The secret life of handbags

Two men, an artist and a sociologist, have separately undertaken an exploration of women's handbags. Pierre Klein, a photographer and video-maker, asked women to empty their bags and explain the contents for the purposes of an exhibition entitled Elles Vident Leur Sac. Apart from the literal sense, this also means "to get it off one's chest". Jean-Claude Kaufmann, a research sociologist, carried out his own analysis of women's hidden secrets, publishing his findings in Le Sac, un Petit Monde d'Amour (The Bag, a Small World of Affection). So what prompted this inquiry? "Powerful curiosity," in both cases, compounded by the fact that, as men, "we are brought up with the idea that you don't look in women's handbags".

When a female friend happened to spill the contents of her bag in his presence, with a guided commentary, Klein realised he had learned more about her in just a few minutes than in several months' acquaintance. "Each object was linked to some anxiety or fear, with a story of its own. Once the contents were spread out on the counter, I saw the makings of a photo," he explains. This was the starting point for the project. Klein decided to film 50 women emptying their bag, asking them to explain each item. Then he took a photograph of the result. "They very soon started talking about their private life," he adds. "I had no idea they would go so far. They hadn't realised the importance of what was in their bag."

Women's handbags certainly contain an odd mixture of things. In the one belonging to Chrystel (not her real name), 33, there is a notebook, a pair of panties, a packet of contraceptive pills, some snaps, a pen, an American dollar, a good-luck candle, lipstick, a camera, a toothbrush, a mobile phone, a pair of socks and more besides. "There are two categories of object: things women consider essential (phone, keys, tissues, aspirin, makeup, wallet); and the rest, all the apparently useless treasures related to memorable events, emotions and superstition," says Kaufmann.

But the oddest items may prove essential. Ilhem, for instance, has a compass because she likes to sleep with her head to the north. To guard against ill luck many women carry charms, ranging from dollar bills to some personal token invested with magical powers, or a little doll or soft toy that becomes a comforter they unconsciously touch.

Some items recall happy or particularly intense moments. There are plenty of pebbles and seashells, perhaps a love letter, often photos of loved ones, little notebooks to record fleeting emotions, a phrase found in a magazine, the address of a restaurant, shopping lists, resolutions, the names of books.

Such a bag is reassuring, ready to cope with any eventuality: a book to read on a journey, a bottle of water in the event of thirst. Some carry teargas to ward off assailants. One woman who used to prefer small bags moved house after her husband's death and switched to larger receptacles, laden with books and notebooks as if to fill the gap.

If a bag is lost or stolen, all hell breaks lose. "The owner feel as though she has lost part of herself," says Kaufmann. "The handbag is a key piece in the day-to-day construction of identity." Some describe it as "a little house", "a bit of myself", "a puzzle in which every piece is part of my life", or indeed "a memory store".

Our close companion may give rise to feverish irritation. It is supposed to make our lives simpler, responding to our every whim as an extension of ourselves, but objects often go astray, above all mobiles and keys. "In just a few seconds affection switches to hatred," Kaufmann says. We complain bitterly about its shortcomings, entirely due to our own disorder. Finally in a rage we empty it on the desk.

But there is more to a bag than just its secret contents. It is also there to be seen. "It's a female attribute, an expression of style," Klein says. "A woman's handbag is a bit like a man's car: it corresponds to the image they wish to project."

Often classified as a fashion accessory, handbags are nevertheless essential items. Some women are very loyal to their bag, only making a change to go out in the evening or on holiday. Others have a whole collection of bags, chopping and changing to suit their mood. But a bag must be attractive, particularly as it is an instrument of seduction, intriguing and surprising men. "It is a bit of a hiding place, something women don't share, despite sharing a lot in other ways," says Geneviève Djénati, a couples and family therapist.

A handbag contains everything intimate relating to our bodies: makeup, lipstick, tampons and condoms. It's a private space, an ambivalent object with an outside for show and mysteries hidden inside. One of the reasons women carry so much in their bags is that they act as "resource persons", according to Kaufmann. For the benefit of children, their partner, friends, relations or even workmates, their bag is full of comforters, items such as biscuits, wipes, sweets, tissues, water.

But do handbags reveal a form of alienation? "They are certainly a sign of compliance with a gender stereotype, which starts in childhood games and dictates that bags are essential female attributes. There is a downside to the idea of triumphant 'hand-bagging', particularly when after the pleasures of seduction, the bag is weighed down with family responsibilities," Kaufmann concludes.