About a tie - then a gem

[Charlie]

I was idly reading the local weekly paper when I came across a regular column. The columnist was talking about ties. Boring I thought as I read it ... then there was this golden nugget at the end

When it comes to clothes, a massive inequality exists between the sexes.

Women can get away with wearing anything - at posh social functions they can doll themselves up in the most bizarre and glitzy of dresses. Men at such "black tie" dos are restricted to black suits, white shirts and dinky little dicky-bows. Slight variations are permitted, but anything that severely detracts from the impression of a pack of waddling penguins is frowned upon.

And while on the subject of gender inequalities, why is it that it is quite acceptable for a woman to dress almost exactly like a man (black trouser suit, white blouse - very chic) but there is no way within normal society that a man can dress like a woman?

If I turned up at work tomorrow wearing a skirt, I'd cause shock and outrage - although actually, I think my legs aren't that bad looking.

Why must men - unless they're Scottish or strange - be perpetually confined to trousers?

I'd love to wear a light, flowing skirt, not through any cross-dressing desire, but just to experience the freedom of movement it offers.

Maybe tomorrow I'll give it a try.

The link is 'Spry ties' at:

http://www.wellsjournal.co.uk/displayNo ... nd=newPage

I just had to write a letter to the editor:

I must agree with Steve Leighton's sentiments in last week's Double Take about the inequity of men's clothing. We really do have a poor choice and I'll admit to a sneaking envy when I see a woman in a flowing skirt, particularly when I'm sweating in trousers. I too would love to wear a skirt, but strictly as a man - no wigs, makeup or heels or trying to look or act as a woman. After all, women manage to wear jeans without losing their femininity, so why shouldn't a man wear a skirt without forfeiting his masculinity? And being Scottish isn't a pre-requisite for wearing a kilt - you can get non-tartan kilts made from denim, corduroy and leather with cargo pockets, thus eliminating the need for a sporran. Oh, and if you haven't tried it, driving a car in a skirt is far more comfortable than driving in trousers.

Charlie

[Sarongman]

"Scottish or srange---grrrr

[Milfmog]

"Scottish or strange---grrrr

Well, I'm not a scot so...

Maybe there's a flawed assumption here? Good to see someone else supporting the view that men's fashion choices are restricted.

Have fun,


Ian.

[crfriend]

Good to see someone else supporting the view that men's fashion choices are restricted.

Indeed! The article was very upbeat on distinguishing ones-self from the herd by way of clothing choices. Yes, ties are one way of doing that, but when the columnist broadened the concept to include skirts my heart just soared!

[Milfmog]

I've posted the following comment against the story:

You asked: "Why must men - unless they're Scottish or strange - be perpetually confined to trousers?"

I guess that seems a fair question, but who says you have to be a Scot to wear a kilt? There is a wide variety of casual kilts appearing on the market, ranging from cheap, polycotton, copies of traditional kilts to modern interpretations made from denim or corduroy with cargo pockets.

And anyway, what's wrong with being strange? Your ties are and they raise a smile so why not try a skirt? You never know, you may like it and could become a trendsetter...

Have fun, and if that means being strange look on it as a way of helping others to smile through their day,


Ian.

So far no one else has commented.

Have fun,


Ian.

[Colin]

Good news - Thanks Charlie for reporting to us and well done for your reply. Thanks also Ian for your comment which appears on the Wells Journal site.

Have fun.

[Charlie]

I didn't know you could comment on the article, hence the letter to the editor. However, Milfmog's comment might make it to print because they do publish a selection of comments from various forums (or should that be fora?) associated with the paper. Publication day is Thursday so I'll let you know.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Well, the letter duly appeared in the paper, with the heading "I'd love to wear a skirt". It gave rise to an interesting conversation with a colleague at work, who agreed that driving in a skirt probably is more comfortable (he hasn't tried it).

He then asked how did I get into skirt wearing. It's a long and complicated story, so I said that I'd always felt that way.

Thinking back, it probably started when I was a kid in the early 1950s. All the females back then wore skirts, and all the males wore trousers. I often wondered why this was, and in my naivity (I was only a small boy then and knew nothing of girls, except my sister), assumed there was 'something' about women that made it better for them to wear skirts (how wrong I was). I asked my mum why girls wore skirts and boys wore trousers ... I'm still waiting for an answer 50 years later, so I assume there is no answer.

The skirt thing went dormant for some years while I got on with my life. All through the 60s and 70s women still wore skirts and dresses more than trousers. However, when women started wearing trousers more than skirts, the skirt question came back to life. Being older and a little wiser by then, I re-examined the girls = skirts, boys = trousers question and came to the conclusion that there is no logical reason, seeing that now the women wear skirts or trousers.

I love to experiment and, while other will sit and talk about 'what if', I like to go and do it. So, I thought I'd try a skirt, to feel what the women experience. The freedom, the comfort (you know the rest ) and I was hooked.

After that, thank heaven for the internet and Tom's Cafe (bless him).

Milfmog's comment didn't make it into print

Charlie

[Skirt Chaser]

Charlie, you're my hero for getting the word out in the newspaper about men being able to choose skirts. Thanks for taking the time to write it and congrats on getting it published!