Contents of women’s handbags revealed

Sex toys, screwdrivers and spare underpants are among the items regularly carried around in handbags, according to a survey of women.

The poll confirmed what most men suspect – women really do carry almost everything but the kitchen sink in their handbags, with many ladies also confessing inner handbag “demons” of envy and pride through an emotional attachment to their favourite bags.

More than 2,000 women were surveyed for the poll by Kellogg’s Special K Mini Breaks and everything from the practical to the perverse were revealed as handbag contents.

Essentials including keys, tissues and make-up were carried alongside sex toys, a spare pair of underpants, tarot cards, dog biscuits and a piano tuning fork – just in case.

The average woman owns seven handbags, spending around £82 on each item, according to the poll results – an average handbag collection worth around £580.

Almost a fifth of women surveyed, 19 per cent, said they used their handbag as an object to hide behind when not feeling confident on a “fat day”, while 16 per cent said their handbag was like a “security blanket”.

And 21 per cent said receiving a compliment about their handbag was the ultimate flattery while a third confessed to feeling envious of another woman with a nice bag.

Some women also confessed to carrying sentimental and comforting but hardly practical items, including a son’s baby tooth, a daughter’s first pair of shoes and their father’s watch.

Many women also carry mementoes such as champagne corks or confetti from their wedding day or a pebble from a beach when on holiday.

Handbag guru, Kathryn Eisman said: “A woman’s handbag is an extension of who she is and helps her facilitate the numerous roles she plays in the 21st century.

“If women are indeed urban warriors, then their handbag is their armoury and ammunition.”

Sophie Colling from Special K Mini Breaks said: “It’s amazing to see what women carry around with them.

“What a woman keeps in her handbag is a reflection of their life and women who are on the go need to be organised.

“Carrying essential items such as snacks in your handbag demonstrate how women are in control of their lives.”

The top 10 most common items found in handbags were:

1. Keys
2. Pens
3. Tissues
4. Medication
5. Receipts
6. Make up
7. First aid items
8. Sunglasses
9. Snack/chewing gum
10. Compact mirror

Ten of the most unusual things found in handbags were:

1. Screwdriver kit
2. Porn DVD
3. Son’s baby tooth
4. Daughter’s first pair of shoes
5. Intimate toys
6. Tarot cards
7. Vampire voodoo doll
8. Confetti from their wedding day
9. Spare underwear
10. Piano tuning fork