Handedness and Handbags - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Handedness and Handbags

Echo

Veteran

Ms. Maven recently posted a fab outfit and noted that her PT mentioned that many women have one shoulder slightly higher than the other due to carrying a handbag for many years.

While we cannot measure our own shoulder heights, I am wondering more about which hand is your dominant hand and on which shoulder you usually carry your handbag. For example, I am right handed (I was naturally a lefty, but was born in the dark ages when handedness was forcibly changed by parents and schools) and usually carry my handbag on my left shoulder. If I am carrying a handheld, I usually carrying it on my left forearm, and if I wear a cross-body bag (I almost never do), I carry it on my right shoulder so the bag itself is on the left hip. But I have other friends who are right hand dominant and carry their bag on their right shoulder, so it varies.

Over to you! Dominant hand? Shoulder or arm on which you carry a bag?

Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from Minaminu

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I am right handed. I carry cross body purses, almost exclusively. I carry them so that they hang on my left shoulder and ride on my right hip.

Joy

Veteran

Right handed. Carry bags on right shoulder. Cross body on left shoulder, so on right hip. I have dents in both shoulder bones.

JAileen

Veteran

Same as Chewy Spaghetti.

Years ago I had tendonitis in my right elbow. I had stop using a shoulder or cross body bag, and had to switch to a hand held bag. It was a very difficult switch to make.

slim cat

Veteran

Right handed and carry everything on a right shoulder ( was having left shoulder pain/trouble 2-3 years ago - so everything hangs on the right side ).

rachylou

Veteran

I’m right-handed. My shoulders slope too much for shoulder bags. For cross- body, I tend to wear it on the left shoulder, but will switch up. I do a lot of switching with anything hand-held too.

Sloper

Veteran

I'm right handed. Have almost always used shoulder bags on the left, sometimes a clutch.

Left shoulder is higher. A back x-ray in 2019 showed a mild side-to-side scoliosis. I have no idea if toting bags on the left caused it or if I was born that way (decades ago, in high school, my mother noticed that my left shoulder was higher).

Gigi

Veteran

I'm right-handed and carry my purse on my right shoulder. A crossbody goes on my left shoulder so that it is on my right hip.

An occupational therapist I went to once highly recommended crossbodies.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Sounds to me like the natural dominance is evident in how you carry.

I’m right-handed and carry bags on my right side. I carry crossbody bags most often—on my left shoulder so the bag is on the right. If I carry a backpack by just one strap, it’s on my right shoulder. Tote bag goes on my right shoulder. And so on. I like to know my bags well enough so that I can pull out the most common items by touch, without looking.

JAileen, I’d rather use pockets than a hand-held bag.

Anonymous

I’m a left-handed writer (and a few other lefty activities) but right-side dominant. I almost always carry a crossbody, on the right shoulder with bag at the left hip. But if I carry a bag just on the shoulder, it’s on my left. If I’m holding a clutch (haven’t done that in a while), it’s in my left hand.

Toban

Veteran

I’m right handed and carry cross body bags on my right shoulder, hitting front of left hip. I find it gives my right hand good access to bag. I will carry satchels on either shoulder, though.

ChristelJ

Veteran

Like Gigi and FI, right-handed and carry a crossbody on my left shoulder. Occasionally a tote in my right hand but not for long distances.

NancyW

Veteran

Right handed, left carry. My balance is poor and I like to have my right hand free to help with that. I did not use a cross body until I had a left shoulder injury and couldn’t tolerate a strap. Crossbody strap on right, bag on left and found it so comfortable that I now only use crossbody or handle bags.

RobinF

Veteran

That's weird, I had no idea I did it different than most. I am right handed but carry a bag on my left shoulder and a cross-body (which is my most common type bag) on my right so it hits my left hip. Just imagining carrying bags the opposite way feels strange to me.

cat2

Veteran

Right handed, left shoulder carry. Shoulder problems on my left after too much business travel, but thankfully they resolved with some physical therapy.

MsMaven

Veteran

Right-handed so right shoulder, cross body on left. I do try the shoulder bag on the left occasionally, but it usually slides off within a few minutes.

Anonymous

Another w/sloped shoulders.
I use crossbody bags on left shoulder and generally carry bags with my left hand even though I am right handed.

Another way I am an oddity, lol.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Right handed with bags on left shoulder - it’s definitely higher than the right due to this. If crossbody, I usually put the strap on the right shoulder so the bag is on the left but I will switch over the day to try to wear it evenly in both sides.

Echo

Veteran

From what I can make out so far (several posts are indeterminate), out of right handers, ten carry on the right shoulder or carry cross-body bags so they hang on the right hip; seven right handers carry them on the left. So it actually seems to be almost evenly split.

Nancy W mentioned the balance issue, and while I carry a bag on the left most of the time, I despise escalators (when I was a child, there were all sorts of stories about people falling, scarves getting caught, etc.) and switch my bag to my right shoulder so I can maintain my balance and ease my fear by gripping the railing with my left hand. Odd the things we remember from childhood. My sister never wants to drive behind a dump truck or next to a semi because she remembers news stories about the back failing on dump trucks and tires blowing out on semis!

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I'm right-handed & my natural inclination is to wear my crossbody strap on my left shoulder (so my right hand can easily dig into the bag on the right hip), but I'm aware of possible balance issues so I do try to switch it up during the day. Hooking my handgel onto the left side of the bag helps

I've also bought a small backpack to wear for casual outings, which helps. Currently on the lookout for a black one.

Minaminu

Veteran

Same as RobinF ! Plus, if I use a handbag, I always make sure that the bag is on the inner side of the road so that it cannot be stolen and for this reason I can carry it on my right or left hand.