What’s In My Bag?
Carrying your knick-knicks, essentials, and identity in a tote.
Illustration: Maya Latzel
In our bags, we carry our lives wherever we go. Whether the type you choose is a tote, clutch, backpack, briefcase, or baguette bag, they contain the everyday essentials that keep us going. The “What's In My Bag,” or WIMB trend that has spread across media platforms showcases parts of people’s daily lives and personal stories. Whether the bag is tidy or has not been cleaned out in months, the contents tell us an immense amount about an individual.
WIMB spotlights the shift away from the secretive nature of someone’s carried belongings beyond the zipper and challenges the historical seclusion of bags in women’s fashion. In the 18th century, women held their belongings in large pockets stored underneath their skirts, until ‘reticule’ bags were introduced around 1800. Reticules were small, mesh pouches that were the first popular bags considered socially acceptable for women to wear on their arms rather than under their skirts. Even so, the idea of a woman carrying their personal belongings this way was seen as indecent due to the risqué implications of being associated with an accessory that was once underwear. Around the late 19th and 20th centuries, more practical bags for women emerged, with luggage brands like Louis Vuitton beginning to design the first handbags manufactured with increased privacy through its closing clasps and sturdy structures. Only in the 1940s did handbags reach the masses and become widely welcomed as the stylish staples they are today, but still, the notions surrounding the privacy of someone's bag were densely stigmatized.
Today, the ‘What's In My Bag’ trend defies all the outdated social norms that formerly defined handbags. The secrecy once associated with them completely contrasts how people have grown to publicize their belongings. Popular YouTube series from British Vogue’s “In The Bag” and Refinery29’s “Spill It” have been creating WIMB content as of 2016 which has largely popularized it. These platforms interview public figures while they unpack and explain the contents of their purses. Starting as a series for celebrities, WIMB serviced many fans' fascination with these public figures’ inner worlds, making them less of an untouchable entity and more of a relatable companion. Now, it has become more than just for the famous — it’s a trend that everyday people have embraced. Through TikTok and other social media platforms, mass audiences have blown up and adopted WIMB by filming and posting videos of themselves. Through these digital platforms, influencers and casual users have created a forum where virtually any person can partake in publicly unveiling the personal items that define their everyday lives.
The contents of a bag tell a story, displaying unique details about an individual’s personality. It gives insight into who that person is, what they value, and intimate aspects about themselves. Personalization on a bag’s exterior has now become popularized too, as seen with the Jane Birkin affect where people adorn charms, chains and patches on the handles and outside of their bags. The craze of ‘trinkifying’ a bag, adding random objects and toys that individuals have collected, sets them apart and makes the purse more personal.
Humans have a natural curiosity to know about others’ innermost details and understand them on deeper levels. WIMB feeds into this, where we can peer into the physical capsule that holds the contents of a person’s narrative. It’s a fun medium to express oneself through the ordinary or eccentric cargo they cart around. The personalized component adds to its entertainment, and audiences enjoy watching these videos because of this.
Although this trend is intended for entertainment, it also reflects how consumption has become tied to identity. Through the capitalist values that prioritize materialistic ownership and status, the items in our bags can become representations of how we define ourselves or want others to perceive us, perpetuating a cycle where self-worth and individuality become increasingly associated with the products we own. It also acts as a platform for marketing, where influencers may promote certain sponsored products by advertising them as “must-have items” that their followers should also own. With that said, the WIMB trend remains a creative outlet for expression and is a harmless way to connect through shared experiences and personal quirks.
The interior of my everyday bag, a massive black quilted shoulder bag that matches my winter coat, reflects my mind: unorganized and cluttered. It’s pretty large, ridiculously so, but it stores a lot of inventory that I’ve convinced myself I should have on me at all times. I currently always carry my wallet, Nalgene water bottle, a lanyard with my keys and mounds of novelty keychains, personal care bag, hairbrush, sunglasses, about 3 packs of gum, hand sanitizer, hair ties, claw clips, spare contact lenses, old receipts, loose change, a digital camera, over 4 different lip products, a crystal and four-leaf clover charm given to me by my mum. For school, I’ll have my computer, charger, notebooks, pencil case, and headphones case on top of this (the actual headphones are normally plastered to my head). These simple objects that I carry around are personalized to my inner world; the same goes for everyone else.