Suffering for the sake of fashion and beauty is nothing new. As if slipping into those killer heels isn’t torture enough, a growing number of women have wilfully - and literally  - borne the burden (and increased their credit-card bills!) by lugging around humongous bags.

Despite medical findings directly linking oversized bags to neck, shoulder and back problems among women across age groups , women can’t seem to eschew big bags, as brands - from luxury to designer labels - introduce the next big thing season after season.

Is this just a prolonged fascination with big bags? Or don’t women have a choice?

Our respondents say that as more and more women lead busier lives - stuffing their carryalls with everything, from laptops to diapers - a big bag has become a necessity.

“Big bags have been around for some time,” says Melanie Cuevas, editor-in-chief of Look, the beauty magazine, citing such classic styles as the Hermès Kelly and LV Bucket. “But brands started offering women more and bigger choices as the world saw a shift in their lifestyles - more work, more gadgets, more roles.”

What’s more, says Cuevas, big bags marry practicality with fashion. As a fashion statement, it also says a lot about the woman.

“A woman carrying a croc Hermès Birkin screams high maintenance as opposed to, say, someone carrying an eco-friendly tote. The big status bag also conveys the message ‘I’m successful. I can afford it.’”

A certified bag buff herself, Cuevas attests to a big bag’s versatility as she runs from one venue to the next on a typical day.

"A big bag has space for everything I need in case I have to change for an event, do yoga or check e-mail on the road,” says Cuevas of her Givenchy tote and an older Tod’s that doubles as laptop bag. “I’m quite extreme when it comes to bags. For dressier occasions, I use minaudieres.”

Convenient

Filipino broadcast personality Daphne Oseña-Paez agrees. She says she carried huge bags while living in Toronto, but has learned to downsize over the years except when travelling with her kids sans their nannies. That’s when she brings out her Prada denim tote and stuffs it with diapers, wipes and other provisions.

Oseña-Paez uses a leather hobo for everyday use. As the temperature soars, she switches to a modest-size tote from Herve Chapelier given by a good friend.

She hasn’t used her Croissiere Goyard 35 for over six months now. Since the bag is structured and quite big, she (or more specifically, the bag) used to end up bumping into people and things.

“If a woman’s big bag is filled with all her necessities, carrying one is purely for convenience,” says Oseña-Paez, who saw the big-bag trend emerge a few years ago among subway-dependent New Yorkers. “But if she’s lugging around a huge bag with barely anything in it, it’s a fashion statement.”

A classic case was when actress Katie Holmes was seen carrying the “mother of all Birkins”. Being surrounded by bodyguards and assistants, she could have asked them to carry her bag-cum-luggage.

“She insisted on carrying that huge Birkin, which seemed half-empty, perhaps just to make a statement that I’m Katie Holmes and can afford to buy the biggest Birkin whenever I want,” says Oseña-Paez.

Practical, efficient

Women like publicist Leah Caringal have been into big bags since high-school days. Back then, she says, the more “accessible” brands were Esprit and Benetton.

“I know of some women who carry small overnight bags as their everyday carryall,” says Caringal. “It can contain laptops, folders, diaries and other necessities that are either too big or too heavy to fit into a regular-size bag. It’s a secure way of managing your day.”

Apart from a laptop, Caringal has a pair of running shoes in her bag. This summer, she goes around with a woven white leather bag by Rafé Totengco.

“Unless I’m going to a formal event, small bags are just not practical for me,” she says.

Global trend

Bag designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan has had to mirror the global trend of big bags in her designs as early as 2007. Her Queen Amidala-inspired collection that summer was noteworthy for its size and futuristic elements.

“Convenience has definitely played a huge role in this trend,” says Aranaz-Alunan, who alternately uses her creations, and a YSL Big Easy leather tote. “It’s also a fashion statement that says you’re bold, confident and won’t shy away from attention.”

Apart from convenience, Carla Sibal, editor in chief of Mega magazine, also blames the sorry state of Metro Manila’s public bathrooms as one major reason women are drawn to bigger bags.

Her makeup and grooming kit competes for space in her Balenciaga bag with such basics as Kleenex, hand wipes, soap and alcohol. She also has to make room for a checkbook, ID, cell phone, credit cards and a pair of “life-saving” Repetto ballerina flats (after those four-inch Christian Louboutins start to take their toll).

“If your lifestyle doesn’t require you to carry a big bag to fit all these items in, but you carry anyway, it simply means you’re a fashion victim in need of an ‘it’ bag as a validation of what you’re worth,” she says. “It puzzles me to see a woman carrying a designer bag that’s almost empty and clashes completely with the rest of her look.”

Lightweight virtues

So, has it become de rigueur to never leave home without it? Not really, says seasoned traveler and Philippine Airlines international flight attendant Jeanette Perez. In an era of random checks and limited weight allowances (even for flight attendants), it pays to fly light - and that includes your carry-on bags.

“We can manage to put everything in one regular-size bag if we have to,” she says. “Having a big bag simply means having more choices. Carrying several lipsticks, for instance, instead of one. More often than not, a big bag simply encourages us to stuff it with not-so-necessary stuff. Before we know it, the bag already weighs a ton.”

In yet perhaps another of life’s many ironies, what was originally meant to keep women’s lives more convenient and in order, big, beautiful bags may, in the end, weigh them down even more.