Walmartians

Clippings from news sources involving fashion freedom and other gender equality issues.
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alexthebird
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Re: Walmartians

Post by alexthebird »

For a group of people who have deliberately made fashion choices that are outside of the mainstream, i think that the reactions to these pictures (not to mention the pictures themselves) are a little mean-spirited.
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skirtingtoday
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Re: Walmartians

Post by skirtingtoday »

Here is a warning message to over-weight people who have to go on an extreme diet to lose weight - note there are a couple of naked pictures on this link and it's not a pretty sight.

For the record he SHED 46 stone (292kg) to get to his current weight of 24 stone (152kg). Maybe some of those heavier Walmartians should take note...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-22457765
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on" - Winston Churchill.
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it" - Joseph Goebbels
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Caultron
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Re: Walmartians

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alexthebird wrote:For a group of people who have deliberately made fashion choices that are outside of the mainstream, i think that the reactions to these pictures (not to mention the pictures themselves) are a little mean-spirited.
Well, they're certainly being made fun of, and I guess that is mean-spirited in a way.

But the point is that here are all these people making just awful decisions on what to wear and yet being tolerated. And if the general public can tolerate that, they can get tolerate a man in a skirt.

I've seen women in thong exercise gear shopping at Target, and just a couple of weeks ago I saw a young woman shopping in a black, mostly-lace, sheer-backed party dress. Now, those sort of things are pretty rare, and nobody should start hanging around Target stores expecting a fashion zoo. But they point out that people wear all sorts of fashion variations in public, and while the public may notice, for the most part it just shrugs them off. They've become used to the unusual.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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Caultron
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Re: Walmartians

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skirtingtoday wrote:Here is a warning message to over-weight people who have to go on an extreme diet to lose weight - note there are a couple of naked pictures on this link and it's not a pretty sight...
I can empathize. Starting about four years ago I lost 150 pounds and while I'm not nearly as bad off as this fellow, the residual loose skin is still unattractive.

But at $10,000 for a tummy tuck, $10,000 for a butt tuck, $10,000 for a thigh tuck and so on, I just live with it and avoid speedos.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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STEVIE
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Re: Walmartians

Post by STEVIE »

"But the point is that here are all these people making just awful decisions on what to wear and yet being tolerated. And if the general public can tolerate that, they can get tolerate a man in a skirt."
Hi Caultron,
I just can't get the hang of quoting, but here goes.
The "people" in these pictures are not really being "tolerated", they are just having the p***s ripped out of them by the publication of these shots. As for "choices", I suspect that at least some of them may have mental health issues but that is a separate one.
My problem is really, that every Tom, Dick or Harry now thinks it's O.K. to photograph anything, anybody in any situation and that's wrong.
In my own case I would never take a photo of a complete stranger without their pemission, simple manners.
There is one exception, anyone who is participating in a public display, such as a parade, that's fair game.
I'm also afraid to say that the "no face, non profit" arguement doesn't justify it either.
I really do doubt how much more tolerant we have become over the years.
Steve.
That said I'll still go about my own skirted business.
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skirtyscot
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Re: Walmartians

Post by skirtyscot »

I agree completely with alexthebird and Stevie.

Presumably those Walmart customers were tolerated by the store managers, though in the case of the woman who appears to be naked from the waist down, you do have to wonder why. Obviously their money is as good as anyone else's, but a line has to be drawn somewhere and I'd say she had crossed it. But to what extent were they tolerated by their fellow customers? Were they stared at, verbally abused, beaten up in the car park? We don't know.

And it is a salutary reminder, seeing skirted men among the people who we are invited to sneer at. We gather here in our little corner of the internet, where our extremely rare line of thinking about clothing meets with unanimous approval. Some of us venture out of our houses skirted, with great trepidation at first and deliberately not looking at the reactions of onlookers. But are we as jarring to the eye of Mr Average as the size 30 women who failed to squeeze into their size 10 trousers, or the unfortunates who didn't make it to the toilet in time?
Keep on skirting,

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crfriend
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Re: Walmartians

Post by crfriend »

skirtyscot wrote:[... I]t is a salutary reminder, seeing skirted men among the people who we are invited to sneer at. We gather here in our little corner of the internet, where our extremely rare line of thinking about clothing meets with unanimous approval. Some of us venture out of our houses skirted, with great trepidation at first and deliberately not looking at the reactions of onlookers. But are we as jarring to the eye of Mr Average as the size 30 women who failed to squeeze into their size 10 trousers, or the unfortunates who didn't make it to the toilet in time?
It is possible that we are, and that is precisely why we must try to get our looks as perfect as we can get them (and stay within our own aesthetic), for if we don't we open the door very wide indeed to ridicule. (Really, anybody that gets outside an increasingly narrow box gets that treatment.)

As to the mental state of the various "Walmartians", I, too, suspect that some are likely "unhinged" but with the way things are going in US society there's not much that can be done on the matter. (It's a long story, much of which is nonsensical to the person of average intelligence.)

But, the above does go to show that we need to try very hard indeed to present a positive image when we're "out and about" in the world. One "Walmartian" shot can do more damage than a dozen shots of guys in skirts who do it well.
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Caultron
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Re: Walmartians

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In the current age of smartphones, very little happens in the world without someone getting a photo or video. Just look at the massive number of photos and videos people contributed after the recent Boston Marathon attack.

And some of those photos are going to make it online. I saw a statistic some time ago that 350 million photos a day get uploaded to Facebook, and I assume the number has gone up since then. From there, it's easy to believe that a billion photos a day get uploaded to the Internet as a whole.

That's not to say privacy is a lost right. But realistically, whenever you leave your house, you should probably be prepared for someone to catch you in a photograph.

I didn't like it either that the collection included two photos of men in skirts. I almost didn't post the link for that reason. But hopefully, we look a good bit more presentable than the guy with the red hat or the one in the shapeless purple dress (or is it a housecoat?) And I thought the message was, "People wear all kinds of stuff in public, some odder than us, so don't sweat it."

Poor taste? Maybe. But there's something that inevitably draws people to train wrecks.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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crfriend
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Re: Walmartians

Post by crfriend »

Caultron wrote:I didn't like [the "Walmartians"] either that the collection included two photos of men in skirts. I almost didn't post the link for that reason. But hopefully, we look a good bit more presentable than the guy with the red hat or the one in the shapeless purple dress (or is it a housecoat?) And I thought the message was, "People wear all kinds of stuff in public, some odder than us, so don't sweat it."
Indeed, but it is worth noting that digi-cams are ubiquitous these days so the onus is on us -- as skirtsmen -- to make sure that we present a compelling image that engenders emulation. The guys in the "Walmartians" entry did not.
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Taj
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Re: Walmartians

Post by Taj »

Re: photography, I was photographed a couple of summers ago whilst fly fishing in the middle of South Boulder Creek, Eldorado Springs, CO and wearing a camo Utilikilt. No waders, but river sandals, shirt, and fishing hat. At first I felt defensive, but quickly realized I looked like any other Colorado eccentric and probably presented a good fishing photo.
You don't get to judge me by your standards. I have to judge me by mine.
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couyalair
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Re: Walmartians

Post by couyalair »

We've seen all sorts of photos of skirted gents on this forum: some looks I have liked more than others, but I don't think any of them can be compared with the Walmart pics.
As far as I can tell, most skirted and kilted men take care to look tidy, smart, regular guys, not provocative. They've chosen size and style and checked in the mirror before leaving the house. We may be thought wierd but not mentally deficient or offensive. Those Walmart pics on the other hand do betray a lack of awareness, of self and of society.
I would not be offended if anyone took photos of me if they find me picturesque, since I choose to dress the way I do. Those customers should not be offended either. If they are, then we can hope that being made fun of may encourage them to make them reconsider things.
We should not criticize people's appearance if it is something they have no control over (such as height, skin colour, deformity from birth or accident), but most of us can control our weight, hair colour and clothes.

Martin
STEVIE
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Re: Walmartians

Post by STEVIE »

Hi Martin,
I must agree that, in the pics and looks threads that there are good and not so good shots.
However, and I may be corrected, there are none that the subject is unaware of being photographed.
I'd also agree, in general, that we should present as "right" as possible on every skirted occasion.
I too, have no great aversion to being on the business side of the lens but only on "friendly" terms.
Too much photography now, professional or amateur, only seeks the worst in the subject.
In a nutshell, that is my gripe. The rant is done.
Steve.
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