subject: Can Designer Handbags Enhance Self Esteem? [print this page] A woman's self image involves many elementsA woman's self image involves many elements. It is comprised of a mixture of socially acceptable factors that can be positive or negative. There is rarely a comfort zone found in between these two poles where a woman can just be happy with herself as she is, with her place in society and among her peers and coworkers.
Add to this the subjective opinions that can rarely be explained even by the opinion holder and are usually influenced strongly by the individual's circle of friends and the outside factors that also add their influence. A simple article of clothing or accessory found to be the must-have trend of the moment among one group can be viewed by another as false pride and a total waste of money.
A woman may spend hundreds of dollars on a dress to wear to an upcoming party. This after spending countless hours shopping for just the right dress as well as the hours spent in front of the mirror scrutinizing herself in the dress. She finally decides that this is the dress to wear, the one that expresses the real her. She shows up at the door only to be confronted by the hostess with a look of pain on her face as she looks her up and down and then manages a polite but wan smile.
Yup, we all know that one. If you haven't been brought up by Coco Chanel, you probably have arrived at whatever style you have by trial and error. Your style may or not be in sync with society's notion of what is acceptable and fashionable. That is another tale entirely.
In the past few years, the number of fashion houses that have become prominent in everything from formal wear to bed sheets has made it easier for women to find their "look." Designer labels on clothing and accessories assure the purchaser that such items, as well as the person wearing them, understands what it takes to be attractive and acceptable to society.
Today, unlike forty years ago, nearly everyone can find the item they are looking for in a style that both they and society deem attractive and acceptable. Astonishing, isn't it? Something that suits you and the hoity toity who decide what is and is not acceptable in fashion today. This concept extends itself to accessories especially well, particularly to designer handbags. The days of a woman just grabbing a bag to drop her essentials into are gone.
One can find today a handbag that is not only the right size and shape for our needs, but one that carries a label guaranteeing its fashion-worthiness. No woman purchases a designer handbag to carry her necessities, the bag is chosen to enhance the woman's appearance and show the world her haute sense of couture.
A woman carrying a designer bag, a bag that is envied by her peers, makes her feel elite and stylish even in the face of a bad hair day. When she knows that the public will recognize her fashion savvy (and probable wealth) it impacts her self esteem.
Carrying that designer bag can elevate a woman's self image by not only helping her realize that she is fashionable and trendy, but that the people that see her with the bag will also sense that about her. The positive reactions she receives from all who gaze upon her make her feel very good about herself when she is carrying that bag. A designer handbag can be a functional accessory, but more importantly perhaps, it can also be a tool that heightens the carrier's self confidence.
