Sitting in Skirts and Kilts

[new2skirts]

Like another person who posted I sit like Prince, now King Charles with knees together. I got my first kilt 78 years ago when i was six and it was mainly my Scottish cousin's Nanny who taught me, and presumably him as well, to sit with my knees together, angled slightly away from anyone sitting opposite. Also to always smooth the pleats beneath me as I sat down. Now I am 84 arthritis and age make it hard to keep knees together for a long time, especially as this is very much a time for kilt wearing with family and friends. So I sometimes just sit with one knee on top of the other.
I think manspreading is the result of insecurity about one's masculinity, which may be why some men in kilts feel driven to do it. Don't fall for the Going Regimental stuff either. I think most men prefer to wear dark underpants. As I write this mine are black. And those who started kilt wearing as children almost always wear underwear, same as when they were a boy. No same parent woul let a six year old child run around wearing an open at the bottom garment without underwear.

I am with you about sporrans banging about where they do. I don't wear them either. Your choice of kilt and lighter material is great. I am sure you will love it. You are also going to find that kilts seem much more acceptable to many people than a skirt

I'm just the same in a kilt... there's pleats to manage but sit like King Charles with knees together. Even in a regular pencil skirt at work I sit with knees together, unless I am at my desk where I have even noticed some women sit with legs apart (if under their desk and away from view). The fit of the skirt naturally draws knees together. Naturally you dont intend to flash anybody, even though it occasionally happens, like getting out of a seat or uncrossing your legs. Sometimes the breeze up one's skirt is nice on a spring day

[mr seamstress]

Is there proper etiquette in sitting? It depends you ask. I found a TIKTOK video instructing children ln sitting. Scroll down to next video and see female instructor instructing boys not manspread. As you scroll you will find more TIKTOK videos about etiquette in sitting with different instructors. The first video instruct girls to sit lady like.

https://www.tiktok.com/@fromtheinsideou ... 3706843447
Scroll down far enough and find girls are manspreading, just as boys. Enjoy.

I also found an article saying this sit like a lady etiquette is out of date and can harm females mentally.

https://www.thinkingineducating.com/the ... ke-a-lady/

Then there is this article about getting skirts fit properly regardless of sex.

https://www.robesdecoeur.com/blog/lets- ... yze-skirts

[crfriend]

Offhand, I'd not reference sources like TikTok for advice on social etiquette because (1) it's run from afar in China, (2) is absolutely "current" (and has all the problems with laxity that "currency" has in matters like this), and (3) may not have any actual backing in culture, thinking, or etiquette.

Historical photographs -- especially group photographs, or ones showing numbers of people together -- are most instructive, and still surprisingly easy to find.

Men with legs crossed at the knees are very, very common from the early part of the 20th Century. Every so often, you'll spot a guy with 'em crossed at the ankle, but not as common as at the knee. Those without crossed legs are almost invariably with knees together and straight.

As a physical matter, I'll either cross at the knee or the ankle, and if I need to sit with them parallel and together (or crossed at the ankle), set off at an angle to take up as little space as possible (it being a function of the length of my femurs which aren't hinged and don't bend well). The main point is to take up as little public space as one could so as not to inconvenience others. Those ancient dicta have been famously thrown away in today's self-centred world where it's all about "ME!"

Every now and then, our forefathers got it right. They also got a lot of it wrong, and it's the faulty thinking that's been passed down and perpetuated rather than the stuff that actually worked rather nicely.

Whither civility?

[Damon]

C R Friend wrote

Historical photographs -- especially group photographs, or ones showing numbers of people together -- are most instructive, and still surprisingly easy to find.

Men with legs crossed at the knees are very, very common from the early part of the 20th Century.

Men from the early part of the 20th century are very likely to have spent their early years wearing dresses. The higher up the social scale the older they will have been before being breached, that is dressed in britches, at least to age 5 or even 7. They will almost certainly have been given the same training as their sisters in how to sit modestly. If they grew up to wear kilts they almost certainly wore them as boys.
When we had family gatherings in Scotland, my cousin Robert's Nanny insisted that all the children not only sit with their knees together but hands placed flat on our laps, one on top of the other, palms down. And no fidgeting. And children only speak when spoken to. "Children must be seen but not heard." My parents were quite progressive for the period, just post war, so it was an interesting insight for me for a couple of weeks to get a taste of an almost Victorian childhood. My dad said to treat it like travelling through time.

[new2skirts]

Some of those articles posted are handy, but sadly do contradict each other... the second article encourages girls to be less constrained by a skirt, but truth be told most will naturally sit with knees together due to their hips. I'm sure muscle memory of having perhaps worn a skirt the day before will make a lady sit the same way in slacks or jeans. Nothing wrong with that, it's just what society in general may dictate.

Even if out with another skirted man, I naturally keep knees together and might be less likely to show tomorrow's laundry even if in a casual relaxed setting. It's how I wish to sit. In my skirt. I may choose a certain type of hosiery or underwear or skirt type compared to some guy in a circle skirt etc... we can overthink it...

Same goes for kilts. Probably in kilts, few may take a more casual approach with knees farther apart. It's more for comfort and most lads may not care who sees what. Look at Tartan Army fans when Scotland play soccer.

Don't overthink it or people will observe your uncomfortable vibe and not your great fashion choice