# It's a shame the kilt isn't a mainstay in men's fashion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131 "2012-07-23T13:55:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/41 "2012-07-24T17:15:14Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Same here. Considering that there are probably close to a billion men in the world who routinely wear a sarong or dhoti or lungi or loincloth or other form of non-leg-separated ManSkirt as part of their traditional daily attire, I think it’s kind of silly that in modern, supposedly cosmopolitan western cultures the very concept of a ManSkirt should be regarded as so horrifyingly weird. > > This sort of thing, for instance: > > 😕 ??? > > Now, I can certainly understand if somebody personally just doesn’t happen to like the look of kilts/ManSkirts. Or if they personally just don’t happen to like some eccentric aspects of the present-day “kilt-wearing subculture”, what there is of it. > > But categorically declaring that anybody who wears a particular type of (unusual but respectable and not immodest) garment is automatically beyond the pale? In this day and age, who does that? > > It’s reminiscent of the outrage manifested in the mid-19th century towards Mrs. Bloomer and her fellow pioneers in the cause of pants for women—another sartorial trend that shocked many people at the time but doesn’t raise a lot of eyebrows today. Some might conclude that the kilt wearer is going out of his way to appear “odd.”. Like ear lobe gauging. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/42 "2012-07-24T17:20:00Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > It’s such a superior garment for everything save a splintery seesaw. Or a cold day. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/43 "2012-07-24T17:23:49Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Some might conclude that the kilt wearer is going out of his way to appear “odd.”. Like ear lobe gauging. Mm, yeah well, I guess it’s a spectrum. Strictly speaking, **anybody** who wears **anything** other than absolutely mainstream conventional styles is to some extent going out of their way to appear odd, but I understand that some things seem odder than others. I suspect, though, that men’s skirts (like ladies’ trousers a hundred and fifty years ago) seem more shocking to many than their intrinsic “oddity” level would warrant, just because they sharply contradict gender stereotypes. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/44 "2012-07-24T17:26:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by **Procrustus** > Some might conclude that the kilt wearer is going out of his way to appear “odd.”. Like ear lobe gauging. > [@Kimstu](#): > > Mm, yeah well, I guess it’s a spectrum. Strictly speaking, **anybody** who wears **anything** other than absolutely mainstream conventional styles is to some extent going out of their way to appear odd, but I understand that some things seem odder than others. > > I suspect, though, that men’s skirts (like ladies’ trousers a hundred and fifty years ago) seem more shocking to many than their intrinsic “oddity” level would warrant, just because they sharply contradict gender stereotypes. The difference between gauging and wearing a kilt? Nobody is going to see me in 40 years and think I was really stupid to decide to wear a kilt. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/45 "2012-07-24T17:33:51Z")
I saw an ad attempting to extol the virtues of the utili-kilt for laborers; the ad showed somebody climbing a ladder while carrying a bucket o’ tools and I felt the urge to avert my eyes, even though I knew the picture wasn’t going to move… Good lord, that’d be a bad idea. I’d be concerned about working with any kind of tools in a flappy kilt and bare shins, and I’ve spent 20 years in the SCA, so I have no problem, fashion-wise, with a kilt (or long tunic, as mentioned above). I also agree with the opinion that footwear choices are immensely complicated when wearing skirts. ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/46 "2012-07-24T17:49:02Z")
I would argue that the only shame is with the people who claim they’d only wear one “if everyone else did”. Granted that all forms of human behavior require some measure of social acceptance if you’re not going to be a hermit, but come on, people, this isn’t a Nazi flag or a NAMBLA logo. It’s a scrap of cloth. Within current mainstream American culture, the kilt acts as a symbol of a more individualistic approach to clothing, a rejection of the societally imposed standards of dressing, which makes it the garment of a rather self-selecting group. I can understand wishing it more a pragmatic one, but as it stands, I say it fulfills it’s niche role perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/47 "2012-07-24T18:00:22Z")
No it isn’t. Really, and truly. Bad idea, just think about it for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/48 "2012-07-24T18:03:27Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > The difference between gauging and wearing a kilt? > > Nobody is going to see me in 40 years and think I was really stupid to decide to wear a kilt. Nitpick: Ear gauging is less irreversible than you might think: like ordinary ear piercings, earlobe holes tend to shrink and close up when they’re no longer used. A really big gauge hole might never completely disappear, but certainly most people who give up wearing gauges will not have noticeable holes 40 years down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/49 "2012-07-24T18:06:10Z")
Good points, **Recusant** , and well-stated. However, currently the cons of wearing a kilt outweigh the pros. A woman may like to look at a man in a kilt, but would she want to be seen with a man with a kilt in a non-Highland Games situation? Would she feel upstaged, or be “that gal with the weirdo boyfriend,” or mistaken for a fag-hag? It’s as simple as that. Also, The US takes it’s main fashion cues from African-American teenagers. When caber-tossing approaches basketball in popularity, things may change. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/50 "2012-07-24T18:09:51Z")
I’ve worn my Utilikilt to many dopefests, once got a photo with 20 bottles of ale in all the pockets! in your face, pants! I also own several taditional kilts, I love 'em. I feel sorry for you men too namby-pamby to ever be “caught dead wearing a kilt”. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/51 "2012-07-24T18:10:12Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Nitpick: Ear gauging is less irreversible than you might think: like ordinary ear piercings, earlobe holes tend to shrink and close up when they’re no longer used. A really big gauge hole might never completely disappear, but certainly most people who give up wearing gauges will not have noticeable holes 40 years down the road. It’s my understanding that, once you go over .5", you’re stuck with a noticable hole. > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Also, The US takes it’s main fashion cues from African-American teenagers. When caber-tossing approaches basketball in popularity, things may change. No…teenagers and twentysomethings who refuse to grow up take their fashion cues from African-American teenagers. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/52 "2012-07-24T18:12:25Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > 😕 ??? > > Now, I can certainly understand if somebody personally just doesn’t happen to like the look of kilts/ManSkirts. Or if they personally just don’t happen to like some eccentric aspects of the present-day “kilt-wearing subculture”, what there is of it. > > But categorically declaring that anybody who wears a particular type of (unusual but respectable and not immodest) garment is automatically beyond the pale? In this day and age, who does that? Me. I didn’t say it was beyond the pale, just that the wearing of a kilt–even the past wearing of a kilt, if I knew about it–takes a guy out of my dating pool. Forever. Think of it as a screening device. For him, too. I’m sure he can find plenty of adoring kilt fans. There are a lot of them here. I’m not one. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/53 "2012-07-24T18:13:37Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > No it isn’t. Really, and truly. Bad idea, just think about it for a while. Okay, I’ve thought about it for a while, and I still don’t see why it’s a bad idea. Some people may be mixing up the basic concept of a man’s kilt with the practice of wearing one “regimental style”, aka “going commando”, i.e., with no undergarments. It is not mandatory to forego underwear while wearing a kilt, unless your pipe band leader insists upon it. I don’t see why it’s automatically a bad idea for men to wear a garment that doesn’t have a seam between the legs just because it might occasionally reveal their underwear (or lack of underwear) if they’re not careful. Women routinely wear the same sort of garment, with the same sort of caution required to guard against exposure, and I don’t hear anybody arguing that that’s a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/54 "2012-07-24T18:18:18Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Me. I didn’t say it was beyond the pale, just that the wearing of a kilt–even the past wearing of a kilt, if I knew about it–takes a guy out of my dating pool. Forever. Oh, I see. When you said “Thanks, guys, for wearing a kilt so I know to stay the hell away from you” I thought you meant you would ostracize a kilt-wearing guy entirely, not just that you wouldn’t be attracted to one as a dating prospect. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/55 "2012-07-24T18:47:30Z")
The problem is that if everyone were to accept the kilt as normal, the people that currently wear kilts would have to move on to the next “look at me” fashion choice. Years from now I really don’t to have to listen for hours as someone extols the virtues of fishnet stockings and how I’m a sissy and brainwashed by society for not wearing fishnets. The trick for all us “normals” is to feign disapproval enough so that the line stays pretty much stagnant. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/56 "2012-07-24T18:52:22Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Oh, I see. When you said “Thanks, guys, for wearing a kilt so I know to stay the hell away from you” I thought you meant you would ostracize a kilt-wearing guy entirely, not just that you wouldn’t be attracted to one as a dating prospect. Well, I would probably skirt the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/57 "2012-07-24T19:13:14Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > The problem is that if everyone were to accept the kilt as normal, the people that currently wear kilts would have to move on to the next “look at me” fashion choice. Except, of course, for the people that currently wear kilts because they **like** wearing kilts, not because they’re self-promoting iconoclasts. All innovations in fashion are initially disdained by the majority as mere attention-grabbing transient fads. A couple decades ago, it was wearing an earring that got a man mocked or shunned in mainstream society; a couple decades before that, it was having long hair. Nowadays, it’s wearing a kilt. Same old same old. It’s still not a majority trend for men to have long hair or a pierced earlobe, but both are sufficiently assimilated into the mainstream to be pretty much unremarkable except in particularly conservative places. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple decades down the road the same is true of men wearing kilts. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/58 "2012-07-24T19:56:28Z")
Here is the reason that when I rule the world, men can wear kilts any damn time they please… [http://trustyourtennant.tumblr.com/post/11367793196/so-thats-david-tennant-wearing-a-kilt-now-you](http://trustyourtennant.tumblr.com/post/11367793196/so-thats-david-tennant-wearing-a-kilt-now-you) 'scuse me while i wipe the drool off my keyboard…😃 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/59 "2012-07-24T21:30:19Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > except for that one part where no one else wears one, and you have to fight every jackass that mocks your skirt. I just cut to the chase and wear skirts. Just bought myself a new (used, Goodwill) one today in fact. They’re wonderful in this heat. Be sure to get something (sporran, purse, fannypack, other) to strap on or toss over your shoulder to carry your wallet and keys and other essentials. I just got a nice clip-on thingie at the same Goodwill store to facilitate going for walks without my big klunky purse which is functionally an overnight bag. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131/60 "2012-07-24T21:37:06Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Traditionally, the kilt was worn over a shirt made with long tails that covered the buttocks and genitals and thus served as a sort of underwear. Some shirttails could even be buttoned between the legs as a kind of precursor to boxer shorts. [slight historical hijack] When going into battle, Highlanders took off their plaids (a long piece of woven tartan cloth that was wrapped around the body and kilted below the waist) and tied their shirts between their legs. Thus their nickname of “Redshanks”, and their enemies’ description of them as “naked savages”. And knowing my relatives, they probably used the post-battle re-clothing as an opportunity to upgrade their plaids… [/slight historical hijack over] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-shame-the-kilt-isnt-a-mainstay-in-mens-fashion/629131.md?page=4)