Everyone knows what most women are aiming for when they make a purchase at Victoria's Secret: They want to be sexy.

But a new study says they might not have to wait until they get home to feel that way. For some, it's all about the bag.

A University of Minnesota study, due out in December, finds that for some women, just carrying a Victoria's Secret bag can affect the way they perceive themselves and their personal qualities.

"These people carried the bag for an hour and as a result felt more glamorous, more sexy and more feminine. They didn't even use or wear any of the products," said marketing professor Deborah Roedder John, who conducted the study with Ji Kyung Park.

John said the study underscores that some women can be very affected by brands in a way that has nothing to do with the product.

"A brand like Victoria's Secret, people think of that as being very sexy and glamorous and feminine," she said. "We were interested in finding out, if you use that brand, will you start to believe that you are more glamorous, sexy feminine?"

The answer, she said, is a resounding "yes," but only for a particular type of personality.

The researchers, who asked female mall shoppers to carry around either a Victoria's Secret bag or a regular pink shopping bag, learned that women who believe their personality is fixed and can't be improved through their efforts perceived themselves as more attractive than those with just the plain bags.

It's these women, she said, who are most affected by using a brand. "They kind of need a crutch to lean on in order to feel better about themselves," she said.

On the flip side, women who believe their personalities are malleable and can be improved were not affected by which bag they carried.

Maple Grove resident Judy Covar, who was shopping at Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka this week, thinks it's silly that a woman can feel sexy because of a bag. "A bag can't give you that. Those things start in your mind."

But St. Paul resident April Hill gave the idea at least a chance. "There's underwear, and then there's Victoria Secret. It's the first [bag] you notice; it's very distinctive."