Appropriate? - Not!

[tpa]

I'm all for encouraging men to wear kilts, generally speaking, the more the merrier. There can, however, be exceptions.

A couple of days ago I was, with my wife, leaving a very enjoyable Whitney Houston tribute band concert, fronted by Belinda Davis, when I was apprehended by one of the security guys whilst making my way out of the crowded lobby. "Are you traditional?" he demanded in quite a loud voice. I replied with my usual rejoinder to those males I don't know, which usually gets a laugh, "At what age did you first become interested in other men's underwear or lack thereof?" No laughs this time though: " Well are you traditional?", he repeated, " I have a kilt and I am always traditional. You aren't are you, I bet you're not."

What on earth made him think I would be remotely interested in what he did or didn't wear under his kilt, if he really has one, or why I should wish to discuss the subject with a complete stranger in a crowded lobby? If he is going to go around acting like that when he comes across men in kilts, I sincerely hope he doesn't have one, as it does not reflect well on those who do wear them.

I won't elaborate on whether or not he would have won his bet.

If you get a chance to listen to Belinda, she has a great voice and a great stage presence.

[Profane James]

Numpties here, there...numpties EVERYwhere!

[John_Carrick]

The question gets so boring doesn't it.

[Manu]

You certainly exercised much more restrain dealing with this clown. The kilt must be am attention thing for this guy. And where does it come from that regimental is the traditional way to wear a kilt? The movie Braveheart perhaps? Sadly, this is a usual topic of conversation in some FB groups as well, and the behavior you described is not uncommon.

[Tobinn]

I've only been kilted since February and I can say that (1) the question has become old and (2) for some reason has not been asked as often for some reason...until last night at a Blues and Wine fest even at a nearby town. I was waiting on line for something to eat and this guy swings by and loudly asks, point blank, "Are you wearing underwear?" I was lost in thought, pondering what bad-for-me food to get and was caught off guard (to my chagrin - I'm usually pretty quick) and I could only answer, "A bit here and there." and he was off, hollering over his shoulder, "Cheater!"

That really ticked me off!


Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.

[Katia]

I agree, I wouldn't have been so nice either. A "nice" response from me might have been "If you want to know about what's under my kilt, you at least have to buy me dinner first!" Otherwise you could just keep loudly repeating "why are you interested in my underwear?" (or whatever stronger language you want to use to reference what said underwear might contain). Or perhaps a simple, "Would you like to have a look?"

[kingandrew]

Katia-

I really like the line about buying me dinner first. It's funny and gets the point across clearly.

I must admit that I've never had anyone ask me "the question" in so boorish and insistent a manner. But I'm pretty big and most people in China with questions are more likely to ask why I'm wearing "a dress" out of sheer curiosity, rather than any desire to insult. The most common response is astonishment followed by a thumbs up and some variation of "That's so cool!"

When I get the underwear question, it's usually friendly teasing, often from women I've never met before who don't yet realize I'm married.

Andrew

[tpa]

I agree, I wouldn't have been so nice either. A "nice" response from me might have been "If you want to know about what's under my kilt, you at least have to buy me dinner first!" Otherwise you could just keep loudly repeating "why are you interested in my underwear?" (or whatever stronger language you want to use to reference what said underwear might contain). Or perhaps a simple, "Would you like to have a look?"

Had the questioner been female and were I not happily married, the dinner suggestion would have been an excellent idea, although I would have said: "You need to get to know me a lot better before you find that out, how about dinner first?", which is a response I have used to females in the past. Never had any takers though! In the circumstances, however, I would not even consider a drink with him, never mind dinner, even if he was buying, which, if he was a Scot, is unlikely.

[Unimoose]

My responses are typically sarcastic and shaming of the person asking. One was "do you really want to spend the rest of your life as a registered sex offender for touching a 51 year old guy?"

[Katia]

Had the questioner been female and were I not happily married, the dinner suggestion would have been an excellent idea, although I would have said: "You need to get to know me a lot better before you find that out, how about dinner first?", which is a response I have used to females in the past. Never had any takers though! In the circumstances, however, I would not even consider a drink with him, never mind dinner, even if he was buying, which, if he was a Scot, is unlikely.

It's not anticipated that he'd take you up on your offer (nor would it be if addressed to a female, or addressed to him by a female)... it would a firmly-sarcastic comment (or, I suppose, you could make it sound humorous if you wanted to be less offensive). I would guess that he would have the typical homophobic response to the suggestion and back off. If he actually appears interested after that, you can always roll your eyes and walk away.