Laughed at ...

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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Reaper_Man
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Laughed at ...

Post by Reaper_Man »

So last night i went to a meeting at a local pub, it was a meeting about pub issues and to get to know the new landlord/lady, It is a pub that i visit regularly and am known by most of the regular clients and thus they are familiar with my skirt and dress wearing.

on route to the pub i needed to call at a local convenience store in order to get some cash from their ATM which is located inside the store, i was wearing the tartan dress in the picture below (it's an old picture as i don't have one from last night ... also i no longer have the facial hair and the necklace wasn't included) as it's winter i wore a white lightweight cotton blouse under the dress along with black tights and a pair of black walking boots, as i entered the shop a woman who was stood waiting in the queue at the till started laughing and made a comment that i didn't quite hear, she continued to laugh and stare at me whilst i used the ATM, she then called her daughter over (who was looking at something in one of the aisles) with the words "hey [daughters name] come and look at this, the daughter promptly arrived and asked what the mother had wanted her to look at, the woman blatantly pointed at me and said "look at that" the daughter looked at me smiled and turned to her mother and said "is that all" and promptly returned to the aisle she was previously browsing, the woman looked around at other people in the shop looking for some sort of reaction that they also thought it was funny .. she received a few blank stares both from 2 other customers and the 2 members of staff that were in the till area .... she swiftly grabbed her item that she had now finished paying for .. shouted her daughter and left

the woman i'd guess was in her mid to late 40's and the daughter was probably 14 or 15 years old, such a shame that the woman thought a bloke in a dress was so hilarious and yet her young daughter didn't even bat an eyelid.

since i started wearing skirts and dresses i have found that many women aged 30 to 50 are the ones that have issues whilst older and younger women/girls don't seem to care at all, men on the other hand seem to be fine with it with only the under 25's being the main group that have a problem with it

anyway here's the dress
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by Fred in Skirts »

It just shows to go ya that the younger and the older crowd of women think it is nothing to be bothered with. But the middle aged crowd of women don't like it that we as men have decided to wear what we want.:lol: :lol:
I go everywhere in skirts and some places lately in dresses, I don't even pay attention to what is being said around me. I have had some very nice complements made directly to me. So I don't worry about the great unwashed any more.

I wear what I want to wear and the H-e double hockey sticks to those who deem it unfitting. :hide: :rofl: :hide:

By the way I like the dress and I would wear it for sure.
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
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hairy
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by hairy »

I too find its the middle aged women that react adversely but myself never really had problem with them. They just tend to hope that someone will join them for a pathetic giggle because they feel insecure about there looks.
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by STEVIE »

We create a degree of confusion in some people. They have no idea how to react and revert to simple attempts at mockery.
I faced the same reaction from a mid-aged group who I encountered on a near daily basis.
The "hoots", p***sed me off quite royally and it showed.
Then I simply told them that they really should try to "get out more often"!
That struck something, these days, it's a simple "Good Morning".
We even had a "Happy New Year" moment in early January.
If that sounds easy, it covers a period of some months of being thoroughly "annoyed" by these cretins.
Progress, I reckon I did make them think again.
Steve.
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denimini
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by denimini »

Sounds like someone who hasn't progressed socially past the age of 8. Sad for a person that age, could have early onset dementia. I have had a "Mummy, look at that man" which is OK for a child.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
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Caultron
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by Caultron »

I don't sense any special negativity from any age group of men or women. I get it more from apparently low-income people. I suppose because they have more immediate things to worry about.

As to your encounter, it would be interesting to know what your disapproving middle-age woman said.

I must say, to my eye, that's not the most stylish outfit you have there. It strikes me more as of a house dress than anything a well-dressed man or woman would typically wear going out. So it'd be interesting to know whether she was reacting to the idea of a man wearing any dress, or to a man wearing that dress.

Then again, casual is casual and there's no accounting for taste. There are some 3,999,999,999 people on earth who don't share your middle-aged woman's opinion. Or mine.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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moonshadow
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by moonshadow »

I get most of my laughs from women I'd say, late teens to late 20's, early 30's.

You know... the generation of women that think it's our job to look a certain way for their viewing pleasure... :roll:

Likewise, men in that age group never bother me, and most never laugh, however older men (50+) normally give me the ugliest looks.

Older women (50+) are usually very friendly!

Anyway, don't let it get ya down Reaper Man. I get laughed at with almost every outing. I don't even pay any attention to it anymore, in fact, often times I don't even notice it, and rather learn of it later when Jenn or Amber tells me.

I remember a couple of months ago, there was a group of very obnoxious young women (late teens/early 20's maybe) that were having a time pointing, snickering, laughing, etc, at the local Walmart.

I found myself getting a little annoyed. Especially considering they were wearing trousers! So with Amber and Jenn standing there I began to strike up a rather "loud" conversation about how stupid it is for girls who are wearing pants to be laughing at a man for wearing a skirt! (I used the words "pants", as in these parts, bigots tend to be idiots and don't know what "trousers" are).

"What kind of dumb assery is going on with those girls??"

"Listen to them... they sound like a bunch of valley girls! Like oh my Goooowd! Like, totally yuck, eeeewww!"

What's funnier is when we got to the parking lot, I discovered they were actually parked right next to our car, once I realized this, I decided it was a prime time play "Valley Girl" by Frank Zappa full blast, look their way and make silly faces and mock them!

Wiped that sh!t eating grin of their faces we did! :lol:
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Sinned
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by Sinned »

There's nowt like being embarrassed when laughing at something and then finding that you're the only one doing so. It tends to highlight that you're the fool, not the one that you're laughing at. Especially after the reaction of her daughter. Don't take any notice of her.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
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Pdxfashionpioneer
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by Pdxfashionpioneer »

Like Dennis and Caultron said.

Over the last year and a half I have gotten nearly no negative comments, reactions, etc. so I couldn't give you an age bracket for it. For sure older and young women tend to be very complimentary, but I can't say that women in that 30-50 year old age bracket aren't.

You hit a fool that made a fool of herself and not you.
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Social norms aren't changed by Congress or Parliament; they're changed by a sufficient number of people ignoring the existing ones and publicly practicing new ones.
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robert
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by robert »

It must be regional differences for shore. It is surprising for me to hear how often it happens to some of you. I very seldom get laughed at. Of course it has happened many times, but it is seldom. Actually, it is getting longer periods between each time compared with how it was in the beginning of my skirt outings. Maybe I have more confidence, and don’t look so scared, but I really think the region I am living is changing. I really believe acceptance in the society is increasing.

I don’t see any special age groups that laughs more than others. The only thing I have discovered is that people below 30 are the most accepting, independent of gender. It gives hopes for the future.
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Reaper_Man
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by Reaper_Man »

Oh i didn't let her laughter bother me, i just ignored her completely which i think also annoyed her as i think she was waiting for a reaction from me.
Caultron wrote:it would be interesting to know what your disapproving middle-age woman said.
yes it would have, unfortunately i wasn't close enough to hear what she said but i'm guessing it was a mocking comment.
Caultron wrote:It strikes me more as of a house dress
it's actually a very nice dress ... the picture doesn't really do it any favours as it was taken quickly on a phone some time ago in order to illustrate what i had bought, on it's own (as in the pic) it doesn't look great but with a blouse or something underneath and some leg wear it's not a bad dress .... probably not a night out type dress but i was only going to the local for a couple of hours for a meeting with other pub locals (it's a group of 'friends' supporting the local pub that was at risk of closure) it was an informal meeting so casual dress was fine.

incidentally the laughing woman was wearing trousers ... how ironic :D
BorderXing

Re: Laughed at ...

Post by BorderXing »

STEVIE wrote:We create a degree of confusion in some people.
well said! Here is some history that I have found interesting and helpful.

http://bipartisanreport.com/2016/06/19/ ... 5-genders/
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Uncle Al
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by Uncle Al »

I've read the article and find it most interesting :!:

The article:

"Before European Christians Forced Gender Roles,
Native Americans Acknowledged 5 Genders"


It wasn’t until Europeans took over North America that natives adopted the
ideas of gender roles. For Native Americans, there was no set of rules that
men and women had to abide by in order to be considered a “normal”
member of their tribe.

In fact, people who had both female and male characteristics were viewed
as gifted by nature, and therefore, able to see both sides of everything.
According to Indian Country Today, all native communities acknowledged
the following gender roles: “Female, male, Two Spirit female, Two Spirit
male and Transgendered.”

“Each tribe has their own specific term, but there was a need for a
universal term that the general population could understand. The Navajo
refer to Two Spirits as Nádleehí (one who is transformed), among the Lakota
is Winkté (indicative of a male who has a compulsion to behave as a female),
Niizh Manidoowag (two spirit) in Ojibwe, Hemaneh (half man, half woman)
in Cheyenne, to name a few. As the purpose of “Two Spirit” is to be used as
a universal term in the English language, it is not always translatable with the
same meaning in Native languages. For example, in the Iroquois Cherokee
language, there is no way to translate the term, but the Cherokee do have
gender variance terms for ‘women who feel like men’ and vice versa."


The “Two Spirit” culture of Native Americans was one of the first things that
Europeans worked to destroy and cover up. According to people like American
artist George Catlin, the Two Spirit tradition had to be eradicated before it
could go into history books. Catlin said the tradition:

“..Must be extinguished before it can be more fully recorded.”

However, it wasn’t only white Europeans that tried to hide any trace of
native gender bending. According to Indian Country Today, “Spanish
Catholic monks destroyed most of the Aztec codices to eradicate traditional
Native beliefs and history, including those that told of the Two Spirit tradition.”
Throughout these efforts by Christians, Native Americans were forced to
dress and act according to newly designated gender roles.

One of the most celebrated Two Spirits in recorded history was a Lakota
warrior aptly named Finds Them And Kills Them. Osh-Tisch was born a
male and married a female, but adorned himself in women’s clothing and
lived daily life as a female. On June 17 1876, Finds Them And Kills Them
gained his reputation when he rescued a fellow tribesman during the
Battle of Rosebud Creek. An act of fearless bravery.
Below is a picture of Osh-Tisch and his wife.

Image
Osh-Tisch (Left) and his wife (Right)

In Native American cultures, people were valued for their contributions to
the tribe, rather than for masculinity or femininity. Parents did not assign
gender roles to children either, and even children’s clothing tended to be
gender neutral. There were no ideas or ideals about how a person should
love; it was simply a natural act that occurred without judgement or hesitation.

Without a negative stigma attached to being a Two Spirit, there were no
inner-tribal incidents of retaliation or violence toward the chosen people
simply due to the fact that individuals identified as the opposite or both genders.

“The Two Spirit people in pre-contact Native America were highly revered
and families that included them were considered lucky. Indians believed that
a person who was able to see the world through the eyes of both genders
at the same time was a gift from The Creator.”


Religious influences soon brought serious prejudice against “gender diversity,”
and so this forced once openly alternative or androgynous people to one of two
choices. They could either live in hiding, and in fear of being found out, or they
could end their lives. Many of whom did just that.

Imagine a world where people allowed others to live freely as the people
nature intended them to be..without harm..without persecution..without
shame. Imagine a world where we are truly free.

Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :ugeek: :mrgreen:
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Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on ;) )
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I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by crfriend »

Uncle Al wrote:I've read the article and find it most interesting :!:

The article:

"Before European Christians Forced Gender Roles,
Native Americans Acknowledged 5 Genders"
I still suspect we're making more out of this than needs to be made of it. So there are five, loosely correlated into modern canine (which is surprisingly close to human) terminology, Alpha male/female, beta male/female, and "other".

There is no news here.

However, this:
In Native American cultures, people were valued for their contributions to the tribe, rather than for masculinity or femininity.
Wouldn't the world of today be a better place if the inhabitants thereof took this notion to heart?
Imagine a world where people allowed others to live freely as the people nature intended them to be..without harm..without persecution..without shame. Imagine a world where we are truly free.
Didn't John Lennon pen something along those lines a few years ago?

I'm actually being serious here instead of the usual sarcastic bastard that I am. These are supposedly universal ideals. What happened to change that? How can we get things back on the rails?
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
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moonshadow
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Re: Laughed at ...

Post by moonshadow »

Thanks for sharing BorderXing and Uncle Al for bringing it to the board!

It really is a simple way of life when you think about it... just be yourself, whatever it may be.

Me, being the spiritual man I tend to be, enjoyed the thought of "male/female" spirits, etc.

It is my personal belief (warning- religious view coming...) that souls are neither male nor female, and without diving too deeply into a religious debate (which I don't want), let me just say that it is those beliefs I hold that help me to not get all hung up on masculine and feminine traits I might have. I just endevour to be myself and follow my own heart and soul.

No more do I go about my life not doing this or that because "it's for girls"... if I want to do it.. I do it. In my own life and practice I have about eliminated any conditioned gender role(s) from my life. While I may not be allowed to wear "women's" clothing at work, in other ways I am still me, I'm not afraid to get a little passionate about something, and when someone in one of our stores tells me a tale of woe, no longer to I hide a tear, I let it go and deeply involve myself in the conversation.

* * *

Back on topic, though I can't be sure, when putting something in the trunk of my car today Walmart, I heard a woman hollar from the other side of the parking lot "f_____ing fa____ot!!"

Was she shouting at me? Who knows? 50/50. Could have just as easily be something else. But tomorrow, I'll still wear what I want. Nobody likes having an obscenity shouted at them, but... rednecks will be rednecks... And you know who's more obnoxious than a redneck man? A redneck woman! :shock:

And yet, the redneck woman, with the chaw in her mouth, cammo trousers, boots, shot gun rifle, shouting an obscenity to a man wearing a skirt is the perfect example of irony! :roll: Don't flatter yourself tootsie... you're not my type, you with your multiple child support checks! I prefer mouths that don't taste like whiskey, cigars, and methamphetamine! :mrgreen:

:puker: :rofl:
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
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