Let’s Talk About Men and Their Tote Bags

November 09, 2017

Man bags aren’t a new thing. They’ve been everywhere for a while—remember Joey from Friends? There’s an entire episode of that show from 1999 dedicated to the goofball’s newfound love for a simple black purse. (”At first, I thought it just looked good, but it's practical too,” he said. “Check it out! It's got compartments for all your stuff! Your wallet! Your keys! Your address book!”) Now, the man bag is no longer a novelty: Also known as a “murse,” it’s worn under the arms and across the chest, in forms ranging from satchels to messenger bags. Proponents have included a buff David Beckham, a cool A$AP Rocky, and a hip Pharrell.

The latest incarnation of the man bag? The “mote”—a men’s tote bag. Just a few weeks ago, Balenciaga’s dadcore-themed Spring 2018 men’s show included slews of tote bags in sleek leather, and a can’t-miss-it lime green raffia piece. Louis Vuitton showed a monogrammed version, while J.W.Anderson had large knit totes. The piece also made cameos on the street during men’s fashion week: Many showgoers wore the tote in cloth form, clutching the formless carryalls in their hairy hands or slinging them over strong shoulders.

But despite their ubiquity on the street, tote bags seem to carry some baggage, especially those dime-a-dozen, cheaply made cloth ones, which function as a lazy substitute for a briefcase or a computer bag. On a man, in my opinion, it’s a cringeworthy accessory that suggests he’s as formless and bland as the bag itself. And even men seem to understand this. A male friend who works in tech has long been conflicted about his tote-carrying ways, noting that it made him “feel like a ninny, and has a frequency with which it gets tangled on my arm.” Photographer Daniel Arnold also shared some choice words. “Hate and wear. It makes me look like a babysitter, which I can say because I have been a major babysitter,” he emailed. ”Part of it is that, at least in my life, tote bags are always freebies. You never pick out a tote bag that you like. They’re always advertisements for whoever gave them to you, which adds to the shame of wearing them.”

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