MESSENGER BAGS: THE NEWEST TREND IN BOOKBAGS MAY BE BAD NEWS FOR YOUR BACK
By Jessica Lin, The Stanford Daily

From stiletto heels to tongue piercings, sometimes fashion trends verge on the side of danger. The newest trend in backpacks — messenger bags — may join the collection of fashion accessories that are not optimal for your health.

The ubiquitous messenger bag, a rectangular pack with outer flaps and one shoulder strap, started becoming trendy about five years ago. The bags were first worn by mostly by just girls and then later by both genders.

Messenger bags are sold at the Stanford Bookstore, and many people can be found wearing them on campus. Yet despite their popularity, they could be actually worse for your shoulders and spine than traditional backpacks.

Alina Liberman, a freshman, has been using a messenger bag since the first day of classes this year.

“I really regret buying my messenger bag,” Liberman said. “It’s annoying and hurts my back a lot.”

Liberman and other ailing students have a valid reason for complaining of back and shoulder pain. David Edell, a sports medicine specialist at Stanford Interventional Spine Center explained how this new trend could be harmful.

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