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Bravehearts' Kilt Forum
Re: Acceptance
Posted By: WDP (c-71-224-205-205.hsd1.pa.comcast.net)
In Response To: Re: Acceptance (Chris Webb------WebKitFormBoundary+73Kkk30r3CyZB6q)
Date: 6/1/10 17:23
I agree with Chris Web on this issue.
During the past 15 years - ever since Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" gave kilts a macho image - I have found that wearing my tartan kilts, Utilikilts, and Amerikilts have become almost boring in terms of public reaction. Nobody seems to care.
Often people compliment me on my kilts. Others ask the same questions that I have heard a thousand times before: Am I Scottish? Do I play the bagpipes? What is worn under the kilt? Whether I am wearing a tartan kilt, a Utilikilt, or an Amerikilt, everyone seems to assume that I must have some Scottish connection. Yes, I do have some Scottish ancestry, but must this be a prerequisite for wearing a MUG??
I get the impression that people have become accepting of MUGs if they can be associated with "kilts" and if the man is wearing them simply to express his Scottish heritage (rather than for comfort or freedom). People seem to think that a kilt is okay if you're a Scot (except, perhaps, when it conflicts with employment and school dress codes). Otherwise, a man might still be suspected of being a "cross-dresser."
When I started posting at Tom's Cafe, and later when I started this website, I was adamant in my belief that we needed to have sources of kilts, kilt variations, and other unbifurcated garments that were intended specifically for men. I had nothing against "Freestylers" and other men who wanted to wear women's skirts. I simply wanted us men to have access to unbifurcated clothing intended specifically for us. As stated in my articles on this website, a man shouldn't have to visit the women's department to find an alternative to trousers.
What has happened since then? The sources of kilts and kilt variations has expanded. Utilikilts and others have survived, to supply a small but loyal band of Bravehearts. Nobody seems to care if we wear kilts or kilt variations, especially if we can claim some Scottish heritage (except when it conflicts with employment or school dress codes). On the other hand, almost no other men - even those of Scottish heritage and even men in Scotland - wear kilts except as costumes at Scottish events. Furthermore, even females in America seem to have abandoned unbifurcated garments as regular wear.
So where are we now in our battle against trouser tyranny? Are we locked into a "Scottish" pigeonhole? Is our sense of manhood so tenuous that we feel threatened if our MUGs are called "skirts" rather than "kilts"? When the summer temperatures approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the U.S., would it feel more comfortable to ditch your jeans in favor a masculine-looking denim mini-skirt, even if it came from the women's department? At this point, who gives a shit?
Your thoughts?
WDP
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