling and none have pockets.

[JulieC]

"If you want to carry things, that's what pockets are for"

Sure. It's ok for men to stuff things in their pockets. Men are lumpy and hairy and shouldn't be viewed by the light of day. It's ok for me to look frumpled, bumpy, and out of sorts.

Sheesh. It's a wonder women are attracted to us at all!

:sad:

[Niya W]

Sounds like some thinks that guy is gay. I'vr noticed that I see men from Europe having over sized hand bags. Yes hand bags . I work in IT field. You go to this h tech company you will see the men with bigger hand bags. Why cause it fits every thing you need. Cell phone, pda , note pad , pens, pencils, odd gadget you have have.

Even if I was not trans I would rather have a man bag. I hat fiddling around with things in my pocket. Having pens, pencils poke holes in them.

[Prissy Linda]

As some of you might be aware, I work at at airport. I was working in this one section where it was just myself and a woman processing the passengers. We selected a man and he happened to be carrying kind of a satchel type bag and my colleague started off about how she thinks its ridiculous when men carry handbags.
Now this was hardly a handbag but she started off on a bit of a rant (just to me, not to the passenger).
"If you want to carry things, that's what pockets are for" and stuff like that.
Now I would say this woman (to this point at least) was fairly intelligent but when she started going off like that (and despite my attempts to show that she was wrong), I lost a little respect for her.
Now you would think that this would have been a chance to instill a bit knowledge in her about bags but given her attitude and that I was at work, when she asked me if I carried a handbag, I had to say no.
To say otherwise wouldnt have been a good choice

You can't have an intelligent discussion with an ignorant person.

Does she carry a bag of some sort? Why does she?

[boardpuppy]

To carry this igorance a little farther, is she very religious or maybe she has have a bad encounter with a trans member. Both of these would also account for her attitude. Maybe you can find out, without "outing" yourself.

Hugs,
Alice

[Cristi]

I find myself bringing so many tings back and forth to work that I usually us a laptop bag...without the laptop. For some reason, a laptop bag is 'OK' while something shaped just a BIT differently is a purse, and is bad.

I love the laptop bag I have. Lots of room, tons of pockets, It looks more like a courier bag. But if I were to cross that 'invisible line' and use a handbag, I'd never hear the end of it.

I just don't understand these arbitrary rules that SOMEBODY came up with and everybody else insists on enforcing.

[Emma England]

The purpose of a bag is to carry things in.

Why not make use of them, whether you are male or female.

[Jonianne]

Wonder if she would have a problem with all those civil war soldiers carring their single strap haversacks. Looks like a canvas purse to me!

[StevieTV]

I carry a larger purse (perhaps a messenger bag). It's a black coach station purse. I can stuff a lot into it, it's fashionable and I know my pocket won't be picked. Besides, as others have posted, going through the airport is much better than rummaging through so many pockets. Other than that, my jeans are usually too tight to stash a wallet.

[Cassiecd]

Yea, the double standard is alive and well in many peoples minds...what ya gonna do?

Personnaly, I think the idea about you bringing a bag to work would be a great joke!

[Princess29]

Keep in mind that we see all sorts of things in people's bags as they come through. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a man carrying a bag with makeup in it, I would be a lot wealthier. I wonder what that woman would say in that instance?
Really though, as long as what you are carrying doesnt violate any rules, then we really dont care what you have in your bags.
I mean I've seen jumper leads for a car, a winch (just in the last 2 days), 2 cordless drills, various sex toys, a 30cm long wooden rolling pin, a belt sander, 6 packs of beer, various wine bottles, tents and that's not counting the knives, nail files (as long as 6 inches) and on and on and on......
But I digress.
Guys come through all day carrying all sorts of bags and that co-worker has been at the airport for a lot longer than me, surely she cant have a problem with all of them?

[erickka]

In my personal experiences at airports, I find it a whole lot easier to carry everything in a bag, wear slip on shoes, and have no metal belt buckles,etc on you. It makes security checks quicker and less stressful .

[Senban]

Princess29, I wonder if your colleague was in fact probing for a reaction from you at all? Maybe she suspects that you crossdress and was probing to see if she could get you to let something slip? Just a thought that occured to me :)

Incidentally this (http://www.clothingattesco.com/womens/safari-chic3.html)is the bag I carry on a daily basis at the moment, my new shopper/beach bag. I carry it looped over my right arm and drop off one loop to search inside just like every other girl in the street and no one has ever so much as batted an eyelid so the message is "carry a bag and love it!" :D

http://www.clothingattesco.com/marchimg/womens/safari/big/3.jpg

[Lori A]

Most of the time I was in the Army, the standard issue uniform was the Battle Dress Uniform, (BDU's). There was no section for the men/womens at Clothing Sales, we all we the same cut and that is why they call it a uniform. On the trousers there were 6 large pockets, and on the jacket there were four more. If you put something in all of those pockets and walked up to someone, snapped to attention and rendered a salute you would sound like a junk truck at a stop light. Yet the female soldiers still carried their black leather purses. As a squad leader I often carried a olive drab canvas satchel that I kept my Personnel Data Cards in a small binder, training aids, pens, white out, compass, and other things in. It matched my uniform better than their purse, at least it was green and not shinny.

[sarahNZ]

hell Indiana Jones carries one, right?

Hey if it is alright with Indy then it is sure as hell alright by me!

[Sally2005]

How I would respond to her is to say something funny like, 'doesn't matter to me what anyone is carrying as long as it doesn't clash with their boots' or tell them to do their job... 'I've seen a lot of guys with different style bag and not one of them has been a security threat yet!' or 'well, we don't serve food on the planes anymore you need to carry your lunch in something!'.

[Leanne2]

Ah yes; the double standard is alive and well. I have noticed that most women believe strongly that even though they can look and dress any way they like, the men in their lives must adhere to the "male standard". And these women don't think it is a double standard.
Modern culture backs this up. Have you seen the Hardees commercial that shows a bunch of guys watching a game on TV? One of the guys baked something and every other guy there looked shocked. Then the voice on the commercial says," Guys don't bake." Well, excuse me! Lots of guys bake. I bake. And I carry a woman's zip wallet; all the time. I'm sick of the double standard! Sorry, this topic happened to push my button. I guess I'll go bake a cake to settle down. Leanne

[tricia_uktv]

Sometimes?