In 2006, I did a Google search that changed my life. I don’t remember the exact name of the designer whose bag I was trying to find on sale—it was an indie contemporary label that is now long gone—but it brought me to a post about one of the designer’s bags on PurseBlog, a site I had never encountered before, and that hadn’t existed for very long. I was a sophomore in college, getting a journalism degree at the University of Georgia. I had an after-school job selling appliances at Best Buy, and with the money I earned there, I intended to buy a nice brown bag to go with the black Coach purse I had bought myself at the end of high school with the money from a different after-school job. I would need to go on interviews for internships eventually, and I wanted to have nice bags to take with me, to look professional. But also, I just wanted to buy another bag, because I loved how it felt to buy the first one.
I got the information I was looking for, but I kept reading the site. My interest in bags was huge, and I’d never found a place that covered so many brands—most of what PB did back then was short, single-bag reviews, and it felt like there was so much for me to learn. I also signed up at the then-recently launched PurseForum, which had around 300 members at the time—I had loved posting on message boards since my parents had gotten home internet when I was in middle school, and I was excited to see the fancy things people bought that I couldn’t afford.
Eventually, I became friends with Megs and Vlad, who were also in college at that point, and they asked me to help out on tPF as a moderator as it grew to a point where they couldn’t manage it themselves. The blog was growing too, and when I graduated from college and took a low-paying, entry-level job in hotel marketing, they let me use my journalism degree to write posts for PurseBlog in my spare time—$20 apiece for short reviews, which sounded like a great hustle to me at the time. It was 2008, so we all know what happened next: the economy crashed, I lost my first job in a round of layoffs, and my journalism degree was mostly useless because print media had been in free-fall even before the bottom fell out of everything else. PurseBlog was, at the time, maybe the only business actively growing, which was lucky for me: Megs and Vlad needed more stuff to put on the site, and I had spent several years prior becoming a bag expert in my personal time, for fun. The rest, as they say, is history.
That was a little over ten years ago, and in that time, I’ve moved from my college town to Atlanta and then Atlanta to New York, where I finally met Megs and Vladi in person, several years after I began working for them full time. I’ve written over 5,000 posts for PurseBlog, according to our content management system, and I’ve edited thousands of others—in the past decade, it’s been exceedingly rare for something to be published here without passing through my hands at least once. But starting next week, that changes. Today is my last day with the company; I’m moving to The Atlantic to be a staff writer, covering the intersection of health and culture. And it might seem a little counter-intuitive, but I couldn’t have asked for better prep to write about how people think about their bodies in 2018 than ten years spent writing about handbags.
The reason I got into bags in particular, all those years ago, was in part because of the reality of my body: I’m a plus size woman, and I have been my whole adult life. Luxury fashion largely wants to pretend I don’t exist, no matter how badly I want to participate. One of the few places that women like me get to feel like we fit in the fashion industry is in accessories, which are as democratic as any exorbitantly expensive product category can get: as long as you can pay, there’s a bag for you. And the fashion industry not only gatekeeps its shoppers based on their bodies, but it does the same with the people who work within the industry—most of the women who have gotten a chance to have a front-row seat to fashion’s inner workings at a high level are a sample size or not much above it. Accessories and indie media are the only ways I could have been the person I am and still gotten my foot in the door, in all likelihood, and for that, I owe PurseBlog and its wonderful community so much, just on a personal level.
Culture at large can be dismissive of fashion and its broader relevance, but it’s a place where so many important phenomena intersect. You can’t write about fashion (or about handbags!) effectively if you’re unwilling to deal with issues like gender, class, race, capitalism, commerce, art and the nuances of individual self-perception. At the same time, what we do here is fun, and getting to meld both the practical and fantastical sides of fashion over the years has been a dream job.
I will also miss Megs, Vladi and Kaitlin, who are the most wonderful coworkers I could ask for, and who have felt like family for years now. During my time here, Megs and Vladi have also let me freelance for other publications on other topics, which many of you might not know. With their support, I’ve gotten to publish things in a laundry list of places I never thought would feature my work in my wildest journalism school dreams: Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, Elle, Glamour, InStyle, Racked, Eater—the list goes on, somewhat to my own continual astonishment. I literally could not have done that without PurseBlog’s blessing, and for that, I will be in their debt for a very long time. Working here for ten years has been an immense privilege, and I’ll miss you all terribly.
(Wondering about the bag at the top? It’s my old Balenciaga Day Bag, from a shoot Vladi did of it right after I moved to NYC!)
The Atlantic is an amazing publication and I can’t wait to follow you there. They’re so lucky! That being said, I don’t think you understand how much we’ve appreciated having your wit and insight here. I’ve read many articles about bags or brands I don’t care about, just because you were the one writing them. Best, best, best of luck!!
Good luck, Amanda!
Good luck 🙂
Already miss you so much and so excited to read all of your new work over at the Atlantic! It’s been the best two years working with you!
Best of luck to you, Amanda! The Atlantic is a great publication that I’ve only recently discovered and I’m looking forward to seeing your articles there.
Have always enjoyed your articles. Best of luck in your new endeavor.
Congratulations, and wishing you the best of luck 🙂
I’ve enjoyed reading your articles here and look forward to reading you in the Atlantic! Congrats and best of luck!
Fabulous opportunity. You will be amazing at Atlantic. All the best.
Your voice will be missed on here! The Atlantic is lucky to have you and so are their readers. I use to log on here just to read your reality show recaps because I refused to watch but loved knowing about them. Weird, I know. I’ve enjoyed reading your opinions and reactions to everything from RHOBH and college football to Hedi at Celine and your blanket PS1 bag (that I envied). I’m excited to read everything you have to offer over at the Atlantic. Congrats on the new job!
Congratulations! And we will miss you!
Good Luck and have a great time at your new job! Don’t forget us 🙂
Congrats! Oh…. and just in case you hadn’t heard, PB has a recent job opening.
I KNOW RIGHT?!
Baby come back! Hahga
Congratulations Amanda! I have to say as a fellow plus-size woman, I have really identified with your perspective on handbags being the one area of fashion that many of us could participate in (except mini-bags, just can’t make those work, lol). I’m also a writer and have appreciated the consistent quality of your writing. Very best of luck at The Atlantic!
Congratulations! Good Luck! Will follow you over at The Atlantic!
Amanda, you are a terrific writer with a unique voice. I wish you all the best of success at The Atlantic. I’ll look for you over there.
Congrats and good luck!!!
Huge congrats Amanda and all the best at The Atlantic!! You’ll do great! Always loved reading your witty posts even from back in the reality TV recap days. xx
Congratulations and much joy to you on the exciting new chapter in your life! Your Balenciaga sitting there in all of its majestic purple glory. Prince would probably agree.
I miss you already. Your unique style of writing will be missed. I loved your Real Housewives recaps as well as your handbag articles. PurseBlog won’t be the same!
You’re such a unique fashion voice Amanda, I have really enjoyed your comprehensive bag views and of course you’ll be bringing more brilliant work to the table which I look forward to following . Enjoy the next chapter 🙂
good luck and do come back for guest posts!
Congratulations on your new endeavor, wish you great success.
I also got into handbags because like you plus size fashion leaves much to desire. The only area I could really express myself was handbags. While plus size fashion has greatly improved over the years it still has far to go. Handbags, shoes, and other accessories are still the staple way of expressing yourself.
Best of luck in your new job and thank you for your contributions here.
Congrats Amanda. Wish you the best. I have always enjoyed your posts. Thank you.
Congratulations! And thank you for so many wonderful years, articles, and insights. Best luck at The Atlantic (they are so lucky to have you!)
Our dear Amanda, many congratulations on your new position at the Atlantic. The Atlantic is none too shabby a magazine. My son went to high school with one of the writers (she’s on the Russia beat and on MSNBC a lot!) I am so proud of you and am counting on you to help keep The Atlantic honest and in print.????????
Never felt compelled to write until now. Amanda your writing has gotten me through many a morning commute as I worked my way up from job to job (also graduated from a creative degree during the 2008 crash) as I hustled to land a career to comfortably support myself (and my bag habits). Your clever voice bouncing off the page essentially brightened up every morning. You will be sorely missed. All the best.
Congrats on your new job. I will miss your insight around here, you’re a great writer and I appreciate the intellectualism you’ve brought to what is often seen as an incredibly frivolous topic.
All the best for the future.
Your voice here will be missed; you’re a great addition to The Atlantic. All the best!
Reading your last article has made me realize how long I have been following PurseBlog, and how much your writing has entertained me over the years. It is one of my weekly small joys. I am feeling a little nostalgic from when I first started reading them. Best of luck to your new job, I cannot wait to read your articles at the Atlantic!
Good luck Amanda…you will be missed!! Your posts have always been so fun to read, you have a great way of expressing your thoughts….keep up the good work in your new endeavor! 🙂
omg can’t believe you’re leaving Amanda!! there will be a big void! whoever fills your position has a big shoe to fill!! I shall miss reading your wonderful articles here just as the others will but I wish you all the very best! Change sometimes is good!
Amanda, you will be sorely missed. Wishing you the very best at The Atlantic and in life!
i’m in tears Amanda, thank you for sharing. please come back every now and then
I am so sad…
I have been reading Amanda’s articles since the early days of this blog.
Totally have always enjoyed reading her articles… wish her nothing but the best for her next endeavor!
You will def be missed!
Reader from Jakarta, Indonesia :’)
I’m actually getting teary-eyed reading this! Wishing you all the best, Amanda and the atlantic has a new reader now 🙂
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Amanda, I will miss you greatly. And I wholehearted agree about your point on plus size women and fashion industry, too. Growing up, compare to the American, I’m not that big. Only M/L, but in Asian, I’m huge, like XXL and it’s damn hard to find clothes. Bags always fits and it can go everywhere with me and make me feel like that cool McGyver guy from a tv series long ago.
I wish you all the best and please, if you can, drop by some time. I love your wit and skin care recommendations! ?