The lady's bag syndrome

Painting from here.

Since the day I read this post from a friend's blog, I have been spotting more and more chivalrous knights slinging their noble lady's, um, satchel over their shoulders.

• The first strike was in the elevator at Shangri-la Mall--the bag in question was a hulky LV. (So it must've been heavy.)
• The second strike was in Greenbelt; and the bag was a medium-sized Coach. (Maybe it had a lot of coins inside. Coins can take up little space but add a lot of weight.)
• The last and final strike was also in Greenbelt; the bag was a glittery gold number that probably didn't weigh more than a pound. (I give up thinking of excuses.)

At the last sighting, while trying very hard not to say, "Dude, I love your bag," I decided--it's about time I wrote about it, too.

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What is the lady's bag syndrome (LBS)?
The lady's bag syndrome (LBS) is a mild illness that perhaps comes from a rare strain of the virus Courtesy--or maybe Chivalry. Its symptoms include the spontaneous sprouting of a lady's bag (sometimes of high-class designer origin) on the man's shoulder, arm or hand. Severity of case varies depending on the girliness of said bag.

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Seriously though, I'd like to think the man infected with LBS does it because he cares for the lady in question and wishes only for her comfort. The fact that the floral handbag is slung over a manly shoulder, then, can only be traced to one thing: the lady's consent! (Okay, ignorance on the part of both parties too, but that's beside the point.)

Girls--please, if you're thinking of saying yes, consider first how your young man will look carrying that bag. And unless you're carrying two bowling balls in there, I suspect saying no won't be that bad on your back.

Besides, if it's encouraging the chivalrous behavior that you're concerned with, there are a lot more great acts a young man can do without having to compromise his dignity with a female handbag. There's opening the door for the lady, offering a seat at the bus or train, stepping out of his car to greet the girl's family whenever he picks her up for their date (and then taking her home on time), introducing her properly to all those important people in his life, honoring her choice to prioritize purity...

All these he will do for his lady if she really believes that they matter (and if he's really as awesome as he wants her to think).

You see how so much depends on us girls?

Freedom and fashion

Photo from here.

Talking about proper dressing, I once got asked: "Why can't people just wear whatever they want? It is their body. And don't rules like that just take away a woman's freedom to wear what she likes?"

Good question, no?

Let me ask a better one. Isn't freedom such a nice word? You can throw it around and use it for all the "open minded" arguments and it fits right in--how very versatile! But that's just considering freedom superficially. It's quite easy to forget that, like everything else, freedom needs standards too.

Think about this: What happens if all the drivers on the road are given the freedom to do what they like? If you put rules on the road, are you taking away a driver's freedom, or are you making it easier for the driver to reach the destination? (I think you can find the answers to those questions on your own.)

The same idea goes into appropriate dressing. There has to be rules in dressing to help the wearer come across as someone worthwhile to get to know, not just something to look at (besides, only a someone can get somewhere). In dressing, it is not simply wearing anything you like, but spotting what looks good (highlighting the face, bringing out the personality, not drawing attention to one part of the body) and then choosing to wear those pieces over things which are less flattering. That's real freedom.

Why so meticulous about the meaning of freedom? Because if you waver at the meaning of freedom, everything you can connect to it wavers, too.

• Justice: If freedom means doing whatever you like, then a person who kills another person is justified because he simply exercised his freedom.
• Duty: If freedom means doing anything you like, then duty is meaningless because you can forget the work and say you just exercised your freedom.
• Love: If freedom means doing whatever you want, then cheating is perfectly fine--you just exercised...

Anyway, that's the point: real freedom needs standards because a lot depends on it. And if you believe in truly exercising your freedom, you must live it.... Let freedom (and all the rules that come with it) ooze out of you through everything that you do--from the big things like your words, actions and works... down to the small and "trivial" things... like your hemlines.

What Is GUTSY?

"The G.U.T.S.Y. Fashion Team is a fashion advocacy group composed of students of fashion, fashionistas, young designers and retailers who understand the true sense of style of young women which is based on individuality and self-worth."

This blog shall discuss fashion that highlights the positive in the wearer and lets her individuality shine. You can call it person-centered fashion, if you like. :-)

That said...

Welcome readers, I hope the insights in this blog can help more people take the standards of fashion a step (or two) higher!