Milfmog wrote:skirtyscot wrote:I don't follow how that helps to get people thinking that skirts are OK for men. If a kilt is seen as being in a special category of its own, neither trousers nor skirt, and is accepted as menswear, how can wearing a kilt get people thinking that a skirt is menswear too?
Promoting kilts will NOT help to get skirts recognised as menswear. However, it may get more men to try a kilt and realise how much comfort they have been missing out. If those men continue the thought process and realise that other kinds of skirt will be as comfortable, but lighter, cheaper, easier to clean etc, etc, etc they may just try a skirt.
So promoting kilts could indirectly increase the number of men trying skirts.
Have fun,
Ian.
The way I see it is like this. In countries like Australia, everyone here knows what a kilt is and accept it as a men’s garment, but outside of a marching bands you will never see a guy wearing one. By promoting kilts, we are promoting the IDEA of wearing an unbifurcated garment, without the stigma of a skirt, and the positives such as, women love it and it looks cool and masculine. Here in Australia, men really just don’t know that they can wear an ubifurcated garment if they want to, even if its a kilt or sarong. Guys here think that the only options they have are only pants or shorts. By getting men to see that they DO have the option to wear unbifurcated garments in a garment that is already a socially acceptable mens garment, then the idea of introducing different men’s skirt designs will not be so much of a taboo. Once men are comfortable walking around in kilts and utility kilts then the idea of other skirt designs (which has been pointed out, can be cheaper, lighter, easier to clean) will become more acceptable. Moreover, as designers play with the idea of modernising the kilt, they will begin to create more skirt like designs.
Could you imagine the day when walking through the shopping centre you see on the (male) manikins all different kinds of kilts designs, because kilts have become the lasted fashion trend to hit mainstream for men. Not just tartan kilts but kilts in all different materials and even designs. When I see this in the shop I would say that we have just about won our fight, because other skirt designs will only be a style away. We are already one foot in the boat with kilts. Women love them, guys think they are cool, it would be so easy to make them popular, with a little organised effort. Once kilts are in fashion, making skirts of all different designs acceptable will be much easier if not a natural evolution.
This may be different in Scotland or England were a kilt may be seen more in a tradition sense and not associated with other skirts, but in other western countries I believe that the mentality would be much like Australia. In saying all this, I will be continuing to wear skirts (just try and stop me) but I believe our fight may be better won with the kilt, and with the kilt I intend to fight the good fight. We have seen a real revival of the kilt, especially in US and europe. We also see that people are far more inclinded at this stage to accept the kilt than other skirts. I think this final taboo will be better won through gradual change and thats why I think the kilt may be our trump card to play with, our tool to getting the job done.
In My Own Opinion.
