Shoulder pain has become the most ignored and overlooked problem in Jackson-Reed, with a demand for chiropractors on the rise. This phenomenon is due to the decline in backpacks around school and the rise of a newer and more fashionable replacement: purses. 

While backpacks used to be the most prominent back-to-school purchase, they have now decreased in sales, popularity, and trendiness. But what is the cause of this switch? What’s making students want a shoulder bag rather than a traditional backpack? 

Personally, I have been an avid purse user since the 8th grade as backpacks could never match my unique style the way purses have. Through the switch from a backpack to a purse, I have removed the weight of unnecessary items: a million pens and markers that would dry out, extra makeup products, notebooks for classes that I never used. 

Now I feel I have become more organized, carrying only  the necessities I know I need for the school day. In my bag I carry my computer, charger, 4 pencils, 1 pen, my AP Lang book and a folder, a pack of gum, and my wired headphones. It even fits my Yondr! 

I love the character that comes with the purses I buy and thrift for school and enjoy switching them out every two months or so. My advice to people who might want to make the switch is knowing the reality of how many items fit in your necessary checklist for school. 

Our JR community has also spoken out about why there has been a switch and if we should continue or go back to the previous all star of back-to-school shopping. Junior and purse user Sandy Nguyen states, “I think purses are cuter and more organized, as it’s easier to grab my things because it is right next to me. I do think that my shoulder hurts more now, and backpacks are better for that.” Junior Marcus Demammos says, “I have seen an increase in purses/handbags. I think I can rock a shoulder bag, though backpacks are better because we have a whole bunch of stuff to carry.”

Ultimately, it seems that style has been prioritized rather than efficiency, functionality, and, most of all, back and shoulder health. Will the backpack soon become extinct with this growing favorability for a shoulder bag? And will the backpack ever receive redemption and regrow its popularity? So JR students, which type of bag do you prefer?