After reflecting on this thread for a couple of days, I have to say that the whole "in your face kilting" idea is exactly why I don't wear the kilt very often. It is precisely that sort of thing that I want to avoid. For the folks who intend to wear the kilt for that reason, it's your prerogative, but surely you must understand that wearing it to "mess with peoples' minds" is naturally going to cause a generally negative reaction from the public. That's what happens when one dresses or acts specifically for shock value. From the wording of the original quote, I envision a person wearing a kilt with the purpose of being outrageous and challenging others to say something about it. I assume that's the point, and as Jock said, I find that sad. It reflects poorly on the rest of us who wear the kilt for other reasons. The public will relegate the kilt to the same 'box' as mohawks, punk rockers, Goths, Emos, or others who dress oddly for the purpose of shock value.

Like most others here, I do want to be able to express my own personal style, and I refuse to conform to the sartorial homogeneity of our modern society which has trended towards t-shirts and blue-jeans as the norm. But using the kilt as a vehicle to be aggressively challenging seems like a disservice to the history and cultural significance of the kilt. And because the public has indeed seen people wearing the kilt in an "in your face" manner, they often expect that if you're wearing it, this is your intent. Of course, this will vary by location and context, but it's because of this that I have gravitated towards wearing the kilt in a more traditional manner, and attempting to look well-dressed and respectable when doing so. My part of the world doesn't have much in the way of Scottish influence, and in the few times I've worn the kilt out in the general public, it does get a lot of attention. I can choose whether to be aggressive and "in your face", or be respectable. Do I want others to see the kilt as positive or negative? That's the question I ask myself before choosing to kilt up for going to town and being the representative of the kilt. And I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would choose to represent it in such a way that people who have never seen a kilt in real life might take a negative view of it.

To each his own, of course. But for those of us whose desire is for the kilt to be accepted outwith Scotland as a traditional and acceptable form of men's attire (and with the cultural significance to which it is attached), it seems like we face an uphill battle when our counterparts are out there "messing with peoples' minds" and using the kilt to do so.

Just something to consider...