Getting on the Kilt

[ian]

Ian Jackson here, 41 and new to Kilts. Why? Scottish ancestry and generally being different. It's more than that, but defying present convention and pushing tradition forward. It's about who we are presently, where we came from and where we're going, whether Scottish are not.

One thing that really bothers me is the perception of what men are "supposed" to be and what they wear. Like many of you, I'm tired of being told what defines a man whether in wear or "political correctness." We know men wear kilts, unfortunately the majority see it as odd.

Most men are taught from youth to fear weakness. The fear of wearing a kilt due to a fear of a perception of weakness or lack of masculinity. Wearing a kilt has forced me to challenge my perceptions about myself. Wearing a kilt, to me, is being comfortable with yourself and your skin.

We laugh, we cry and feel pain. Work and play hard. We are becoming victims and caricatures of the media and defined by forced conformity and peer pressure. It's amazing the kilt and the masculinity that it represents has been flipped in perception to the general population. I'll do my part to bring it back in my small realm.

I don't really care for football (American). I've served 11 years in the Army, 8 in an Airborne Regiment. I'm a combat veteran. I ride a Harley and brew my own beer. These don't make me a man, they are only on the periphery. Many men have achieved more, some less, it doesn't matter.

The Kilt binds us together regardless of our varied interests and achievements.

We are all charged to maintain our heritage regardless of nationality. If your Lakota, wear your lioncloth and carry a coop stick. Why the attack on culture? If woman are wearing trousers, men should be able to bake cakes without fear. Don't give up on your roots. If you don't have them, plant it now.

Being Scottish and Native American (Cherokee), it's interesting that many Scots intermarried with Native Americans. The natives knew real men wore Kilts.