I’ll be the first to admit TikTok trends usually make me roll my eyes so hard I can see my own brain. One week it’s something called an “everything shower,” and the next we are dumping food all over the counter and calling it a board. If it involves a new way to drink water or pretend I live in a Nancy Meyers movie, chances are I’ve already rolled my eyes at it. Twice. So when I first heard the phrase ‘purse bowl,’ I braced myself for another chaotic attempt at making something go viral. But here’s the thing: This one? Kinda..makes sense.

What Is the Purse Bowl?

Despite sounding like a luxury pet accessory or fancy salad people wait hours in line for, the purse bowl is, quite literally, a bowl for the contents of your purse. Not your purse itself, but the important bits. The keys, wallet, earbuds, lip gloss, emotional support item you can’t live without, and have to have for emergencies. The bowl lives near your front door or entryway table, and the idea is simple: when you get home, you empty the contents of your bag into the bowl. The next day, when choosing between a little sleek baguette bag or oversized tote, everything you need is already neatly corralled and ready to be scooped back in. No more digging through yesterday’s purse trying to locate your favorite Rhode lip balm or your AirPods that are somewhere at the bottom of that abyss.

The Trend Explained

Coined by TikTok creator @cocotakes, the Purse Bowl has joined the ever-expanding internet glossary of life hacks that kinda feel like they have existed forever. Sure, people have been tossing their keys and other stuff into little dishes next to the front door since, I don’t know, the dawn of domesticity? This isn’t necessarily groundbreaking stuff, but the Purse Bowl is more than just a generic drop zone. It’s a micro-system. A minimalist ritual, if you will. For people who rotate bags with their outfits and moods, it actually solves a very real problem: Stuff getting lost in the bag shuffle.

Why I’m Begrudgingly Into It

Being honest, bowls have always been the unsung heroes of household organization. My grandparents had one with peppermint candies, and, of course, my dad had one for spare change and random washers from work. Bowls have been silently absorbing our daily chaos for generations. I truly wanted to laugh this trend off, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to actually test it out. The more I tested it out, the more seamlessly it seemed to work its way into my daily routine. Now, instead of frantically digging through old bags like I’m on a game show called ‘Where is That ___', I just go over to my lovely little bowl and everything is just…there. Chilling out or put back in its rightful place where I can find it rather than hiding in an old bag. I’m not saying the Purse Bowl will fix your life. But it might make your morning just a tiny bit smoother, which is basically self-care at this point.

Final Thoughts

The Purse Bowl may not be revolutionary, but it is incredibly useful. It’s one of those trends that straddles the line between absurd and smart, which, let’s be real, is kind of TikTok’s entire brand most times. So go ahead and mock the trends, I sure do. But if you catch me shopping for a wide ceramic bowl that matches my aesthetic? Mind your business.

Long live the purse bowl. May your gloss be within reach and your keys never lost to the void of the bag again.