You know how when you’re packing for a trip—any trip, really—there are two categories: clothes and everything else?
Back in my 20s and 30s, heading out for a fun weekend with friends, my bag was 90% cute clothes—trendy skirts, dresses, tops, bathing suits, shorts—and maybe a toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo. Boom. Done.
Recently, I’ve noticed a not-so-subtle shift.
The amount of clothes and shoes has quietly shrunk to make room for… everything else.
Bathroom products (which I will not inventory for the sake of my self-esteem), charged devices (phone, laptop, electric toothbrush, wireless speaker, multiple headphones), hair tools, Yeti mugs (with my decaf black tea bags), gum, all varieties of glasses, binoculars (just in case), concert ear protection, a string bag, sleep mask, umbrella, something to read, a hat, swim goggles, Band-Aids and antibiotic ointment…
You get the idea.
On a recent trip, it hit me: there’s an inverse relationship between age and the percentage of clothing in your suitcase. In other words, the older I get, the more non-clothes “stuff” I have to bring—and the less I seem to care about the actual outfits.
After all, women of a certain age are fully operating in our invisibility era. So really, who cares what we’re wearing as long as it’s comfortable, wrinkle-free, and black—and passes the “no pajamas on the plane” test?
(If you missed my thoughts on that particular superpower, here you go: https://paulaspoint.com/2026/03/12/the-superpower-of-the-invisible-woman/)
This definitely falls under #firstworldproblems, and maybe it’s just me.
But tell me… am I the only one packing like this now?
