Another blog post supporting men wearing skirts

[Jim2]

It seems like there are more and more people blogging in support of men wearing skirts. For example, http://imaginaurium.com/anarres/2015/05 ... #more-1549

I just wish people would stop describing the wearing of a skirt as expressing "femininity". The association of a skirt with women was simply a mistake of our culture.

[crfriend]

I just wish people would stop describing the wearing of a skirt as expressing "femininity". The association of a skirt with women was simply a mistake of our culture.

Unfortunately "comments are closed" on the article as I was going to have a bit of a go at some of the author's premises.

She does nail it a bit by stating that femininity has been traditionally viewed as "inferior" in Western Culture, but she fails to recognise the dramatic rise in "masculine behaviour" in women in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries -- to the point where most women are more "masculine" than their male counterparts. This observation has led me to wryly comment more than once that, "It's not so much environmental oestrogens I'm worried about it's an over-abundance of environmental testosterone that concerns me." And it's not just external styles that women have been adopting, either; they've become much more aggressive, much more competitive, and generally more ill-tempered and bad-mannered -- all the bad things that "testosterone-poisoning" leads to; unfortunately, there hasn't been much of a perceived motion toward the good things -- the innate desire to get things done, a sense of protectiveness for those close to them (frequently to the point of altruism), and the capacity to buck the herd when the need arises and to be completely independent.

On the use of "clothing to constrict the wearer", with the exception of stupidly high heels I disagree with her premise on all counts. From experience, I have discovered that I can do virtually anything in a long skirt with a petticoat that I can in trousers. This includes basic physical acts like moving at a run, climbing stairs, and other activities -- without much constraint. Her attitude is that of someone who has never tried such things and learnt how they work. The use of steps with a low rise, for instance, is not confined to "Women's buildings" but also has seen application i places like hotels and concert venues (where a sense of gentility is encouraged), and this is in late 20th Century buildings constructed long after the faux-male rebellion began. I still recall with hilarity the stink made by "women" where I used to work when a new building was constructed on campus that is a thoroughly 21st-Century edifice with a positively splendid open atrium with architectural elements like glass risers in the staircase to enhance the sense of airiness -- it was shrill enough to almost break that glass. "That's the last time I wear a skirt at work!" was the mantra of many faux-males there; one of my last acts was a defiant walk on said stairs -- wearing one of my skirts -- just as a social counterpoint.

So, the "gender arguments" break down, and they break down the "farther along" we get societally. Are we headed in the right direction? The problem is, is that men -- for all their braggadocio and swagger -- tend to be a fairly sensitive lot when it comes to peer pressure, and one of the things that they're most sensitive about is being perceived as "less manly" than the rest of the school-yard boys. So we cower out of fear -- not so much because of what Suzy might say, but from what Johnny might do (and we might get beat up over). In this case, if Suzy doesn't like it if I wear a skirt that's her problem and flags her as somebody not worth my time (the "bozo" or "bimbo" effect), and if Johnny has a problem then I'll just have to deal with his issues until ultimately bystanders and/or the State take him down for bad behaviour.

Wearing a skirt in the modern world isn't such a horrible thing in the 21st Century. As has been written before, most folks are so consumed by just trying to survive -- much less prosper -- in their own little worlds that they will have little time nor energy to expend on a free-thinker who dares to dress differently from the herd. Sure, they'll notice, and possibly comment under their breath, but nothing more will come of it, and if one is courteous and engaging one can usually win the day that way and convince folks that it's not the clothing that matters but rather what's inside that does -- and perhaps, just maybe, another mind gets opened just a little tiny bit. And you've not even once compromised your masculinity -- for yours is the real thing, not an act nor a put-on (which, in the case of women, gets scrapped the instant it might become a problem and being feminine gains her an advantage).

[dillon]

It goes back to the historical bias which is basically that "masculine" is good and virtuous and superior; therefore it is a trait worthy of emulation and imitation. For that reason, it was not really unnatural for women to pursue male attire and avocation; because it was masculine, it became a worthy goal. "Feminine", however, was, and to a great extent is still seen as inferior - weak and ineffectual and to be scorned and disregarded. Therefore, for a man to take up anything associated with women at whatever point in time was inadmirable and an unthinkable blemish upon his inherent manhood. That included things like long hair and jewelry, and certainly to don a skirt or dress or even certain fabrics, was viewed with disgust. The sad truth about this attitude is that it isn't just a male conspiracy, but that women too have bought into the myth of their own inferiority, in as much as anything excessively feminine is not to be regarded as serious or equal, but rather as frivolous and silly. And that's my complaint with traditional Feminism. It is only a vehicle for women to be more like men rather than for an individual to be whatever or however she or he desires or feels.

[TheSkirtedMan]

It goes back to the historical bias which is basically that "masculine" is good and virtuous and superior; therefore it is a trait worthy of emulation and imitation. For that reason, it was not really unnatural for women to pursue male attire and avocation; because it was masculine, it became a worthy goal. "Feminine", however, was, and to a great extent is still seen as inferior - weak and ineffectual and to be scorned and disregarded. Therefore, for a man to take up anything associated with women at whatever point in time was inadmirable and an unthinkable blemish upon his inherent manhood. That included things like long hair and jewelry, and certainly to don a skirt or dress or even certain fabrics, was viewed with disgust. The sad truth about this attitude is that it isn't just a male conspiracy, but that women too have bought into the myth of their own inferiority, in as much as anything excessively feminine is not to be regarded as serious or equal, but rather as frivolous and silly. And that's my complaint with traditional Feminism. It is only a vehicle for women to be more like men rather than for an individual to be whatever or however she or he desires or feels.

I concur Dillion and I think it could always be but the ever increasing number of men choosing a more open and liberal approach to their clothing and including via skirts it should change. It is also how men are whilst in these alternate clothing. When out of my local area you can some are standoffish with me as if I'm some strange creature form outer space yet those within my locality know who I am and basically still a man, the man they know and have known, just a preference to dress differently. Many out of my locality are the same once they have been in my company for a while. The wider society will adjust as more and more men wear alternate clothing but are still the same men they always have been. It's like many things in life that change, many moan and complain but later accept it as if it has always been. There will no doubt always be some who are anti men in skirts but then that happens in many aspects of life but many men who do not want to wear skirts are changing compared to 10 years or more ago even the definition of being masculine. I note the present attitude but an optimist for the future of men in skirts and societies perception that basically it is only a preferred choice nothing to do with gender, masculinity or femininity.

I have read the article and a link now appears on My Observations page of my site.