One thing I noticed when I was interning in Taiwan this summer was that with EVERY SINGLE COUPLE I saw, the guy was holding his girlfriend’s purse! I told my mom and she was appalled! She didn’t even like that idea. She thinks that men should be more “manly” and holding his girlfriend’s purse makes him seem…feminine and like a pushover. I thought it was sweet until I saw that everyone was doing it. That just makes the boyfriend if he doesn’t hold it for his girlfriend.
What do you guys think about this? Can anyone tell me why this happens? I thought East Asian guys were chauvinistic and it was a patriarchal society?
Well, it’s not just Tw guys. A real man is secure enough in himself to not worry what your mother thinks. Maoman does it for his wife and he’s the most manly man I know.
I liked it so much, I got my own purse. A murse if you will.
How do you know its the gfs purse? Well, we carry the offspring for 9 months…they may as well help carry the purse!
Taiwanese girls LOVE being taken care off…they pretend that they are helpless (but in fact they can drive scooters with high heels and fake nails without blinking twice…they’re good!)
I carry everything for any woman I am with, mother, SO, co-worker, etc., but as for the purse I leave that to them. Not that I mind, but I feel the purse is their private possession just as I would never want anyone to carry my wallet.
Once upon a time, many years ago, purse snatching by scooter thieves was rampant. The ultimate example in chivalry was to carry your girls purse, and hence diminishing the possibility of it being snatched.
Such was the explanation a huge and manly Taiwanese friend gave me-and later on other Taiwanese female friends supported- regarding this quirky couple trait. :bravo:
If they want girlie bags, they can buy them themselves. This morning I saw this youth carrying a bright orange TOD bag…UGH!
Saw a guy with a Yankees bag with a Yankees pin on it and although I detest, loathe, despise The Yankees, I was happy about that sighting. You see, Fortune Cookie and I play a game akin to punch buggy. Whenever one spots Burberry or her cagey brother Dacks, we point it out and the other must supply a sweet cheek kiss. Yankee sightings count for 2. (We are currently in negotiation for possibly banking the kisses and exchanging them for other erm…prizes…
I should clarify, I never carried The Ex-DNS’ pink purse.
Another funny story comes to mind. Coming out of LAva on one of our early dates, I quite naturally carried Fortune Cookie’s big white purse out for her. I mean huge. And I mean WHITE!!!
No sooner to we get topside and I run into 3 good buddies, all of whom train for various martial arts, including Brazilian Jijitsu, Krav Maga (one even competes in MMA). Friggin cellphones cams!!
But seriously, what’s the big deal? You care for her, lighten her load. It won’t be long before you are packing your phone, smokes, keys, shades, etc in it anyway.
murses and man-purses are all the rage when a simple messenger bag will not do.
The secret is getting a nice unisex one, so this way she won’t mind carrying it for you, instead of handing it off to you when she need both hands for shopping.
I just want to thank the OP for posting this question; I’ve often wondered about this situation myself. The whole purse-snatching phenomenon is interesting to note, although insufficient cause in my mind. Guys are so concerned with protecting their girlfriends’ purses, but don’t care to walk on the left side and protect their girlfriend’s from getting hit by wayward scooters? :loco: I don’t buy it.
I think the whole men carrying purses situation here is a result of them all being whipped. They’ve got girlfriends who want to be princesses instead of partners and they’ve been tricked into becoming manservants. I for one, find it really weird and almost insulting to have a guy carrying something so personal and so small for me like I’m helpless. Unless I’m in the bathroom or loaded down with something else, I don’t think a man should be carrying my purse. For him to shoulder a heavy bag or suitcase for me, however, would be quite acceptable. I would expect a gentleman to help me with something that was truly heavy.
I carry my purse for my wife if it makes her life even a little bit easier. She carries plenty of my burdens with greater strength and more grace than I posses. She makes my life easier in ten thousand ways, and if there’s anything I can do to return the favour, I do it.
Well, I don’t think it’s a “Taiwan” thing. Here in Shanghai, it was friends from Taiwan (several from different circles, men and women) who pointed out to me that you can tell who are the Shanghainese guys because they carry their girlfriend’s purses for them. And I was told its because Shanghainese men are totally whipped
I had a bf who carried my bag. The dear boy left it in a taxi. And of course, because he runs like a girl, guess who had to sprint the entire length of Shida to retrieve it at a red light? Mr Manly? Pft.
Why would I give my bag, containing amy wallet, credit cards, ARC, journal, schedule, phone, make-up bag, computer, etc, to male custody? Asking for trouble.
Hahah…When I read this thread I thought this was a troll post? So I asked Taiwanese people who grew up here if this is the case and, they’re like, yeah, it’s no big deal.
Then I thought about times when I asked my man to hold my purse, just for a second while I gave my arm a rest. And it’s true, he has never carried my purse for me. He would carry all my shopping bags and wait outside the store while I shopped more, but never once have I even seen him holding my purse. He has flat out told me no. And even when he does, he doesn’t hold the purse by the straps, he hugs the whole thing to his chest.
Great observation, I would never have thought much of it!
I would expect a gentleman to help me with something that was truly heavy.