Whilst looking for good baby deals I found something that I will confess I hadn't seen before. The Oi Oi Man Satchel Changing Bag*. I was so surprised at the thought of a distinct "Man" changing bag that I didn't even notice the ridiculous price (more than £80 if you were wondering).
I realise that there are a lot of very feminine baby changing bag designs out there, with busy patterns or the "Yummy Mummy" type slogans on them. They don't look masculine at all, that's true, but is there a reason to make one specifically for a man to carry?
You can get very classic designs in changing bags, without patterns, with darker colours, and ones that look more like satchels and rucksacks than a handbag. Neither the floral pretty changing bags nor the plainer designs and darker colours are named "Women's" Changing Bags. The one you get free with the Boots Parenting Club is plain black, but I never felt that it was too masculine for me to carry.
Is this Oi-Oi Man Satchel Changing Bag aimed at men taking the baby out on their own, or men who don't want to carry a feminine style bag?
If you see a man pushing a pram with a bag attached to the handles we all know it's the changing bag, and that it's not likely he had a hand in choosing it. The only reason I have ever found myself staring at a changing bag is when I have had bag envy, not because I was judging whether the bag was too feminine for the user to carry.
Maybe I need to consider the fact that some men find it difficult to adjust to what is still seen by some as a traditionally 'woman's role' of looking after the children, and that less feminine accessories will make them feel more comfortable. That really could be the case, but to be completely honest I can only think of one man I know who hasn't been really hands on with their new baby, and if they didn't like carrying the baby's bag they kept it to themselves.
I'd love to know what you think, especially our Dad readers. Does it matter to you what the changing bag looks like? Do men feel uncomfortable using them?
Comments