Different reactions to kilt and skirt

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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Caultron
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Caultron »

skirtyscot wrote:Arizona must be full of broad-minded guys. Excellent!
I don't know about full; Arizona has about 6.5 million residents, so each of these broad-minded guys is still one in a million.

OTOH, you do see hundreds of guys wearing kilts at, "Highland Games," events, even the police.

We have about six of these festivals every year, each in a different city and time of year. They usually have drum-and-bagpipe marching competitions, caber tossing, hammer throwing, sword dancing, food trucks, merchandise vendors, clan historians, and so forth. The one in Phoenix has a show of antique British cars. And yes, you can buy both utility kilts and traditional kilts right there and put them on.

And people do get married in rental kilts sometimes, just to avoid the usual monkey suit.

And you also see a lot of kilts at the annual Renaissance Faire.

And some guys are still afraid to go out.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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pelmut
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by pelmut »

During last weekend I was helping out at a canal Open Day. One of my jobs was to make the tea for visitors using a wood-fired kettle, so I decided to wear a plain denim skirt rather than risk getting my best kilt pickled by the smoke. For the rest of my 'ensemble' I was wearing a black tee-shirt, long black socks and steel-toe-capped safety boots. Apart from long hair tied back with a 'scrunchie', I don't think there is anything particularly feminine about the rest of my looks and I have never been mistaken for a woman whilst wearing a kilt.

During the whole day there were only two comments from the public as far as I know: the first was an elderly chap who started telling me a long yarn about a transvestite character in a television series. I explained that my skirt was a mans' skirt; designed by me (a man) made by me (a man) to fit me (a man) because I wasn't a transvestite and wouldn't ever want to wear women's clothing. You could see his mind blanking-off, completely unable to cope with this information.

The second comment was later relayed to me by a colleague who was asked "Is that a man or a woman?" Did the enquirer really think that, on balance, a skirt and a scruffy pony tail were a better indicator of my sex than a stubbly chin, flat chest, male body shape, size 9 (UK) boots and deep voice? ...apparently he did.
There is no such thing as a normal person, only someone you don't know very well yet.
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couyalair
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by couyalair »

I think there are three categories of men:
Those that have never even thought of a skirt as an article of clothing,
And those that would like to be free of constriction and seize any possible plausible occasion to get into a kilt (Scottish events, ceilidhs, games, where it is usual) plus those that have never dared to take even the first step,
And of course the 0,00001% of the population that have adopted freedom and don,t care who knows it.

I don,t think there is much hope of converting the first lot. They have no imagination.
The second lot may step out of the box more and more often, though many of them will travel to and from the event in trousers rather than risk being seen as eccentric.
The third lot are here on Skirtcafé, Rock mode.com, Intermis, i-Hej.fr, KSF (Kilt society de France), and the Brazilian and Dutch forums whose names I can,t remember.
Will we ever be a majority?

Martin
orthohawk
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by orthohawk »

couyalair wrote: The third lot are here on Skirtcafé, Rock mode.com, Intermis, i-Hej.fr, KSF (Kilt society de France), and the Brazilian and Dutch forums whose names I can,t remember.
Will we ever be a majority?

Martin
Gawd, I hope not! "Subverting the dominant paradigm" is a lifestyle hobby of mine :lol:
Grok
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Grok »

I too like the idea of subversion. :P
xman29
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by xman29 »

couyalair wrote:I think there are three categories of men:
Those that have never even thought of a skirt as an article of clothing, ...
I don,t think there is much hope of converting the first lot. They have no imagination.
There is some hope as I am in my 40s and have never considered a skirt as an article of clothing for men. I have never felt a desire to wear traditionally women's clothing and still don't. I did just last week though decide to get two non-traditional kilts (one was an Elkommando and the other was a utility-type kilt) and wore the first around two cities just to see what it felt like. I had no problems. My kids asked why I was wearing a dress. I said it was not a dress, but a type of skirt called a kilt and designed for men. That was the end of it with them. My wife doesn't like it though, which is my current social pressure to not wear it as I should be considerate to her. My current take is that the Elkommando could be confused for a female skirt, so I am sensitive to her issues with it and in fact sensitive to wearing it around people I know in general (though this week I wore it in front of the cleaning women, my father, the nanny, and a mother who dropped her kid off to play with my kids). The other one looks much more like a men's kilt, and I think her not understanding that just reflects on her lack of knowledge on the subject - so I don't feel pressure to avoid that one and think she should just get over it.
Last edited by xman29 on Wed Jul 20, 2016 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by xman29 »

skirtyscot wrote:As long it is unbifurcated and runs from the waist downwards then it is a skirt. A kilt is just a style of skirt!
Yes. A kilt is a skirt that is designed for men and is pleated on the back and of a wrap-around design. Traditional people will often not like the new American utility versions and say that they are not kilts and just skirts. But that is nonsensical as so are traditional kilts skirts, and both types are designed for men, wraparound, pleated on the back, and knee-lenth. So really, both are kilts - one being traditional Scottish and one being contemporary American.
Last edited by xman29 on Wed Jul 20, 2016 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by xman29 »

Chris Webb wrote:when I wear a Tartan kilt that doesn't meet the parameters of Scottish Tradition it sometimes elicits negative remarks.
Just don't wear a tartan fabric, and problem is solved. Wear a solid color.
Chris Webb wrote:Here in the USA most men who wear kilts use the heritage excuse to do so.
I feel the same way about men who say that kilts are so much more comfortable - it is just an excuse when they really just like the kilt. When people ask why they wear it - their answer should be "You mean this one in particular today? Or in general? Oh - because I like it." One should not need an articulable reason to wear one. I never hear women say that skirts are so much more comfortable and no one asks them why they are wearing pants. I have been wearing a kilt a lot this week. It is more comfortable in some ways, and less in others. For one, the fabric slaps on your legs as you walk and you don't feel that in shorts. Also shorts keep my thighs separated which is not bad for me because I am a size 30.
Chris Webb wrote:In my mind it is the man who dons an outright skirt in defiance of societal norms, or even simply in compliance with his own desires, that has the respect of the trousered world around him.
That would be nice, but I don't think other people think that. They just think homosexual - just like they thought it when men started wearing earrings. And for that there was the whole left ear vs right ear thing, but that is long past and now men can wear earrings wherever they want. So things do change due to brave people who decide to go first.
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Caultron
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Caultron »

xman29 wrote:...My wife doesn't like it though, which is my current social pressure to not wear it as I should be considerate to her...
This is a common problem. You know your relationship best but generally, I think it's best to keep up a gentle pressure, accept slow progress, and avoid blow ups that could become deep-seated.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by JamesKelsey »

Caultron wrote:I think both the bagpipes question and the Scottish question often mask the more basic question, "Why are you wearing that skirt, or, um, kilt? I can't imagine why anyone would do that." So they ask me an evasive question, I give them a smile and an evasive answer.

If they manage to ask the real question, the closest real answer (at least for me) is, "I've been wearing pants all my life. I'm tired of it."
HA! "I'm tired of it"... I wish they had a 'LIKE' button here.
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by mishawakaskirt »

JamesKelsey wrote:
Caultron wrote:I think both the bagpipes question and the Scottish question often mask the more basic question, "Why are you wearing that skirt, or, um, kilt? I can't imagine why anyone would do that." So they ask me an evasive question, I give them a smile and an evasive answer.

If they manage to ask the real question, the closest real answer (at least for me) is, "I've been wearing pants all my life. I'm tired of it."
HA! "I'm tired of it"... I wish they had a 'LIKE' button here.
I found this saying on a t shirt. It might be a good shirt to have to wear with my kilt.

What do you think?
If anyone comments on your kilt or skirt one could reply. " well one down, one to go"
Mishawakakilt
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Mishawakaskirt @2wayskirt on Twitter

Avoid the middle man, wear a kilt or skirt.
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Gordon »

I like it. I'd wear that shirt. Would be fun.
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Namaste,
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Ray
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Ray »

That tshirt wouldn't work so well in the UK - advertising that you're not wearing pants wouldn't be a good thing. Nobody wants to know you are going commando!
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Couya
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Couya »

I have not given up any of my responsibilities just because I gave up wearing pa... trousers.

No connexion.

Martin
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Re: Different reactions to kilt and skirt

Post by Darryl »

Yup. I think the "having responsibilities" puts us square in the middle of 'real men wear pants.' Why can't a skirted man have responsibilities?
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