Lemondrop

Say what you will about the oversized purse trend, but a cavernous bag can make a pretty decent bulletproof shield when stuffed completely full of crap you don't really need.

Elizabeth Pittenger, a 22-year-old student at Middle Tennessee State University, was remarkably unharmed after being shot at by an unknown assailant. She was walking to her car late at night, when the armed man demanded her purse, cell phone and laptop. She fought back (perhaps because her fantastically expensive jumbo-purse had given her a false sense of invincibility) until he fired on her and fled.

Puzzled at how she survived, Elizabeth looked inside her purse and found that a calculator, umbrella and small case had all helped to stop the bullet.

To anybody who's ever accused us of having a purse full of "useless" junk: Joke's on you, sucka. Next time somebody takes a shot at you, you're going to wish you had our broken compact, empty Altoids tin and four bags of airline pretzels. And if a big purse isn't your thing, just make sure you're carrying around a bowling ball at all times, and you'll be just fine.


Also on Lemondrop: Purses aren't just good for stopping bullets. Check out these hunger-satisfying handbags.