Playing it safe

[PatJ]

I finally did it. I wore my kilt out in public. But --- I played it safe. The outing was at a Ren Faire and there were many others in various outfits, including kilts. The most difficult part was leaving home - kilted - with no back up plan or change of outfit - and then a 3 hour drive to the Ren Faire.

Once there, wearing the kilt was as natural as could possibly be. Only one comment from one of the vendors asking which clan the tartan was from. (McLeod, as a matter of fact.)

Had my wife, daughter and two grandsons (both kilted) and my granddaughter there as well. So I was seen by family and nobody thought twice about it. The kilt was very much a "non-issue" and yet it was the first time that I was out and about in broad daylight kilted.

Yes, pictures were taken by my daughter of me in the kilt with the kilted grandsons. If she sends me the picture, I may just have to post it.

PatJ

[davemcwish]

Congratulations PatJ.

Being a Scot wearing a kilt has no fears for me but for those that aren't it's a great step - well done. Don't worry about "playing it safe", we all have to start somewhere. As you found wearing a kilt and I, wearing a (woman's) skirt, the biggest problem is in the wearer's head. If you're comfortable and happy wearing it then you will carry yourself normally and may get get little or no notice which can be a good thing.

[JRMILLER]

Pat,
Well done, first small step in a much larger pond!

Now, take it to the grocery store!

[Since1982]

davemcwish said: wearing a (woman's) skirt

This is my opinion...There is no such thing as a "woman's skirt" unless she owns it.

Not my opinion but proven facts, 75% of the males on this planet wear a skirted garment NOW...not just in the past. Here's some places to back me up. Polynesia (The largest named area containing countries on the planet), all the Muslim countries, most of Africa, nearly all of India, most of Asia, all the Eskimos, some Highland Scotlanders, small parts of Ireland, parts of Australia, Hawaii, American Samoa, parts of the Phillipines. Figure it out/look it up and you'll see I'm correct...

In Fiji for instance, it's against the law for a male child to go to school wearing trousers, he must wear the Sulu, the Fijian national garment for men. There's a family in Fiji from California operating a movie house and their son, as white as white people get, light blond hair, light blue eyes and very white untanned skin goes to school there. He also, must wear the Sulu, a light blue wrap skirt. No choice. Light blue is the male color for the school, schoolgirls wear a similar wrap skirt that goes to mid calf and it's dark blue. When I first decided to start wearing a skirt publically in 2005, I looked a lot of this up to bolster my feelings about stepping out the front door skirted. I did it and have never looked back. I'm just very unhappy it took me so long to actually DO it.

I rescind my statement that Polynesia is a country. It is a land and water mass similar to North or South America, Asia, Africa, the Arctic or Antarctic. Or any other land or water/land mass on the planet. An area with many countries within it's borders.

[Sylvain]

Do you believe yourself? Men in India usually wear pants. The same in most muslim countries, like Indonesia or Pakistan. Some of them may sometimes wear unbifurcated garment, but that's rare. Nobody wears kilts in Scotland or Ireland except in special occasions.
(And Polynesia is not a country.)

[Raakone]

Do you believe yourself? Men in India usually wear pants. The same in most muslim countries, like Indonesia or Pakistan. Some of them may sometimes wear unbifurcated garment, but that's rare. Nobody wears kilts in Scotland or Ireland except in special occasions.
(And Polynesia is not a country.)

The traditional wear of men in India is very regional. In the south, and generally around the coast, various forms of dhoti, mundu, lungi, and veshti are the preferred traditional way to dress. Some variants are sewn in a loop, others are just "sarong style." In regions like Punjab and most of Northern India, however, sarongs are rare, influence from the Persians made pants more common. In the area around Lucknow, some men wear a "themat" or sarong, but only as lounge-wear at home. Also, in much of India. being dressed in high end business wear in the style of either Europe or the Northeast corridor is a symbol of power, so many of those who are better-off will only wear something sarong-like for certain festivals. Not to mention that among those who aren't always as well dressed, blue jeans are now the in thing.

As for the case of Muslim countries....depends where. In the Arabian peninsula, it was originally a sarong, not pants, that would be worn under those gowns. It was because of Persian and Turkish influence that pants made great inroads there, after those areas were assimilated into the Muslim world, which until then had been mostly Arab-dominated. Pakistan, having as it does much Persian influence, skirts for men are unknown...in Bangladesh, however, sarongs are more common, but sometimes stigmatized as a "lower-class" garment (also true in parts of India and Sri Lanka)

You're right, Polynesia isn't a country, no more than Africa is.

[AndrewH]

I think Since1982 was telling us the reasoning he used to get himself out in skirts.
You may well argue (if you wish) over the accuracy of all his statements of what is worn where - but it worked for him, and I say well done!