Comment is Free

[Stu]

I have just emailed the below essay to the Comment is Free section of The Guardian newspaper. I'll let you know if they publish it. I would appreciate your thoughts/comments.

Stu

Sauce for the Goose

Make-up for men is no longer the exclusive domain of the rock star: Superdrug is now marketing eyeliner and mascara for the male of the species. I have to say that it’s not my cup of tea. I can just about manage to comb my hair and have a shave, but the idea of faffing about in front of a mirror with an eye pencil holds no appeal. Moisturiser? Do me a favour! Like most other fifty-something geezers, I’m about as low-maintenance as you can get. Similarly, I have no interest in adorning myself with bracelets, neck-chains or ear-studs and my hair is kept cropped short. I am of the generation in which masculinity is synonymous with simplicity; my aim is to be well-groomed, not pretty. But times change and some members of my sex, mostly several decades younger than me, take preening and bodily adornment to a level which, in generations past, was viewed as the preserve of women. Good for them. In an age of equality, there should no longer be such preserves for either sex.
While men have been making inroads into what were traditionally female levels of vanity, there is a remaining manifestation of inequality which, I would argue, is far more fundamental and yet goes largely unchallenged. As a male, I am subject to a taboo that dictates I can never wear any garment that does not bifurcate the legs, specifically anything which is of the character of a skirt or dress. There are a couple of exceptions. If I happen to be a Scotsman then I am permitted in certain circumstances to wear a particular type of skirt so long as it conforms in cut, style, colour and pattern to that which makes it immediately identifiable as a kilt. If I am a patient in a hospital undergoing surgery, I can wear a garment which, in terms of its structure, resembles a dress. Other than that, I must never be seen wearing any item of clothing on my lower half which are not either trousers, or shorts (i.e. short trousers). This is nuts. Skirts and dresses are tubes of cloth, or wraps, and are the simplest garments into which a human body can be inserted. They have the advantage of being easy and cheap to manufacture, cool and loose to wear and they can actually look good, too. The prevailing social prohibition, which effectively bars 50% of the human population from utilising such a basic form of clothing, is illogical and discriminatory. Yet it is very rarely questioned or challenged.
Every so often, a designer will send a few brave young chaps onto a catwalk wearing some weird and wacky creations that could loosely be described as skirts. They have something of a novelty value, and may be spotted in some of the Capital’s trendiest nightclubs, but don’t expect to see the bloke next door wearing any such thing while shopping with the missus in Tesco. More promising ideas have sprung from suppliers like Utilikilts, but these are not available on UK High Streets and they tend to be pricey. And note the resistance even to the use of the words skirt and dress when describing something made for a male. So what’s stopping simple men’s skirts becoming mainstream? Why can we buy men’s mascara and men’s shirts in baby-pink, but it’s unthinkable to buy a plain, bog-standard denim skirt from a mainstream menswear outlet? We see shops selling men’s summer shirts and shorts in a pastel shades and bearing floral prints, yet the idea that a man’s suit should have a straight, knee-length skirt option is beyond the pale.
The fact is that many, if not most, people persist in seeing the un-bifurcated garment as irrefutably feminine in character although there is no basis for this perception beyond it being an established custom. It is regrettable that much of the resistance to expanding men’s choices in this respect comes from women. While enjoying the luxury of absolute freedom in their own sartorial choices, these women believe skirts are somehow unmanly by nature and thereby impute the same of men who might think of wearing them. Unfortunately, even women who accept that the status quo is unfair and indefensible, and claim to support the notion of men being able to wear whatever they like, more often balk at the idea of their own partners or sons donning such garments. In other words, men can wear skirts in theory, but not their men. And to think we call them the fairer sex!
Trousers were invented primarily for horse-riding - an activity chiefly performed by men in ages past. For many human activities in our own time, trousers are by far the most convenient mode of dress for both sexes. As stylish, smart and comfortable garments, trousers will always have a central place in the human wardrobe. It was right and proper that the utility and comfort of wearing trousers has become as available to women as it was to men. Now it is time for the advantages of un-bifurcated garments to be recognised and for males to be able to enjoy them without suffering social stigma or raising a question mark of their masculinity.

[crfriend]

That's a nice article, Stu. Here's hoping it gets published!

[Uncle Al]

Stu,

Great to read your comments again

Great article. I hope it doesn't end on the editing
floor

How is Kaz doing? Has she started her internship yet?

Don't be such a stranger to the forum, we miss you

Uncle Al
Duncanville, TX

[Stu]

Thanks crfriend and UncleAl. As soon as I know whether or not it's going to be published, I'll let you know.

Kaz qualified and graduated last month and is now working as a Grade F1 doctor at a hospital in Nottingham. She's already saved her first life, too! She correctly diagnosed an adult male patient with meningitis after a triage nurse told her he simply had a headache and asked her to write a prescription for strong painkillers. She often mentions "Tom's", as she still calls this place.

Stu

[Since1982]

Welcome back Stu, long time no read. Most of what you've written I heartily agree with, however on one paragraph I beg to differ....

The prevailing social prohibition, which effectively bars 50% of the human population from utilising such a basic form of clothing, is illogical and discriminatory. Yet it is very rarely questioned or challenged.

Except for a few still Communistic countries and the still stuck on Victorian clothing values like America (Victorian) China, Korea, Vietnam and Cuba (Communistic) and most of Europe(both), the rest of the known world wear some sort of UNbifurcated lower body covering. I'd cut China out of any percentage because they really don't have any kind of choice as to what they wear on the lower half, although many of the fishing and water oriented Chinese still wear clothing similar to that of Indonesia and the Phillipines(not counting the Elite that rule the lower classes, ie: Mandarins etc. all the last 20 or so bosses of China were of Mandarin stock) All of India, Pakistan, all Muslim countries, most of Asia not counting China, nearly all the Pacific Rim countries except western USA and most of Mexico, all the Eskimo and at least half of all so called "Indians" not from India but from North and South America have ceremonial unbifurcated clothing, and I think that the
percentage is more like 75% unbifurcated and 25% bifurcated world wide.

Even one of the most famous golfers in the world, Vijay Singh, who is from the Fiji Islands, wears a Sulu at home when not golfing. I saw a program about him on the learning channel. Seems most of the "so called Third World Countries" know what comfort really is and are laughing at the "so called Modern Countries" still stuck in the Victorian age. Sometimes I wonder who is actually being modern here.

[Big and Bashful]

Excellent piece Stu, but I have to agree with Spike's comments, much of the planet has a different view on the lagging of the legs.
I hope they publish it.

[Stu]

Yes, it was a bit "western-centric" - I realised that when I wrote it but decided that I didn't want to get bogged down talking about what guys wear in Tonga etc. because that might make it less likely to get published. You see, it has to be concise. If it is published, there will be opportunity for others to comment and then you guys can elucidate on the fact that men in other cultures do wear skirts every day and think nothing of it.

Stu

[Big and Bashful]

Very true Stu!

[Bri]

Just had this idea from reading that article, even though it's good, it might not be exactly what we need. We're using a lot of numbers and logic, and of course logically you would want to wear certain things on certain days that are hot or cold. But when we choose what we're going to wear today, it doesn't always or usually revolve around the most logical choice. We wear what we wear because we like how it looks.

Maybe that's what we're missing. I went shopping with my mum the other day and we went into several stores and she liked what she saw in some of them. Not one thing really revolved around the logical choice. Yeh, men are more logical than women, but at the same time. To appeal to people, maybe the well. I'll use an example oddly enough science fiction. On a show I was watching a few years ago (and this is the first time it even halfway relates to something), and this ship was in a space storm. The energy of the storm attacks against the ship were growing stronger so the people on the ship had to push more power to the shields, which they didn't realise amplified the intensity of the storm. Then they heard a message from a previous ship that was caught in the same storm and the last few minutes were telling the crew to increase the power to the shields. Well since that ship was destroyed by the storm. The captain of the new ship said "cut all power to the shields", basically take a different approach. They did that and the storm went from an intensity that would tear the ship apart to a mild amount of turbulence.

[Since1982]

When did we pass from the world of skirts and no skirts to "Lost in space"? Interesting ramble, Bri. I don't get how it has anything to do with skirt wearing tho. Shopping with Mum huh? Does she help pick out your skirts? She'd probably have good suggestions on how to wear your skirts so they look terrific on you.

[Bri]

Nope, she doesn't help me at all with picking them out. I just happened to be there with her and made notes to myself about how she and other women shop.

[Uncle Al]

Just had this idea from reading that article, even
though it's good, it might not be exactly what we need.
<snip>
I'll use an example, oddly enough, from science fiction. On a
show I was watching a few years ago
<snip>
this starship was in a space storm. The energy of the storm
attacks against the ship were growing stronger so the people
on the ship had to push more power to the shields, which they
didn't realise amplified the intensity of the storm. Then they
heard a message from a previous ship that was caught in the
same storm and the last few minutes the captain was telling the
crew to increase the power to the shields. Well, since that ship
was destroyed by the storm, the captain of the new ship said
"cut all power to the shields", basically take a different approach.
They did that and the storm went from an intensity that would
tear the ship apart to a mild amount of turbulence.

By taking a different approach, what would you suggest?

Would it be more 'get togethers' of skirted brethern, a special day
similar to 'the no pants day'?

How about on the 'no pants day' we substitute skirts/kilts. At least
we're not showing off our 'skivies' and keeping our selves 'sheltered'
from any of the 'elements'. Plus, we're not in danger of being
arrested for indecent exposure.

Any other suggestions?

Uncle Al
Duncanville, TX

[mugman]

I was starting to think along the lines of writing a letter to the local newspaper, but then thought what's the point? It would only be seen as an isolated case of one local man wanting to wear skirts in public. Most readers would just turn the page because the image of a man in a skirt is still alien to them, no matter how many positive reasons are listed.
I still think the best way to move forward is to just get on and do it.
If I wanted to paint my house an outlandish colour, it might get negative response or vibes from neighbours for a while, but in time they'd have to get used to it. People will, over time, get used to seeing men in skirts...whether they think it mad or not. Hopefully in time it will be realised that it isn't mad at all.
Many will still think it looks wrong. There are fashionable traits and trends that I can't understand either but can't do much about.
The problem with any promotional material is that not everyone will get to see it anyway, unless it's an 'in the face' world wide TV campaign on all channels. Fat chance. Even then, it's only still 'talking' about skirt wearing.
But we can all be our own promotion in our own small way, and this should conceivably evolve into a larger way as more places in the community are filled with more skirted men in the public's eye. If someone else sees you who is on a similar wavelength, but can't bring himself to go out in a skirt, your example may prove to be all it needed to get one more person 'converted', or at least encouraged.

[Since1982]

You can do what I do, and you seem to be on the verge of doing, go skirted in public, most of what you think is negative about it is in your mind. What you think others will think or say mostly isn't a problem because they aren't thinking it. When I was young, I had a framed poem over my bedroom door that my mom put there called "Thinking" and to the best of my memory it went like this...
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!

This was originally written by someone in the 1800's..smart man, it's held me in good stead most of my life.

[mugman]

A very smart man.
Those words say it all for me.