Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

This Is New

Beaches, Entertainment, Money Matters / by

In 1965 my first Navy ship sailed from Florida to Europe or the Mediterranean to be more precise. I was 18 years old at the time my first trip out of the good old USofA. It was all new and wondrous to a young kid from the Dorchester section of Boston. Our first Port o call after sailing by the Rock of Gibraltar was Torremolinos Spain. It was a seaside vacation destination for British and Scandinavian tourists and now, toss in American Sailors on shore leave. (Just to add flavor)

Beaches, Clubs with legal drinking for us and tourist ladies as far as the eye could see. California had Disneyland, but this was better and I was tall enough to ride all the rides. Plus all the local men wore skin tight shirts and pants and carried “Man Purses” We Americans wore shorts or jeans as did the rest of the tourists from northern Europe. But those Man-purses” seemed to put off the visiting tourist girls.

Rico Suave was not even a thing yet but there he was, actually hundreds of them on every beach (They wore Speedos) and their tight shinny shirts in the club and on the street. The Rico’s all carried a “Man Purse” everywhere they went. But later that year we were in England, I never saw one being carried in England or most European countries north of. France. Then, years later they disappeared into fashion history. They might have tried them in the US but never in any club that my friends visited.

Now shockingly here in 2015 in the Philippines, they are back 50 years later, but being used once again. I started noticing them in the malls, at first I assumed they were holding their ladies bags while they shopped. But no they belonged to the guys and they will proudly tell you that they are not a Man Purse but a Men’s Sling Bag. But I noted that they seemed required to stress the word Men’s when explaining what it was. I saw two of my twenty something nephews using them, and was forced to bite my tongue. (That didn’t last long) because after a cocktail or two I started laughing and asked them about them. The subject was quickly changed.

For the past few months when standing on my roof patio having my morning coffee while observing the street I noticed that 3 out 5 guys walking by had one over their shoulder. Now it’s been over 15 years since I’ve been to the US but I’m hoping it is not a style originating from there and made popular again by liberals. Has anyone seen it sprouting up in Europe again? Will we be cited by the Fashion Police if we don’t have one? Of course the Sling Bag (Man Purse) is a required fashion accessory by our one friend who lives in Tagaytay.

Now before the rest of our friends of LiP get upset at my picking on the fine city of Tagaytay please go to LiP archives and read “My Rant” (October 12th 2015) and you’ll see why.

Well that’s enough on that subject and if any reader has a wonderful stylish Man Purse” or “Sling Bag” please note that it was not you I was talking about in this article, but “Those other guys!” Please understand, I’m a guy stuck in the past, resistant to change and the idea of my carrying a shoulder bag is just New to Me! Cargo shorts have enough pockets to carry anything I need.

I carry a money clip, a small ID case for regular use and a slightly larger one for shopping if I need credit cards and extra ID, plus the ever present Zippo lighter.
This is not new and I’ll never need a Man Purse”!!!

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Comments

  1. paul,

    you are correct the man purse is not a liberal idea. its the the other to what you believe. remember we in good ole usa like to copy europeans alot. for example of mayonnaise on french fries from popular movie by pulp fiction that started that crap. yet good article again; keep smb flowing.

    • John;
      I have been to Europe more times than I’d like to count and we don’t copy Europeans as much as they mimic the US and the number one is our music and movies. I have never seen anyone eat mayonnaise on fries, I’d move to another table. (lol) At Fenway Park the Hot Dog vendors have mustard and relish and nothing else. Ask for Mayo or ketchup and you’ll be asked to leave the park.
      I can picture a man purse where I hung around; we’d collect them and nail them on the wall after we ejected the owner. (LOL)
      Mayo on fries!!! I shudder at the notion, now Malt Vinegar that’s good with fries. (I’m from Boston).

  2. Hi Paul,
    That’s funny you should think of that, but I’ve seen many Filipinos’s for years carrying small purses/bags including paper handled gift bags that a store might give out without any shyness about it.:)

    My son is super into urban fashion and for years has been carrying a messenger type bag or British satchel type bag to carry his laptop in. This international style has actually been around for quite a while now:)

    It’s just practical for men on- the- go who might not have a car to keep essentials at hand, or is riding a bike or taking a bus or train.

    The Rico Suave guy in the photo with that thong was just plain disturbing though!LOL He’d have nowhere to hang a bag I would think! Not suave like the real Rico Suave!

    Here’s a famous episode of Seinfeld where he has a “man purse” in New York–so funny!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d_VAWyCFE8

    • Quinnie;
      A bag for a lap top makes sense, a rut sack or back pack is okay to carry school supplies is acceptable. A man purse is fine if their make-up won’t fit in their pants pocket. Other than that it won’t fly with me. The Old Navy Cracker Jack uniform had one small ID pocket in the jumper, and the 13 button bell bottom pants had a tiny pocket to carry money. All else we found ways to carry other stuff and I guarantee it wasn’t in a purse. (lol)
      Seinfeld is great!

  3. Hi Paul,

    That’s funny you should think of that, but I’ve seen many Filipinos’s for years carrying small purses/bags including paper handled gift bags that a store might give out without any shyness about it.:)

    My son is super into urban fashion and for years has been carrying a messenger type bag or British satchel type bag to carry his laptop in. This international style has actually been around for quite a while now:)

    It’s just practical for men on- the- go who might not have a car to keep essentials at hand, or is riding a bike or taking a bus or train.

    The Rico Suave guy in the photo with that thong was just plain disturbing though!LOL He’d have nowhere to hang a bag I would think! Not suave like the real Rico Suave!

    Here’s a famous episode of Seinfeld where he has a “man purse” in New York–so funny!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d_VAWyCFE8

    Queenie

  4. Paul,

    I agree 100%. No man should ever carry a purse. If we do need to carry anything at all….use a backpack or Hire a porter!

    We do however pack up a bag of stuff to carry but we leave it in the car most times when we are away from home in the Philippines. Things like toilet paper, first aid kit stuff. Anyone that’s travels around the Philippines knows exactly why and what to carry for sure.

    My pockets carry a money clip with two credit cards, one pocket knife, since I was raised that every man should always carry a small knife, and the ever present phone for when I want to ignore an incoming call! LOL!

    • Tito Joe;
      When I’m out with my friends you’ll find my Cella phone on my dresser at home. Because when with friends whom else would I need to talk to? If any of my group starts texting at our table they will be picking up the tab for a while, or until they shut off the phone. You seem to carry as much as me, and you are right. Anything else will be in the car, or a back pack. (I’ve NEVER owned a back pack but its functionality is clear. Anyway the bars where purses are welcome tend to serve only umbrella drinks. But I see where the Man Purse would be good for transporting all those little umbrellas home. (LOL)

    • Tito Joe,

      I bet your like Tim on Home Improvement, right? By that I mean your a man’s man but as caring as all get out. At least that’s what I’ve concluded about the members on this site.

      Nope, no purse carrying for me either. Weeeell, unless my wife says can you watch one of my 50 purses while I go someplace. It will just take a minute. isn’t a minute 60 seconds? Or is a minute longer in the Philippines?

      I do carry a backpack. There handy.

      Rusty

  5. Hi Paul

    When I was last working in South Korea a few of the guys started using the Man Bags. Some were European and another was Filipino.

    My wife suggested that I got one and I suggested she find a divorce lawyer if she ever expected me to use or wear one!

    There is a very funny episode of Friends where Joey wears a Man Bag to an audition and everyone thinks he is gay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tqQj4loAgg

    Man bags are of course the principal reason why Britian wants out of the European Union!

    Cheers

    AJ UK

    • AJ UK;
      In my many times in the UK, even in London in the Pubs I’vs witness gentleman with the obligatory Briefcases and tourist with knap sacks, Oh and many ladies with a purse not any guys with Man Bags. I felt at home and safe with my pint. The mass migration is putting large fissures in the Union. I hope they figure it out before it is too late.

  6. Hi Paul , never had a purse, never had Mayonnaise on fries or chips as we call them
    Just good old malt vinegar and salt that’s all you need on fish and chips,
    I like English mustard because it is a bit spicy but mayonnaise you can keep it ,
    Was in that meat plus restaurant in subic having a burger the waiter give me the mustard
    Straight away he said to me I know foreigners don’t like mayonnaise I said your a clever
    Lad you’ll go far, much prefer the burger in Texas joe , Derek in pasig.

    • Derek;
      Sit-In-Bull in the Barrio offers malt vinegar with its fish and chips and they will serve tartar sauce to those who know no better. Now the Bubba Burger vice the Meat Plus double stacked burger…. No, that discussion is best left for another time, and since they are both a taste sensation there is no need to fight. But the Burger at the Sin-In-Bull……………………………. I have seen the Man Purse at the Meat Plus and Texas Joes, but I forgive them.

      • Hi Paul, will try to find sit -in-bull next time we go to subic heard a lot of good things
        About their food, fish and chips sounds good have an idea were it is but it looks like
        It’s down a side street I’ll find it one day, ?Derek in pasig.

  7. Paul,

    At first I really didn`t know whaat you were even talking about the man bags… Then I started really thinking about the subject how it has been here in my home country Finland. I did made a conclusion that during my 59 years I really don`t remember seen any Finns carrying a man bag. Maybe my memory is not anymore so bright as it should, but nope. Some men who want to keep their doctors receipts for the pharmacy or their papers for a car or so in a one place for safe…like that in a small briefcase yes. You are so right that music and movies it comes here mostly from USA but thank God only from Hollywood and not Bollywood! My wife`s filipino movies 8 hours/day is more than enough for “our” entertainment ! 🙂

    • Leo;
      Finland is one of the very few Northern European countries I never got to visit, but I still met many of your tourists in Spain and Italy. My wife also has her Tagalog movies that she loves, I don’t have the heart to tell her there is only one plot to them all. I commend the Finnish people for their fight to keep the Man Purse out of their country. We must all do our part. Hollywood is running out of stories as they have remade every movie I saw as a kid, next they made all our early TV shows into movies and now they are working to make a movie out of all our comic books. And if they make a movie out of a novel they alter the ending. Thank god they’ve left that music alone so far. (LOL)

  8. I think this trend (here in the pi) is gaining momentum as a possible scare tactic. I live in the province now and most body guards conceal carry in them. People here in the pi are not happy with a small .38 or 9mm they go all the way and only carry 45 caliber which may warrant the need of the “man purse” as authoritative abuse here int he Philippines gets worst people are doing all they can to try and fight back. Well anyways that’s my opinion.

    • Alexander;
      Tears would come to my eyes laughing while watching some stumble bum trying to extract a Colt 1911 from a bag with all those straps and snaps while his opponent whips his 9mm from under his shirt. Game over.

  9. That’ s one thing that puzzle me coming home to Bacolod after 13years living in the Uk granted our last visit was in 2011 seeing men with sling bags even my brothers and nephews are wearing it. Why? Don’t have the heart to ask or to offend.

    • Gezel;
      There are everywhere even here in Bataan, but it to will fade away after they start losing them or forgetting where they put them. (LOL) We can only hope!

  10. I carry my backpack. I’ve had one wherever I’ve traveled. It is so handy. I carry a fold up umbrella, my tablet, my wife and her tablet in my backpack.

    Rusty I

  11. Paul,

    Did you watch Tim Alen’s Home Improvement series? Your post reminded me of his “Man Cave” show. Grunt, Grunt.

    Rusty

  12. Good morning from this place in New England(1 h 15 min away)from Boston ((68.2 mi via I-95 S ) Mr. Paul T. thank you for another funny article. Believe it or not that “man bag” is called “mariconera” in Spanish. I am not making it up …that is what is called in any spanish speaking country. Without going to details, the word “mariconera” was derived from the word “maricón” , an offensive word for gay or homosexual. When I was still working for the “great uncle” and was assigned somewhere near Palma de Mallorca (what a “lousy” assignment for a young latino 🙂 ) , I think only the US and Her Majesty’s personnel were the only ones not carrying “mariconeras”. Now you are saying it is back in style – except it now has shoulder straps. To each his own, I guess but I like my multi-pocket cargo shorts.

    • Jose;
      I know the word maricón very well and in my bar in Puerto Rico, a young turk from the states was upset because two gay guys were sitting at my bar. I asked him how that bothered him. No answer, so I told him that the Spanish shortened American to maricón, and he should tell those two guys: “I’m maricón and damn proud”
      Later I told him what he really said.
      And do I have warm memories of Palma de Mallorca!!!

  13. Don’t know if the picture will show. But this is my man purse. I use it pretty much when ever I feel like it. I won’t repeat what we called them in the Army. But it’s the English equivalent of mariconera. Didn’t matter. If we needed it, we carried it. Sometimes I’ll carry a leather satchel type thing over my shoulder. Don’t matter. “I ain’t skeered”.
    http://s324.photobucket.com/user/P_McKee/media/Odds%20and%20Ends/WIN_20141023_125305_zps3wapxanv.jpg.html?sort=2&o=11

    Take care,
    Pete

    • Pete:
      As I still use the urinal in public toilets I withhold any comments on your Man Bag, I thing it’s stylish and smart. I feel the need to have a manly beer after this. (LOL) You were Army, I have two sons still in the Army (Lifers) so on that note no negative Army comments from me ever! But “Go Navy”

      • LOL. Paul, we made up for it in other ways. The Navy and Air Force allowed their personnel to use umbrellas while in dress uniform. The Army was too manly for that. No bumbershoots allowed. While y’all were shaking the water off of those unmanly accoutrements, we simply sloshed on past you in a manly military manner.

        Take care,
        Pete

  14. I had a man purse. Its white plastic and said Safeway on it…
    But my wife threw it out. But I’m sure I can get another.