Artist Statement

This body of work is a critique on expectations of women. A lot of clothing marketed towards women doesn’t include pockets, therefore women often carry a handbag or purse. These bags become a catch all for anything one might need during the day. Items found in a purse can range from make up items to snacks, cough drops, glasses, vape, epi pen, camera or perfume. Many things end up inside a purse and the weight adds up. Some people carry their wholes lives in their purse. Some purses are large and roomy for an everyday bag, and others are small and flashy used for a night out to only carry the essentials. The purses I created are tired of carrying everything that society tells a woman they need to carry. Men generally carry their phone, keys, and wallet in just their pants pocket. A woman usually ends up with a collection of purses. There are purses for different social situations, such as work, errands, going out. People will often change their bag for different occasions to carry the specific things they need for the day or event.