Inside information
Women have come a long way from the days of matching their hats and gloves to their purses.
“I didn't used to carry as much stuff with me as I do now, so it was easier to switch purses,” said Joyce Catt of Butler Township. “We would just carry a wallet, a comb and lipstick … in our clutches we just had room for a little bit of money and lipstick.”
Catt has been collecting clothing, hats, purses and accessories since 1975. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she had about six or eight purses in her everyday wardrobe to match her different outfits.
She said during the 1960s, when the bouffant hairstyle came in, women stopped wearing hats and matching their purses.
“As I get older, I want a utilitarian purse,” Catt said. “Before it was for looks.”The contents of a woman's purse can say a lot about her. Does she have children? Is she organized? What does she prioritize? What does she like to do?Eight brave women of Butler County dumped out their purses to give us a closer look into their lives.The one item each of these women can't go anywhere without? Their cell phones.“I used to carry a quarter in my purse or a dime so I had something to call home if I got into trouble and needed a ride,” Catt said.
