If ever there was a trend that I didn’t think would return, it’s the fanny pack. I proudly rocked the look back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We’ve got dozens of family vacation photos from those days, each family member with a fanny pack strapped around his or her waist. Back then they were mostly made from nylon and came in a rainbow of neon colors.
Now, the fanny pack is back!
Only now they’re calling it a belt bag. Celebrities are wearing them on the street and on the red carpet. Gwyneth Paltrow wore one on a walk to the farmers market with her husband. My best friend asked me to track it down for her because she wanted to buy one. That was my first inkling that the fanny pack might be back for real people, in real life. But I still didn’t think I could do it myself.
Then I saw a mom wearing a fanny pack on a putt-putt course with her family.
And I thought, “How convenient! She can carry all of her stuff but doesn’t have a purse or giant diaper bag getting in her way!” Then I thought about all the times I needed more than just a pocket to carry my wallet and my phone (and maybe a single diaper and small pack of wipes) but didn’t want to bother with a purse. Or something to leave my hands free that wasn’t as bulky as a backpack. Bike rides. A walk to the corner store or the coffee shop. Trips to the playground. Maybe the fanny pack is actually a fashion trend that, unlike most others, makes mom life easier! And maybe that means I can get on board with a fanny pack after all…
