Dad bods are in, and bum bags are in, unveiling the truth behind the oft-cited Mahatma Gandhi quote, ‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.’
Time was you would have been booed out of a party if you rocked up with a bumbag strapped around your middle. Similarly, a beer belly used to be something you would just tuck away beneath self-deprecating slogan t-shirts.
Now it’s 2019 and both belly appendages are treated with the pride and prominence they deserve. And, as a low-key chubbster with a nostalgic fondness for nineties fashion, I couldn’t be happier.
Dadbag has perfectly blended these two fashion must-haves into a product which will make you feel like a shirtless dad tending to a boozy BBQ circa 1997.
Not only does the Dadbag make a bold and body-positive statement, it is also pretty goddamn practical for those heading off to festivals this summer. The Dadbag allows plenty of room for all your essentials: keys, wallet, tickets, and – of course – a handy can of beer.
There are six styles of Dadbag to choose from, allowing for a variety of skin tones, hairiness and general roly-polyness.
Personally, I’m tempted to go full throttle and opt for the Sherman purely based on the impressive fuzz factor. However, the Wolfgang certainly captures the inevitable lobster sheen of my summer skin.
This gloriously flabby bag was created by London-based art director Albert Pukies, who reportedly had his eureka moment in the run up to Father’s Day.
In an interview with Lonely Planet, Albert explained:
I thought that it could be funny to feel like a dad instantly with a strap-on belly.
I obviously missed Father’s Day but I’m glad that it still worked.
Albert has received a bit of criticism for his unusual design, with Canadian journalist, Layla Cameron condemning the bags in her blog as perpetuating ‘fat oppression and discrimination’:
Many people who identify as fat have suffered relentlessly from the social opinion that fatness is a choice and something that can be shed.
For those of us who move through this world as a fat person, watching people put on and take off a fat identity (something we have most likely tried to do ourselves using harmful and traumatic methods) feels like a cruel joke.
It is rubbing in the faces of fat people something that we are told to desire, yet despite our best efforts, will never have. We will never get to laugh along because we will never get to take it off.
However, despite such critiques, Albert told Lonely Planet the response has been mostly positive:
Most of them are positive but also irritated.
I had the same reaction when I first created the prototype, but it’s meant to provoke strange reactions.
You can find out more on the Dadbag website and Instagram.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.