Hysterical. Not.

Hysterically funny? I don't think so. I must have fallen out of the loop, lost touch with the fabulous things Gucci comes up with. What better use for $3990? A new purse! Maybe if I get that $5,000 tax break for health insurance from McCain . . . More on the bag at Luxist. There's a link to Saks in case you're itching to "add to bag" as they say. Beware. No more than three of these every thirty days:

Gucci
Hysteria Python Bag/Medium
Medium top handle bag in black python with double handles, detachable shoulder strap, magnet snap closure. Metal Gucci crest detail. Inside zip, cell phone and PDA pockets. 17"W X 14"H X 3"D. Made in Italy.
DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, A CUSTOMER MAY ORDER NO MORE THAN THREE UNITS OF THIS ITEM EVERY THIRTY DAYS.

Catherine Price has her hysterical take on it in Salon today: . . .

but I find the Hysteria collection, well, hysterical. Mostly, it's for an etymological reason -- the word "hysterical" comes from the Greek "hysterikos," which means "womb." Or, more specifically, "disorder of the womb," a definition that dates back to the ancient Greek belief that the uterus was a free-floating organ that wandered through the body as it saw fit, bumping into other sensitive body parts (lungs, heart) and causing problems wherever it strayed. ("The Rogue Uterus" -- coming soon to a theater near you!) Physicians thought hysteria had something to do with sexual deprivation (though pretty much any female behavior could be considered "hysteria," especially if male physicians didn't understand it), and in the Victorian era, its treatment involved "pelvic massage" with what we'd now call vibrators -- which makes me wonder if some of those distressed ladies weren't a tad bit more clever than their doctors realized.

I wonder what could I get in trade for my Hysterical bag on Swaptree? (Check out the description on the Very Short List.) Dang, I forgot. They only handle books, CDs, DVDs and Video Games.

I feel a new businees coming on. Swaptree, Gucci style. Who's in?