The purse

[SamanthaToday]

Sometime ago I posted about buying a purse and being apprehensive, it just seemed weird to carry one, which makes no sense since I wear all things female.

Since I have started to go out more in public, "no longer living in the shadows..I am out"

I have found the purse out of all items I have purchased to be the most empowering of all, it's weird but its like a security blanket to me or something,

Love having it strung along my shoulder as I walk... that and a good pair of sunglasses.. lol

Has anyone else has had a single item give them such comfort.

[Beverley Sims]

I carry a purse or handbag all the time, I need to stash my makeup and money somewhere. :-)

[bridget thronton]

I carry a purse all the time - it seemed very empowering when first started carrying one and I continued

[Jaylyn]

I have a couple of my wife's old purses and a small makeup bag but sadly it stays at the house when I'm out and about in my male mode.

[Lana Mae]

I have a variety of purses and when dressed don't leave home with out one! I am trying to get the whatever to carry one in male mode! I already have it picked out just need to start carrying it! Hugs Lana Mae

[Rhonda Jean]

For my entire life it has (had) been my hair. I've missed having long hair every single day since I cut it. I totally get the security blanket thing, and a purse is very much that with me now. I get a lot of that security blanket effect from carrying one in male mode.

[Allisa]

Love my purses but earrings have always been the one thing that said femininity to me from a very young age, now I have my two piercings in each ear and feel naked without the holes being filled.

[GracieRose]

When going out dressed, I love throwing my purse over my shoulder and striding out the door, or picking it up from the passenger seat and throwing it over my shoulder as I exit the car. It just feels so right.

[Helen_Highwater]

Samantha,

If you carry a handbag then to do so requires the adoption of certain mannerisms. It shapes how you hold your posture. Retrieving a (coin) purse from it's depths has to be done in a certain way. Watch a male carrying a "man bag" which is essentially the same thing and how it's carried and used is entirely different.

Add to the mix that it will contain all your portable valuables, car and house keys, money, phone, glasses not to mention tissues, makeup, pens, the list is endless, then it's something you need to take great care of. It contains much of the important things in your daily life. Hence it takes on a role that anchors us into day to day living.

It also adds a certain amount of style to the wearer. It's both a fashion item and sometimes status statement. Something to covet. Hell, of course we love 'em.

[docrobbysherry]

It's funny how folks get hung up on certain items, Sam. Most of our issues r in our minds!

I prefer a small purse with a long shoulder strap to dance with easily. Unfortunately, Sherry won't fit in one of those! So, I must carry a bulky, short handled one most outings.

[Diane Smith]

It used to be earrings for me, but lately, I literally feel uncomfortable if my nails aren't polished. And not just when in femme mode.

- Diane

[Hidey]

I never have the opportunity to dress completely but mostly wear womens tops fairly plain ones but also womens pants hence no pockets. So when dressed and going out I have an over the shoulder handbag (purse), indeed I frequently carry it if wearing male clothes, much easier than stuffing pockets. Both my handbags are womens,

Hidey

[GretchenM]

I carry a black messenger bag that has a slightly feminine character, but is mostly unisex. It is always with me when I am out, no matter how I am dressed or where I am going. Far better than keeping all that stuff in your pockets and you can actually carry more than you can in pockets. Plus it keeps things like credit card magnetic strips from getting demolished by dirt if you carry a wallet in your pocket and also sometimes grub around in the garden. Now my cards are as clean as my wife's. But beware, the time during the switch over can be hazardous. You may sometimes forget to take the bag (purse) or even worse leave it somewhere. I even ran into a woman carrying the same bag. She held up the bag and said, "You have good taste." I held up mine and said, "You do too." We both got a good laugh.

On the flip side, more conservative men look at you with a frown. I ignore them. I have noticed even they seem to be shifting a bit in their acceptance and over the last couple of years I have seen fewer frowns. Step by step things change.

[AKADonna]

I love purses. Men should have adopted them far sooner. They are just so functional and convenient, being able to carry more essential things with you. I did have a problem in leaving a clutch purse behind once and so I now always have a shoulder strap bag of some sort or another. (It is such a pain to change purses, though)

[Cheryl T]

A purse is an accessory, but also a necessity.
Skirts and dresses rarely have pockets, the pockets in slacks and jeans are practically useless, so a purse is the one thing that is needed if we are to be able to have all the things we require when we go out.
The cell phone, makeup, wallet and keys and all those hair accessories and sunglasses would have no place to reside were it not for my purse.
Also, feeling it dangling from my shoulder or the crook of my elbow constantly reminds me of my femininity.

[jeanine38]

I have carried a purse regularly for about ten years. I have some small cross body messenger bags that aren't really feminine or masculine. I hate putting a wallet in my back pocket, it hurts my back to sit on it. Some friends have given me a hard time about it and I just ignore them. It's my life and I will carry my stuff how I want to carry it