They Call Me the Bag Lady

When I was a child, my family called me "the Bag Lady." The, I do believe affectionate, nickname came from my deep affinity for all things bag related. Be it a purse, a backpack, or a shopping tote I was mesmerized with the power of a bag to hold anything and everything. I adored the idea of packing a bag with my "worldly" possessions.

When I was five, I was gifted a wicker suitcase for my Bitty Baby doll. Nothing made me happier than stuffing the case with her clothes and toys. My obsession with bags was so severe that I would often pluck knick-knacks off my grandparents' shelves just to fill them. After the six-hour drive back to our house, my mom would have to telephone them alerting them to my thievery. The bag lady had indeed struck again.

With age, my obsession moved past functionality to beauty. I realized not only could a bag HOLD my things, but it could also LOOK BEAUTIFUL. Furthermore, it could make a statement to the world about who I was. So when the time came each year for me to select my school backpack, I knew it was an important endeavor. This very backpack would tell my classmates everything they needed to know about me. The first in my roster of school backpacks featured The Hunchback of Notre Dame, showing my deep love for Quasimodo.

In later years, my backpacks often featured my favorite boyband, Nsync, and my future husband, Lance Bass. In fourth grade, I switched to a stylish, Limited Too messenger bag. I was grown-up, sophisticated if you will, and the change of bag style reflected this.

New bags marking new stages of life is something in which I still believe. This is why, when I received my first Disney Cruise Line contract as a dancer, I immediately logged onto the Kate Spade website in search of a new bag. And then I saw it. THE PERFECT PURSE ... AND ON SALE. The large tote bag checked my first love of functionality. I knew it would hold all of my scripts and scores and shoes. In addition, though, like the great backpacks that came before it, it captured my personality beautifully. The tote portaryed a line of dancers on stage with the catchphrase "kick up your heels." With my new purse in hand, I was ready to take on my new adventure.

My life-long love affair with bags is a relationship I cherish. Each significant purse or backpack are special to me in the memories they hold and the distinct way the made me feel. Time will tell what the next great bag shall be...