Random person yelling 'what are your pronouns'

[timemeddler]

Of course I think if anyone brought up pronouns to my face my response would be a rather dry uninterested sounding "very funny".

[Mouse]

@Mouse Hi, thank you, circle skirts do have a lovely flow to them, how does a latex one behave?

So far I have made three circle skirts in latex. Two of them were made in 0.4 mm latex and were below the knee, both flowed with a certain weight around me in a pleasing way, if you like latex. You can see the first here http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/viewtop ... 39#p257539 and the second here http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/viewtop ... 22#p258322 Yes, both skirts are blue. The first was my first experiment in latex, the second is a transparent blue and better made.

The latest skirt was made from 0.2 mm and that is just so fine and delicate. I like to wear that one on top of a fluffy petticoat and it just floats. As here http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/viewtop ... 36#p260736 and http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/viewtop ... 46#p261746. As you can see, I mix latex with other fabrics, depending on what look I am going for.

[Mouse]

The whole trans / LGBTQ thing becoming very mainstream as of late makes me much more cautious than I'd otherwise be about the situations I'm willing to wear skirts in public, and given this experience will be sticking to wearing them mostly for dancing, where people are intelligent enough to realise 'skirt twirling is fun for anyone'.

I wear skirts all of the time for work and play. Yes, I change my skirts from a black kilt to "look at me" skirts depending on what I am doing, who am I meeting and where I am going. But so would any skirt wearing woman. In London, you see so much diversity in dress, that a man in a skirt is nothing special. I held the door to Selfridges, for a guy in a long white silky material skirt, intending to strike up a conversation about skirts. However, glancing up at his face and hat, I realised that this would be a bad idea and just smiled, as you do.

I wouldn't let one loud mouth spoil your enjoyment of skirt wearing. You will find, if you wear skirts a lot, most people just "Don't Care". Then again, some will tell how much they like your style. Big thing is be confident and go about life without fear.

[Faldaguy]

Hey Robe... I am just another chap that has been wearing skirts, of all sorts, daily for years, both at home in Costa Rica and while travelling and visiting afar, which we do fairly often for extended periods -- and my experience is as most here have expressed -- a big nothing. I've never had anyone pull the intentionally obnoxious number you experienced, though on a very few occasions there has been a look that may have been less than complimentary, but even those are rare and, frankly, like everyone else, I am paying little attention to others. I have had plenty of compliments, and a few times when folks may make a comment or question that just opens the door to a brief conversation to share the experience. Once, an elderly woman in an Assisted Living facility we were visiting asked why I was wearing women's clothes -- that is about the "harshest" comment I've had-- and that was not hurtful to me nor distressing to those with or about me that I could see. Anyway, like the others, I'd certainly not let some moronic wise-ass spoil my day or my freedom to wear what I dang well please anywhere and anytime. Do you really want to be controlled by that clown or anyone other than yourself? Go forth, enjoy, have fun -- in a skirt!

[moonshadow]

I can remember a time, not so long ago, before "transgender" was a household word, males who behaved femininely would often be called derogatory names like "Mary", or "Nancy-boy", "Sissy", and of course... "Woman".

Now here we are in 2024 where social meanness seems to be in vogue (a cancer that seems to have metastasized in a few passive aggressive shots here on this website unfortunately). Anyway, now some of those feminine guys have came to terms with who they are and proudly proclaimed "I am indeed a woman", then those same bullies turned right around and said "NO!!!! YOU'RE A MAN!.... A MAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Jesus I wish people would make up their mind.

Oh well, not like it matters much. I've realized in my travels that people are pretty f-cked up everywhere. I remain amazed that we have any freedom at all as barbaric as this species tends to be.

[robehickman]

I can remember a time, not so long ago, before "transgender" was a household word, males who behaved femininely would often be called derogatory names like "Mary", or "Nancy-boy", "Sissy", and of course... "Woman".

Now here we are in 2024 where social meanness seems to be in vogue (a cancer that seems to have metastasized in a few passive aggressive shots here on this website unfortunately). Anyway, now some of those feminine guys have came to terms with who they are and proudly proclaimed "I am indeed a woman", then those same bullies turned right around and said "NO!!!! YOU'RE A MAN!.... A MAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Jesus I wish people would make up their mind.

Oh well, not like it matters much. I've realized in my travels that people are pretty f-cked up everywhere. I remain amazed that we have any freedom at all as barbaric as this species tends to be.

Yet nobody seems to stop and question why we have such a narrow-minded ideology around what male clothing 'should' be.

[STEVIE]

Yet nobody seems to stop and question why we have such a narrow-minded ideology around what male clothing 'should' be.

Hi RH,
Welcome, but do some reading and you will find a plethora of answers to that one.
I can assure you that we do stop, we do question and we damn well get out there to challenge it head on.
Don't think for one moment that you are the first, you're not!
Well done with the dancing though, just expand your horizons as you gain confidence to.
Steve.

[robehickman]

Yet nobody seems to stop and question why we have such a narrow-minded ideology around what male clothing 'should' be.

Hi RH,
Welcome, but do some reading and you will find a plethora of answers to that one.
I can assure you that we do stop, we do question and we damn well get out there to challenge it head on.
Don't think for one moment that you are the first, you're not!
Well done with the dancing though, just expand your horizons as you gain confidence to.
Steve.

My intent was in regards to why society as a whole doesn't question this, and not concerning anyone on this forum. I've been googling 'why don't men wear skirts' and similar phrases intermittently for for more than 10 years as its a 'dumb societal rule' that I find interesting to follow. I'm entirely aware that men used to wear things we'd consider skirts and dresses today.

[crfriend]

My intent was in regards to why society as a whole doesn't question this, and not concerning anyone on this forum. I've been googling 'why don't men wear skirts' and similar phrases intermittently for for more than 10 years as its a 'dumb societal rule' that I find interesting to follow. I'm entirely aware that men used to wear things we'd consider skirts and dresses today.

This is entirely likely down to our pitifully short lives, even shorter memories, and a reliance on the notion that "We've always done things this way!" (which history proves false, but the average person cannot grasp).

[Myopic Bookworm]

Someone passed me in the street the other day and mumbled something about "he or she", but I ignored it, and it's unusual. I do have a couple of "HE/HIM" lapel badges that I occasionally deploy.

[STEVIE]

Try this

https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics ... irts-meet/
I'm the one in red, Skirtyscot is my compatriot.
For what it worth, skirt like garments worn by men in the past are in no way comparable to a skirt as we know it today.
I do not use history to explain nor try to justify my own fashion tastes to anyone.
Personally, I find most of society, merely tolerant, what I wear is ignored.
Very few accept men in skirts at an individual level, even fewer can wholly embrace the concept.
The upshot of that is simple, most men won't try it and that will not likely change anytime soon.
Maybe this will help explain.
Steve.

[TSH]

My intent was in regards to why society as a whole doesn't question this, and not concerning anyone on this forum. I've been googling 'why don't men wear skirts' and similar phrases intermittently for for more than 10 years as its a 'dumb societal rule' that I find interesting to follow. I'm entirely aware that men used to wear things we'd consider skirts and dresses today.

This is entirely likely down to our pitifully short lives, even shorter memories, and a reliance on the notion that "We've always done things this way!" (which history proves false, but the average person cannot grasp).

I'd also like to add human tribalism and entitlement over what other people should wear based on one's own personal feelings about the attire of another person. People (typically males insecure about their masculinity) want to push kilts as being a distinctive category of garments instead of just a different type of skirt (which is what they are and what every dictionary accurately label them as) when there's no logical basis for doing such, so when you tell them about the Egyptian shendyt, or the Southeast Asian sarongs, or the various types of skirts still worn by men in India like the lungi or dhoti, they either simply deny it, or just refuse to accept that these ARE just other types of skirts people wear — male or otherwise.

The idea that men shouldn't wear skirts because they don't "look appealing" to certain people is asinine. It's basically just rebuking the right of others to wear what they please because you personally don't like it. Anyone who makes a statement like this is unbelievable.

@Robehickman If you find misanthropes within some of us here, this post is an abbreviated summation of that disdain for humanity.

[robehickman]

My intent was in regards to why society as a whole doesn't question this, and not concerning anyone on this forum. I've been googling 'why don't men wear skirts' and similar phrases intermittently for for more than 10 years as its a 'dumb societal rule' that I find interesting to follow. I'm entirely aware that men used to wear things we'd consider skirts and dresses today.

This is entirely likely down to our pitifully short lives, even shorter memories, and a reliance on the notion that "We've always done things this way!" (which history proves false, but the average person cannot grasp).

I'd also like to add human tribalism and entitlement over what other people should wear based on one's own personal feelings about the attire of another person. People (typically males insecure about their masculinity) want to push kilts as being a distinctive category of garments instead of just a different type of skirt (which is what they are and what every dictionary accurately label them as) when there's no logical basis for doing such, so when you tell them about the Egyptian shendyt, or the Southeast Asian sarongs, or the various types of skirts still worn by men in India like the lungi or dhoti, they either simply deny it, or just refuse to accept that these ARE just other types of skirts people wear — male or otherwise.

The idea that men shouldn't wear skirts because they don't "look appealing" to certain people is asinine. It's basically just rebuking the right of others to wear what they please because you personally don't like it. Anyone who makes a statement like this is unbelievable.

@Robehickman If you find misanthropes within some of us here, this post is an abbreviated summation of that disdain for humanity.

Practically though - women used to get attacked for choosing to wear trousers but now nobody notices, people got used to it. If men just started wearing skirts then others would get used to it pretty fast, and it is quite normal already in some folk dance communities to consider skirts as un-gendered. Apparently males in skirts has been common in the American contra dance scene since 2000 or earlier, and there are examples of dances on YouTube from 2010. A great deal of contra dances have switched to gender free calling also.

People like to defend the norm when in many cases what they are defending is nonsensical, dysfunctional, or outright broken. It manly seems to be some people within the autistic neurotype that bother to ask if things make any sense.

[Barleymower]

I have had some comments but not for a long time. No point in going into what was said. As you can imagine I'm seen out close to my house, so maybe that's it: people got used to me.

Like most of us I've done a fair bit of googling on the subject and leading up to 2018 MIS was gaining pace. Since then however things like pronouns, the genders debate, the trans debate, feminist groups and the war on woke has lead to a significant withdrawal of acceptance for what is seen by the the casual observer for trans women.

That's right, you heard me right. Wear a skirt and your everyday public might assume you are trans. However, this MIS is now being acknowledged (occasionally) as a hetero guy . Dog walking really helps. People do stop and speak to fellow dog walkers. It has been said to me that that CIS men in skirts is the best thing for normalising MIS.

I also take heart from a recent article I saw where Lady Gaga was accused of being a man:
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity ... interview/

She NO made effort to refute the claim. The reason she didn't was this:

Lady Gaga said "I’ve been in situations where fixing a rumor was not in the best interest of … the well-being of other people,”

People's bigotry is the problem, and other groups with their own nefarious reasons, smashing innocent minorities with no punching power to promote their own (nasty) objectives.

[TSH]

This is entirely likely down to our pitifully short lives, even shorter memories, and a reliance on the notion that "We've always done things this way!" (which history proves false, but the average person cannot grasp).

I'd also like to add human tribalism and entitlement over what other people should wear based on one's own personal feelings about the attire of another person. People (typically males insecure about their masculinity) want to push kilts as being a distinctive category of garments instead of just a different type of skirt (which is what they are and what every dictionary accurately label them as) when there's no logical basis for doing such, so when you tell them about the Egyptian shendyt, or the Southeast Asian sarongs, or the various types of skirts still worn by men in India like the lungi or dhoti, they either simply deny it, or just refuse to accept that these ARE just other types of skirts people wear — male or otherwise.

The idea that men shouldn't wear skirts because they don't "look appealing" to certain people is asinine. It's basically just rebuking the right of others to wear what they please because you personally don't like it. Anyone who makes a statement like this is unbelievable.

@Robehickman If you find misanthropes within some of us here, this post is an abbreviated summation of that disdain for humanity.

Practically though - women used to get attacked for choosing to wear trousers but now nobody notices; people got used to it.

This is rather reductive, because the situation was more complicated than women suddenly just wearing pants.

If men just started wearing skirts then others would get used to it pretty fast, and it is quite normal already in some folk dance communities to consider skirts as un-gendered.

Again, this is not a simple matter of men just wearing skirts, because the average male wouldn't think of wearing one, for a multitude of societal, psychological, and personal reasons.

Apparently males in skirts has been common in the American contra dance scene since 2000 or earlier, and there are examples of dances on YouTube from 2010. A great deal of contra dances have switched to gender free calling also.

MiS may have some footing in dance circles, but if it's been acceptable for decades, yet still hasn't caught on in the greater sphere of fashion, we need to investigate why that is.

Also, not that I doubt you, but I'd like to see some of these YouTube videos, if it's okay with you.

People like to defend the norm when in many cases what they are defending is nonsensical, dysfunctional, or outright broken. It manly seems to be some people within the autistic neurotype that bother to ask if things make any sense.

As someone who was diagnosed to be on the spectrum as a wee toddler, it would explain my near neurotic analyses and the ways I've questioned the world around me while my peers and relatives don't even try to ponder why "this is okay, but not that". It'd also explain the harsh disparagements I made towards society and the world at large for years.