Bag Lad
By: hannefI was walking to Starbucks one day after work when a gentleman approached me. He offered to buy me a drink. At first I thought he was trying to sell me something. I was about to ignore him when he told me that he thought that I was ‘kind of attractive’. Although I was flattered by the compliment and the idea of having other people pay for my soy latte was kind of tempting, I decided to say no and asked him what made him think that I was gay. And he replied, “It was your bag”.
As I light my cigarette and take my first sip of the soy latte that I bought for myself, I began to ponder. Since when have we started to label people’s sexuality based on the bags that they carry? I seriously have no idea that my black Zara carry-all screams gay. First of all, it’s not pink! I bought it from Zara Men, not Zara Women or Zara Queer for that matter!
Well, the reality is the sight of men carrying expensive bags is no longer unusual or something that makes heads roll. Men have more stuff to carry compared to those days when everything can simply be shoved into our five-pocket pants. Those pre-war days are behind us as five pockets are no longer enough to accommodate our two or three cell phones, I-pod, keys, sunglasses, cigarette box, card holder, handkerchief, lip balm, sunscreen and even wallet. With the rising popularity of everything skinny, the back pocket of the pants is no longer the place for your wallet; unless you want the left part of your behind appears fuller than the left ones.
So men’s bag is now men’s best friend. There are so many options, yet to choose the right bag is a tricky business. I always have different bags for different occasions; leather briefcase for work, carry-all for weekend shopping, weekender for sleepover, canvas tote that I rocked with skinny jeans and the list goes on. Most designers modeled their men’s bag collection after the looks from their women’s line. That is the reason why some bags have the tendency to uncannily resemble women’s handbag which begs for the homosexuality remarks. I always try to avoid heavy embellishments, flowers (think Gucci Resorts 2009 collection), experimental shapes, patent leather and loud colors. The best is to go for muted earth tone (navy is acceptable) and materials like canvas and tough leather (one is good for weekend and the other for weekdays). It is also important to make sure that the bag really serves its purpose; that is to carry our daily loads.
I once bought an over-sized hold-all in heavy leather. It looked awesome but I felt like dragging around three oxygen tanks in a sack each time I used it on weekends. My hand hurts and I did what I think was the best for both of us; the bag and me. I tossed the bag to the corner of my closet and use it as storage.
I love my bags. It has become a part of my daily outfits and I can’t imagine walking around in the city without one. It is functional and it is certainly not in any ways a declaration of one’s sexuality. As for the guy who offered to buy me drinks, I think it’s about time for him to move on from his high-school backpack.
ST
Hi,
Where can I buy the nude patent brogues from?
Thanks. 
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Comment by plain.jane
4:52 pm on September 28th, 2009 :
i guess, if a man, with a slightly trendy bag - malaysians tend to think that he is queer
Comment by irene
11:17 am on September 29th, 2009 :
yep i agree..some of malaysian still not use to that..to me it’s quite clear to differentiate straight men n gays..stylish men are not necessarily gays..so how come some people jump into conclusion based on the stylish bags man carries??
Comment by ridwanlau
12:29 pm on October 2nd, 2009 :
I don’t think that anybody should show-off their fashionable bag. In Malaysia, it will only attract snatch thief. Play safe… act wisely… or you’ll regret. The only bag that I feel confident to bring along is my baby’s bag.
Nothing to do with the ‘bag = gay’, it’s your character, personality, style, taste, attitude, body language are the factors determine peoples’ perception toward U. How about Metro sexual? Is it appropriate?
Comment by EmpressK
11:21 pm on October 2nd, 2009 :
Baby, you are after all living in beautiful Malaysia where most men still use fragrant soap for hair to toe wash, denim is still considered ‘trendy’ and rock kapak is still blaring in shopping complexes. You’re way ahead,hon! =p
Comment by Hannef
5:14 pm on October 12th, 2009 :
thx for the comments and very funny ridwan=)
I am not trying to say that i am a hot super trendy metrosexual guy whatever. I just wish that people can be much more open about the idea of change. It is the same thing like the idea of guys wearing skin tight jeans maybe five years ago. People think they will look gay and it will be very uncomfortable, bad for the “reproductive system” yada yada… But look at what is happening now. People wear skinny office pants to work! Even my 15 year old nephew is wearing skinny jeans.
So, I guess a little less judgement, an open mind to changes around us, then we can move forward=)
Comment by bapester
11:27 pm on November 6th, 2009 :
Ahh, a men’s column! Kudos to you Hannef
EmpressK is so right. Malaysia is still behind time, and if something like that was to happen in a Starbucks, then unfortunately so is KL.
Dressing well in Malaysia is sort of like a sin. Maybe some guys think, “By dressing badly I am showing the world that I got more important matters to worry about than my clothes”. Maybe they haven’t heard of the saying, “Clothes maketh the man”.
By the way, the term ‘metrosexual’ is quite an outdated concept. Metrosexual seems to denote a male version of a bimbo. While the metrosexual spends his working hours fretting over his uneven skin tone, the 21st century male spends his time working while dressed sharply in his Kiton suit.
Some cultures have already moved past the fact that guys of the 21st century do take care of their looks. Seems like we’re not there yet.
Comment by Hannef
4:11 pm on November 7th, 2009 :
Thx Bapester=)
There are some of them who just couldn’t care less.. I think everybody deserves to look their best. We don’t have to get it right all the time but its the effort that counts.