Lightweight Lady

Technological advances have led to a dramatic fall in the weight of women’s handbags, according to research from a department store chain. “Women’s handbags now weigh an average of 1.5 kg (3 lb), 57 percent less than the average of two years ago, Debenhams said in an emailed statement on Thursday. A new generation of smaller, lighter multi-purpose gadgets such as Apple Inc’s iPhone and Research in Motion Ltd’s Blackberry have replaced heavy laptops, old fashioned mobile phones, music players and paper organizers. Debenhams Handbag Buyer Sue Tebbitts said that two years ago, women were carrying around 3.3 kg (7.3 lbs), the equivalent of three and a half bags of sugar, everywhere they went. ‘Finally the burden placed upon working women is falling — and it’s all thanks to technology,’ Tebbitts said. Debenhams said it conducted research on handbags annually and that its study team asked 7,000 women to detail the contents of their bags and how much each thing weighed.”