An overheard conversation

[Milfmog]

As usual on a Monday I went to the local supermarket after work today to get the weeks provisions. It was a fairly warm day and so I was wearing a lightweight camouflage print kilt with a polo shirt and deck shoes (no socks).

As I was pushing my trolley along the aisle I heard a young girl of about five ask the adult she was with "Why is he wearing a skirt? Men can't wear skirts."

The reply was "You're rather old fashioned dear. When I was your age, men only wore trousers, but in those days girls always wore skirts or dresses. You wanted to wear trousers tonight, why shouldn't he wear a skirt?"

I could not have put it better myself and did not see any need to add anything to that reply, so continued on my way apparently without hearing them, but with a huge grin on my face. It really made my day to hear that response to a five year old from a women well past her half century.

Have fun,


Ian.

[crfriend]

Plus five points to the woman and her comment! That is absolutely awesome. Thanks for sharing it, because it shows once again that some folks can, indeed, think for themselves.

[Big and Bashful]

That's excellent!

[Stu]

Interesting story, Ian, but I'm really not surprised. So long as the garment you are wearing, and the overall look, preserve a masculine appearance, people are generally either disinterested or even positively supportive. It's just not an issue and I think we can now accept that and not feel inhibited.

If, however, a man wants to adopt a distinctly feminine look, then that might engender a different response.

Stu

[skirted_in_SF]

As I was pushing my trolley along the aisle I heard a young girl of about five ask the adult she was with "Why is he wearing a skirt? Men can't wear skirts."

I was wearing a long wrap skirt walking to one of my local parks last year when I passed two young girls playing on the sidewalk. I heard one of them say to the other "Why is that boy wearing a dress?" Since it's been awhile since I've seen 50, I'm hardly a boy. And it was a skirt, not a dress. It goes without saying I didn't go back to correct her, but what are they teaching young people in school these days?

[Milfmog]

Interesting story, Ian, but I'm really not surprised. So long as the garment you are wearing, and the overall look, preserve a masculine appearance, people are generally either disinterested or even positively supportive. It's just not an issue and I think we can now accept that and not feel inhibited.

I was not surprised at the lack of hostility or surprise but was positively encouraged by the simple reasoning and the way it was put so that the child could both understand it and appreciate that she was wrong without having to be told she was wrong. If all parents and grandparents helped youngsters to think sensibly I feel certain that much of the blinkered prejudice that exists in society would disappear in a generation.

If, however, a man wants to adopt a distinctly feminine look, then that might engender a different response.

I also agree with this statement. However, I hope that the same thinking evidenced above will eventually eradicate the prejudice against all parts of the community. Sadly, I'm not expecting rapid progress on this.

Have fun,


Ian.

[Since1982]

Ian said: As I was pushing my trolley along the aisle I heard a young girl of about five ask the adult she was with "Why is he wearing a skirt? Men can't wear skirts."

Makes me wonder if the little girl was really saying "can't wear skirts" and thinking "musn't, shouldn't" or "isn't supposed to" wear skirts. I'd think she probably was thinking one of the secondary without realizing it. But we never really know, she "might" have been taught from birth the boxes men and women were stuck in at birth in Western Societies.

[Pythos]

"So long as the garment you are wearing, and the overall look, preserve a masculine appearance,"

I find myself disagreeing with this statement. In some circles it is true...but should not be. What someone wears, no matter how clearly the gender lines are presented, SHOULD never be a point of ridicule, unless the outfit is horrible looking.

I do not present a fully masculine, nor a fully feminine image...what are those anyway? Constructs, and constructs that need tearing down or remodeling.

This mother however, is a grand example of what we need. Now hopefully she will let her kids wear what they like so long as it is decent.

[johnb]

As I was pushing my trolley along the aisle I heard a young girl of about five ask the adult she was with "Why is he wearing a skirt? Men can't wear skirts."

The reply was "You're rather old fashioned dear. When I was your age, men only wore trousers, but in those days girls always wore skirts or dresses. You wanted to wear trousers tonight, why shouldn't he wear a skirt?"

I could not have put it better myself and did not see any need to add anything to that reply, so continued on my way apparently without hearing them, but with a huge grin on my face. It really made my day to hear that response to a five year old from a women well past her half century.

Ian.

Ian you couldn't have put it better if you had written the script for her. I bet that grin of yours lasted for quite a while.

John