Carrying Identity
Bags, in their myriad forms, serve as profound indicators of personality in today's image-centric civilization, reflecting much more than just our style preferences.
Last night, I had a terrible dream: I was going through one of my usual days, from breakfast out, meeting people, working, running errands to the shops, having an aperitif with a friend, and then doing the shopping. I was returning to the car with my trusted companion for daily adventures, a Saint Laurent leather shopping bag (big, very big, as it must contain my whole world!), and I started the car to head back home. Once I reached my destination, I parked and turned off the car. Turning to pick up my beloved bag, placed on the seat next to me, I discovered... the bag had disappeared! It was no more! Confused, I searched for it everywhere without finding it, and panic set in... I couldn't see it anywhere... and I felt naked, defenseless, abandoned by my best ally. At this point, the anxiety became too strong, I woke up all agitated in my bed and realized it was just a dream. I looked in front of me in the room, and there it was: my bag, placed a short distance away, waiting for me. With my whole world inside, ready to be emptied or filled or left as it is, ready to accompany me during another day of my life. I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, looking at its smooth, shiny skin. The bag: loyal, practical, and beautiful as always, is there every time I look at it and every time I need it, supporting me. It's an entire world in a container, which is not just that: I understand that it represents me and says something about me. Otherwise, it wouldn't give me the pleasure I feel just looking at it. I'm proud of my bag and what's in it. Often, I have asked myself the reason for my feelings towards this object that we all use: I thought that, perhaps, other women have also asked themselves the same question. I, therefore, decided to investigate this mystery. Whether they are large, medium, or small in size, whether they are expensive or bought cheaply, whether they are iconic or not, designer or not, simple, smooth, decorated, printed, plain or very colorful, soft or rigid, worn on the shoulder or by hand, bags are real indicators of personality according to psychology. And this is especially true in the era we live in, considered the "civilization of the image," where everything we show gives a certain image of us to others. But the bag exerts a particular fascination on us: this is demonstrated by the fact that bags remain one of the best-selling accessories in the world, and the variety of models is truly infinite. We all certainly own more than one, especially women, who are the main buyers and users. In fact, research on the "psychology of bags" is aimed at women in particular, realizing that this accessory is not solely and simply useful but constitutes a true mirror of the person to whom it belongs. Some authors who have voiced this research are Guy Hendricks and Kathlyn Hendricks, with the book Conscious Loving Ever After, which deals with body language and also the way of wearing bags, thus the bag as a means of expressing one's individuality; Yajin Wang, professor and researcher at the University of Maryland, who claims that "people use bags [...] to get distracted or to convince themselves that they are precious and have a social as well as emotional value," and therefore correlates the use of bags to emotional distress; Karen Pine, professor of psychology and author of Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion, who argues that luxury bags are a means of repairing emotional wounds from the past, showing off one's purchasing power in the present. This author, therefore, also claims that the bag is a symbol of protection, to mask our inner vulnerability. Apparently, the symbolism constituted by this object has nothing to do with beauty and seduction games but instead represents a sort of "secret code to be interpreted," very personal and noticed especially among women (as they are always the ones to notice other women's bags, in a sort of silent competition): through the bag chosen most often, researchers have understood how one can get an idea of the other person; what their personality is like, their lifestyle, their social status, their purchasing power, their job, and even which social group they belong to or want to belong to. In short, a bag can tell a lot about its owner, and appearance really counts. There is nothing deeper than what appears on the surface (as Friedrich Hegel wrote), and this is well known by those who deal with marketing and advertising, which stimulate precisely the psychological levers previously cited by scholars (i.e., the need/desire to repair certain emotional wounds), to push us to purchase, contributing to the perception of the bag as a means of transformation, of "elevation" of our image. The bag can also represent us externally by demonstrating which social group we belong to (or would like to belong to), which ideas we embrace, resulting in us discovering our own aspirations and ambitions. Some psychology and marketing studies relating to this topic, conducted by the University of Minnesota, have focused precisely on the aforementioned psychological levers, i.e., everything that concerns people's motivations and attitudes towards purchasing this accessory. This means that the “why” we all have the desire to achieve (buy, own) certain bags has been investigated. And why we tend to use one model more than another. I also played the game of seeing myself in the results that I will report later, and it is very engaging to read and try it on ourselves. So let's begin to discover some characteristic traits of our personality, based on the bag we carry with us most of the time!
Gotham
Those who use a large to very large bag more often: It could be indicative of the unconscious desire to organize or know how to better manage their life, the desire to exercise strong control and manage the most varied situations; she is seen as a "great phallic mother who exercises power," expresses extroversion and also a strong propensity towards travel. It is also a symbol of generative femininity. However, backpacks are considered separately: they express sportiness and informality, freedom and lightness, and seem to refer to the adventurous spirit of the child. They are codes of an agender language: they resolve the conflict between the masculine and feminine of the personality (and not only). They represent a form of rebellion against formalism and express a certain erotic dynamism.
Those who use a medium to small bag more often: It seems to be a distinctive trait of those who don't like being the center of attention and prefer to remain "in the second row"; it could be a person with a sensitive and shy character, who may struggle to express themselves externally. The small bag symbolizes the child: it has a subconscious function of childish play and expresses symbiosis with the mother.
Those who more often use a bag highly decorated with childish patterns, gadgets, bows, polka dots, or similar: This very often reflects traits of a personality that lingers in the past and is unable to detach itself from it; these are very malleable people, often sweet-tempered but with difficulty resolving childhood deficiencies, which lead them to become nostalgic and prone to a sense of guilt.
Those who most often use bizarre bags, with bright and flashy colors: They tend to be people who need to detach themselves from the past, to make a clean break with certain experiences they have had in order to give themselves a new opportunity, welcoming a new vision of themselves. They are people who have carried a heavy load of frustration on their shoulders for too long. The bag with these characteristics helps them compensate for the distance between the ideal self and the real self.
Those who most often use rigidly shaped bags: These are usually discreet, reserved, thoughtful people who don't like to open up. They are people who are available to others but who jealously guard their private lives. They are very selective in their affections and very protective, in fact, they hide the secret fear of losing their loved ones.
Those who most often use briefcase bags: They are usually identified as classic work bags; here the paternal code seems to express itself more, focused on social role, performance, and productivity. Whether a man or a woman uses it, it denotes strong personal ambitions, both in work and in social relationships. They are usually people who always aspire to a different and better job, and a more prestigious role in society.
Those who more often use flashy bags, with very prominent designer labels: That is, bags that have shiny details and finishes, animal prints, python prints, and similar effects, which are noticeable even from a distance. The people who prefer them show the need to distract "the public" by demonstrating an identity that they usually do not embody. Or these are people who, having a changing identity, still don't feel like they fully embody it, so they need external material support through the stock market. Also in this case, there is a compensation between the ideal self and the real self.
Who uses the so-called "IT-Bags" most often: this is the use of iconic bags, that have become a true symbol throughout time. In person, they seem to satisfy a desire for self-admiration; furthermore, here there is great individual desire to show one's belonging to an exclusive group, as an instrument of victory in a competition for distinction compared to others. The characteristic traits of these people seem marked by aggression and dominance.
Naturally, these characteristics have been identified on a psycho-social level, but it is known that a bag is first of all a functional object, demonstrated by the fact that every woman, in her wardrobe, has different types of models to use depending on her needs, more varied occasions. So it is not always true that they are chosen based on profound psychological needs: very often and simply, we choose them based on what we have to do, in which context we have to go and what type of activity we have to carry out. The other side of the truth is that we don't have to constantly worry about paying attention to what we communicate to the outside! The major criticism of that type of studies and theories, in fact, is precisely this: the bag is, after all, a friendly and faithful container that always accompanies us, throughout the day, and which contains the most important objects that we want to bring with us. Anyone who sees the bag in this way, thus, refers to the accessory as a mere utility and instrument of necessity. Yet, if we look at ourselves, our enthusiasm about bags tells us that they can never be considered only on a functional level. We women above all love to surround ourselves with accessories that speak about us, that expand our personality outwards. This is why they reflect us like a mirror, and this is why scientific studies have even arisen in this regard, with the aim of revealing something more than a very personal secret code. Having reached this point and having played the game proposed above, you will certainly have identified what it means to always carry your beloved symbolic bag with you, the "mirror on the wall". The bag is a container of our world, of our identity, and of a walking story: "The relationship between a woman and her bag has always been among the greatest secrets of the female mind", and this is what fascinates us so much.
