Bags. They are a curious thing.In the dark realm from which I hail, no one has even thought of them. Mostly we just carry things with our hands, and sometimes put them in our mouths when our hands are full. I don’t think anyone has thought of weaving together some sort of material structure with handles and placing things into said structure, although it must be said that our ability to forge equipment is second-to-none in all the universe, so that’s kind of our ‘thing’. By necessity.
Here is a place where convenience reigns, and bags are the current focus of our Human Classes. I, taking the form of a male of the species, have some very complicated rules to learn in regards to leather shoulder bags. They are…okay, in most circles, provided that they are of a flat design that suggests that they contain a laptop computer. If the design is too rounded, it is considered ‘strange’. If the bag is too small, it is also considered ‘strange’. As a male of the species, I may pick out several varieties of bag provided that they are of a more coarse material than leather, often without social penalty except when the bag is to be worn over only one shoulder, in which case I am in the danger zone. If the bag is slung over two shoulders, it is generally appropriate, but it must not be oversized lest people believe me suspiciously overburdened, or preparing for a journey. If the bag is not slung over any shoulder at all, then it must clearly be for sporting purposes and thus be of a smooth material with visible branding; otherwise, it must be a hard rectangle known as a ‘briefcase’, used for important business. Bags made of thin plastic are for shopping, and nothing else.
So many rules! What kind of society places social penalties on a man carrying a small soft leather shoulder bag? Small though it may be, I could still fit many rocks, drinks and spare gloves inside such a bag. This practicality could not be considered ‘feminine’, surely.
-Kara