Article in The Guardian by a man who wears skirts

[Mouse]

I enjoyed the article and have found Phineas Harper on X and Insta. I too have refuge in a black kilt on days when a skirt is too much. However since the week before Christmas to now and counting, I have been in skirts all the way. It will be interesting to see how far I get into 2024 before resorting to the black kilt.

[Stu]

Yes, it's a men's rights issue, which is in unity with classical feminism.

Classical feminism, unlike some varieties, rejects all discrimination due to one's sex.

Additionally, for a man to wear a skirt publicly is to publicly reject the idea that females are inferiors--a strong feminist position.

I think the modern term for what you call "classical feminism" is "equity feminism", with advocates like Christina Hoff Sommers and Camille Paglia. These brave women spend at least as much time these days speaking up for men as they do for women, and are often attacked and derided by mainstream feminists like Steinem and Brownmiller.

[rivegauche]

Not convinced that putting on a skirt makes you a feminist, whether you are male or female. On the other hand I think that if all young males were required to wear dresses for the summer months then it would give them an awareness of the sort of overt scrutiny and comment to which women are subjected. Which I suppose is getting into feminist territory. I rather like the skirt he is wearing in the second picture. One day men will be able to wear skirts without press coverage!

[Coder]

Not convinced that putting on a skirt makes you a feminist, whether you are male or female. On the other hand I think that if all young males were required to wear dresses for the summer months then it would give them an awareness of the sort of overt scrutiny and comment to which women are subjected. Which I suppose is getting into feminist territory.

Yep! I think it's a bit trite to equate wearing a skirt or dress with "I'm a male feminist"... but it can lead to deeper reflection on the state of society, and some understanding of women's issues. I suspect once men start wearing skirts/dresses regularly, all of the aforementioned scrutiny would fade away and be forgotten, at least when directed towards men. I'm a bit cynical in that I don't think people will ever change to not be sexist, as people have a pretty poor track record of improving the human condition.

[TSH]

Good to see an article shed light on MiS, with a male author who has had experience in skirts, for once. For a moment, it made me believe things were looking up. Just for a brief moment.

I'm a bit cynical in that I don't think people will ever change to not be sexist, as people have a pretty poor track record of improving the human condition.

2024 just started five days ago, and I feel this sentence should be given the "Understatement of the Year" award.

[Barleymower]

I was just listening to a some nonsesence on talk radio about racism and slavery in the UK. The presenter was using Louis Hamilton as an example where LH was against slavery, while driving a Mercedes. The lady presenter dived in and said "or wearing a skirt".

I not sure what skirt wearing and slavery have to do with each other? But she felt that fact that LH wearing a skirt was relevant ???

I'll not bother with talk radio from now on.

[geron]

The Times's radio station on Friday ran an interview with Phin Harper, following up that Guardian piece. It's online at
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio/show/2 ... 2024-01-04
Scroll through to where it starts, at 35'12" in.

[Uncle Al]

I just listened to the 'pod cast' and started where you suggested.
Quite illuminating and supportive of skirts for men
I wish more men and women could understand this

Thanks

Uncle Al

[Barleymower]

I just listened to the 'pod cast' and started where you suggested.
Quite illuminating and supportive of skirts for men
I wish more men and women could understand this

Thanks

Uncle Al

I thought from the off that they were going to belittle him with "made for women" and "cross dressing" comments but they were very supportive. A glimpse of the future even.
I like the discussion on high end skirts and I'm moving a bit that way myself - because you can get top skirts on the second hand market. I've got a top mens tailor - Thomas Pink in skirt form. I might wear it to the next meet up.
I also liked the interviewers comment at the end where she said she takes refuge in skirts when trousers are too much.
And.. they laughed at the prospect of teen boys going out in inappropriate skirts "you're not going out in that!"

[Barleymower]

I also told Mrs BM that as I answered two of the questions positively that make me a feminist.
She said "you are not a feminist, I have had drink so watch yourself"

[jamodu]

I could answer positively to two of the three questions, too.

[Ozdelights]

The three questions:
Yes I would wear a skirt.
Yes I would happily be the care giver. Being older I now see that if both are good care givers then income is best generated by whomever is going to do the best.
Yes I may take my partners surname. I am very ambivalent on surnames. Firstly I dislike hyphenated surnames. If two people with hyphenated surnames marry are they going to have A-B-C-D? I think a choice of surname based on circumstances is best. If both want to keep individual names then go for it. In my own family my maternal grandfather and his brother only had daughters so the family name disappeared from that branch of the family tree. I would happily have taken that surname to keep it alive. Fortunately that name still lives on but not down this line.

I too enjoyed the interview and thought it well balanced.

[Myopic Bookworm]

The three questions:

I do wear a skirt much of the time.

I did abandon a full time career to look after the kids.

My wife has kept her surname, and the kids have it as a middle name.

[new2skirts]

Not to derail the topic, but someone has plagiarized the heck out of that article:

https://bnnbreaking.com/lifestyle/fashi ... in-skirts/

Very typical... might still break down barriers in a part of West Africa that is very binary and restrictive on how one dresses, often with severe social or economic consequences if you go against the grain. I think the younger generations are becoming more open minded, but that AI article had a go... I have never heard of BNN, I guess the CNN name was already taken

[Sepchugang]

Nice letter in today's Guardian replying to the article.
Maybe the tide is slowly turning?