Why Women Carry Purses

Recently we attended an upscale wedding. When we arrived my husband said, “Why do you need your purse? Just leave it in the trunk.”

He may as well have asked a police officer to go on duty without his Kevlar vest. Men sometimes don’t get it when a woman feels the need to be prepared for anything.

For males who don’t understand why women heave around five-pound shoulder bags—well, keep reading.

First, guys, sneak a peek inside a female’s purse. Everything is there for a reason. You’ll find the obvious, like a wallet for money and credit cards and personal identification. But to your amazement, you’ll find much more than that. (This is where my husband grins with a knowing look.)

You probably will find chapstick for dry lips, hand lotion for when she washes her hands in public restrooms (soap dries the skin), tissues for blowing her nose, spare bobby pins and clips and hair spray for bad hair days, pens and pencils and a pad of paper for grocery lists—and for copying down the license number of the car she just back-ended. This may differ if she’s under 50 years of age. In that case she probably keeps important info on her phone.

Those are only the things in one inside pocket. Going to the next pocket you’ll find an address book, sunglasses, and gum and mints for getting up close and personal.

In the zippered compartment you’ll find dental floss and hand sanitizer (don’t try to tell me you haven’t borrowed her hand sanitizer), a nail file and nail clippers. You may also find headache medicine, a checkbook, a hand mirror (you do expect us to look beautiful, right?) and a set of keys. Some even carry a travel-size toothbrush. Of course, she wouldn’t be complete without a cell phone.

Now that you’ve been enlightened, do you really think we can be prepared for any occasion with what we can stuff in our nonexistent pockets?

Just try telling your wife or girlfriend to leave her purse home sometime—but don’t be surprised if she looks at you as though you have a third eyeball sprouting out your forehead. In that case, offer to carry her five pounds of supplies in your pockets.

What about you? What did YOU find in your wife's/girlfriend's purse? Feel free to comment below.