As a resurgence in trends continues to rise, bringing trending clothes and hot topics back from a variety of decades, the past couple of years, we have seen a rise of early 2000s magazine-style content in media lately. On fashion blogs, Youtube, and Tik Tok, fashion influencers and bloggers have been posting content like, “Get the Look for Less,” “How to Dress like an It Girl,” and have started replicating the layouts and graphics from the teen magazines we used to beg our parents to get us everytime we went to a pharmacy. But one trend that has never left is “What’s in My Bag?” For decades, we have been fascinated by what is in other people’s bags. What lip glosses do they carry? How many old receipts do they have? What perfume do they wear?
For years, fashion magazines have been taking part in the “What’s in my Bag” fad. For example, Vogue has a series on YouTube called “In The Bag”, and Refinery29’s “Spill It” series on YouTube invites all of your favorite celebrities to dump everything out of their bag and show us a small glimpse into their daily life. After Sophia Richie posted her own “what’s in my bag video” on TikTok (featuring an EpiPen, adding to the video’s authenticity and relatability), the trend has taken off on TikTok. Now, the hashtag #WhatsInMyBag has over 3 billion views on the app alone—and so it seems the “what’s in my bag” obsession has officially been embraced by the new generation.
Why do we care what’s in our bags?
In an age of rapid trend cycles, and overwhelming influence of trends and fast fashion, there is a lack of individualism in the current age of fashion. Maybe that’s why we keep jumping back to previous decades to reinvent the next trend. A glimpse into your favorite celebrity’s purse establishes individualism and allows us to discover new aspects of their identity. The intricate details and miscellaneous belongings in someone’s purse tells us a story of what they typically do in a day and gives us a taste into the person’s life. I love randomly knowing that Pamela Anderson keeps a G-String in her purse in case she needs to put her hair up. Or that Ariana Grande has Ricola’s for days. Also that Iris Law keeps a collection of lollipops and Bella Hadid has a plethora of crystals on her at all times. You may also find that your favorite celebrity has some of the same niche belongings as you. These “What’s in My Bag?” videos are also a great opportunity to find your new favorite beauty product as this trend is an incredibly unique yet fascinating way to reach products to consumers.
From then to now: what was in our bags?
Let’s look back a couple of decades and see how this trend has evolved. A lovely vintage magazine spread from the 1940s captures a peek into the daily lives of two women, accomplishing exactly what today’s “What’s in my Bag?” craze achieves. Though completely different eras, similar items and products have continued to catch the spirit of someone’s life as told solely by the contents of their bag.
Image via Chronically Vintage
Image via LiveJournal.
Image via Pinterest
TikTok “What’s in my Bag” trend
The resurgence of the “What’s in my Bag” trend comes from a newfound fascination with Jane Birkin bags. The recent months on TikTok have seen an immense amount of attention on how Jane Birkin wore and what she put inside her bag. Being known for carrying around her Hermés purse in the late 1980’s, later to be named the Birkin, with an overflowing amount of stuff including, letters, journals, pens, papers and papers and papers, Jane Birkin also added lucky bracelets, charms, necklaces, any keychain she felt held importance to her, and dangled it on the exterior of her purse. For some reason, all of the fashion TikTokers became obsessed with how she wore her bags in 2025. Although I personally dislike what the “Jane Birkin-ify” trend has become on TikTok, Jane Birkin gave all of us a glance into her life with her incredibly unique way of carrying her day-to-day belongings. Some of my favorite new TikTokers who have recently gone viral for their stunning and whimsical “What’s in my Bag” videos are Helena and Kali. These creators capture a unique glimpse into their bags and their lives in their opposite aesthetic content. Many comments on their “What’s in my Bag” videos refer to the two of them as the “sun and the moon.”
Let’s take a look inside some of my favorite celebrities’ bags:
Ariana Grande:
Watch here!
In a hilarious and surprisingly relatable video, Ariana Grande reveals what’s in her Loewe bag in a Vogue “In the Bag” video. She carries,
- her cell phone
- her fuzzy earmuffs
- an open bag of Ricola cough drops
- three different kinds of headphones
- a pair of sunglasses
- lavender essential oil
- a small crystal ball
- a selenite wand
- her MOD vanilla fragrance
- a lip gloss tester presumably from her R.E.M. brand
- a vegan fruit roll
- two vegan bars
- her iPad
- a tiny book from a fan called “Ari’s Pick Me Ups”
- a journal she was given to by her dad
- a pink marker
- a pink lip balm from her brand
- and a hair clip
Inside Pamela Anderson’s Stella McCartney Handbag
Watch here!
- Ilia concealer
- A fan for hot flashes
- CBD oil for her arthritis whenever her hands hurt
- Kindred Black “little cheek stuff that you can just put on”
- Little brown glass bottles
- “Her scent” which she describes as a “love potion” with her “roses pressed from my garden”
- An amethyst love crystal, “all for good vibes”
- Vintage sunglasses
- A G-string that serves as a scrunchie.
- Dr. Hauschka lip balm
- Sunscreen
- One of her eyelashes
- A little pot of glitter
- Altoids, but inside her Altoids box she carries Rescue Remedy for when she’s stressed
- A little pad of paper
- A pen for writing
- A snack
What’s in MY bag?
- Macbook air
- iPad
- 4 different wired headphones (two for my phone & two for my laptop) collected from various flights
- Lots of loose Muji pens (my favorite pens)
- One big notebook I use for all of my classes
- 7 different lip liners and glosses (Charlotte Tilbury lip liner in the shade Pillowtalk and Victoria’s Secret lip gloss in the shade Dazzling are my all-time favorites)
- Face powder and a powder brush (Charlotte Tilbury flawless finish powder is also my favorite for powder)
- Sunglasses I got on the side of the street in Santorini
- Miscellaneous photo booth pics from nights out with my friends
- Icebreaker mints
What’s in YOUR bag?
The alluring charm of the “What’s in My Bag” trend over the years rests within its assortment of nostalgia, vulnerability, and peculiarity. Whether it’s a peek into a celebrity’s purse or a TikToker’s whimsical haul, the trend has become more than just product recommendations. In the digital media age overwhelmed by trends, a glimpse into the contents of a bag is a rare moment of vulnerability and authenticity. From Jane Birkin’s overflowing Hermés purse decked out with charms, to Ariana Grande’s essential oils and stash of Ricola’s, we are reminded that sometimes, the smallest detail says the most about who we are.
So, what’s in your bag?
About
Lila is the fashion and beauty editor. She is a sophomore from New York City double majoring in Design and Communications with a minor in SLAM. In addition to writing fashion articles, she is a ballet dancer and enjoys vintage shopping, painting, listening to music, and spending time with her family and friends.
Lila is the fashion and beauty editor. She is a sophomore from New York City double majoring in Design and Communications with a minor in SLAM. In addition to writing fashion articles, she is a ballet dancer and enjoys vintage shopping, painting, listening to music, and spending time with her family and friends.
