Dear Handbag

As a 90s baby growing up in Nigeria, it usually was an honor to be the child who carries the adults' handbag. Most times for my mum or aunty.

We looked forward to running towards the gate with our hands raised above our heads and spread out whenever we heard the familiar suuuuu sound it made when pushed open.

We all dive in first to the handbag on their arm.

"Let me carry your bag!"

Most times, the answer is "No." But, I was the special child. The only one trusted with the handbags, so the adults always said "Blessing, carry the bag."

As the child entrusted with the handbags, I got to learn the importance of a woman's bag; And its content.

According to Cosmopolitan, a woman's bag is a little slice of her life in which she stores all the things she needs at any given moment. As women and fashion trends have changed over the years, so has the content of a woman's handbag. As we age and our needs evolve, our bags hold onto different things and tell different stories.

My mum always had a bible in hers. That small blue bible that contained just the new testament. She always had paracetamol and folic acid. Like a mini-pharmacy. So mummy-ish. And at least one extra top in the inner zipper. Typical mum handbag. You could tell she is a mum and has a small child.

Aunty's bag always contained her small white powder container. Enchanteur was the name. How can I forget her small circular mirror and her vaseline? That served as her lipstick at the time.

As we grew older, phones joined the equation. My older sister, Oma, never went out without hers. And that woolen white thing she wraps in nylon paper and hides in her innermost zipper. I would later find out is called a sanitary pad. And her address book. With a James Hardley Chase novel.

When I hit my teens, earpieces had become a thing so they joined my handbag. Together with those colorful music lyric books. This was so I can follow the song lyrics when I plug in my earpiece. I grew to start carrying a sanitary pad as well. And my harlequin novel, of course.

It is now my turn to be the adult whose handbag is a mystery. And, as my nieces and nephews rush to the gate to welcome me during my monthly visits, I give my bag to Ify. She reminds me of me once upon a time. "Ify, hold my bag, and let's go inside."

In my handbag, she will find a lip balm, my pressed powder, some tampons, my phone, a power bank device, ATM cards, my sunscreen, my nose mask, sanitizer, and Ipad (which now contains all my favorite books).

As the years progressed and handbags became further entrenched in women’s daily lives, they became a barometer for the times, adroitly reflecting the sensibilities of the women who sported them and the culture in which those women lived... but the history of the handbag is the history of women: women’s changing tastes, priorities, and roles in society. Handbags have thrived in times of excess and survived in times of scarcity,... We cannot divine the future of the woman’s handbag. But, if its past is any indicator, we can be sure the handbag of the future will reflect the values of the woman of the future. - Women's Museum of California

The content of a woman's handbag has seen so many changes. So many additions, and some subtractions. The handbag has served different functions over time. From fashion item to status symbol, Even as a weapon when the need arrises. It helped when I had to escape the drunk man that accosted me as I walked out of the bar last week.

I wonder what Ify's handbag will contain in 10 years. What the handbag of her generation will be like?