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Dimi Boutselis / Her Campus
UCLA | Style > Fashion

Why You Need to Ditch Your Backpack for a Purse or Tote

Maile Smith Student Contributor, University of California - Los Angeles
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCLA chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I want to start by making it clear that there is nothing wrong with wearing a backpack to class in college. Most people do it, and it is 100% normal and acceptable. But don’t you want to express your identity and individuality in some way? Enter the bag, purse, or tote: the college essential that blends fashion, function, and freedom. Here is my official petition for you to seriously consider ditching your backpack for a purse. Trust me – one cool, fashionable college student to another: it’s worth it! 

The Statement

While backpacks are practical, sure, purses provide a platform for your personal style. The strap, color, size, shape, and accessories to put on your own bag are endless– they take many shapes and forms, unlike the simple, uninteresting item that is the backpack. There is a purse for every aesthetic, and every outfit. Personally, I rotate three or four different bags to use to school depending on the colors and vibe I am giving that day. It’s fun and adds so much to my outfit and overall confidence.

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Dimi Boutselis / Her Campus

Travel Light

Wearing a tote forces you to travel light. A whole backpack in college is just not necessary anymore, considering we go back to our dorms or apartments often and often only need a computer, water bottle, and maybe our wallet or notebook or lip balm. Using a purse keeps your items intentional, rather than superfluous. It keeps you organized and simple. Everything you need in a school day can fit in a medium sized leather bag– I promise! 

it’s Accessible

Backpacks have an unbelievable amount of pockets and compartments. They are clunky, large, and can often make you knock things over or have to awkwardly crouch to unzip your bag on the floor. The purse is the solution. With a shoulder bag, you can grab everything you need quickly and gracefully, and store the essentials in smaller sections for easy accessibility. Purses are also much easier to manage in tight spaces where you might find yourself, like the lecture hall, coffee shop, or club meeting. 

And Affordable, too

Your bag doesn’t need to be a Birkin to be fashionable. The purses and totes I use for school days were all thrifted and $50 or less; they are vintage Coach and Michael Kors or not name brands that I found at some favorite thrift stores. You can get bags for even cheaper at many thrift stores or simply use a canvas tote bag from your favorite library or coffee shop if you don’t want to invest in something leather. The thrifted bags are the ones I get the most questions about. Don’t you just love saying “Sorry, I thrifted it?”

Feel like an adult

Backpacks remind me of high school, and even middle school and below. After all, we have used them our whole academic lives. Considering that, I also rarely see adults using backpacks to go to work. Thus, a shoulder bag is classy and grown up, and a representation that you are no longer a child but in fact an adult with your life together (even if that’s not true). It feels like an effortless transition and representation of the person you are becoming, as you develop your style and become confident in who you are as a fully formed adult. A bag will give you the confidence you need to seize the day. 

So, consider making the switch that could change your life for the better– or at least win you a compliment. The amount of compliments I get for my bags are no joke, and it makes my day. This could be you, too!

Maile Smith is a second-year Global Studies and Communications major from Palo Alto, California. She loves horseback riding, traveling the world, painting, reading on the beach, and her dogs!