Kilts in the office

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Hey, RJI.
As Robert said, I work for a financial institution (one of the world's smallest) and I've been wearing the kilt to work full-time since April (or thereabouts)....

Thanks for the reply. How large is the organization? I am planning on wearing the kilt to some after work functions over the next few months and then try to get it approved to wear for work by the end of this year and then be able to wear it when I want going into the new year.

RJI

Oops! Just noticed the comment in parenthesis that it is one of the world's smallest! Read right over that!

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

....Trying to figure out who #3 is...

Remember, some of the worst things we ever "experience" never actually happen.

Ron and Dave,

I agree totally with the fact that sometimes our fears are worse than the actual experience. One of the reasons I started this thread was to see what others experiences had been. I think that the guy I work for would probably not have a problem himself, but would be concerned how his boss would react. I myself don't really know what the reaction will be. I am slowly trying to introduce the concept of the kilt by talking about wearing it outside the office, and getting people's reactions.

I had planned on going with solid contemporary kilts because they are very similar to what I currently wear, usually khakis or something similar. I think that they will fit in better in our office environment. On occasion I might wear my SW Nightstalker, but I feel that it might actually be too dressy for our business casual environment.

I will give you a hint about #3 and tell you it is not a US based company. I did come across a press release showing the CEO of our Indonesia operations wearing a kilt to a diversity function, so I do have that going for me!

[Riverkilt]

Somewhere there's a doctoral thesis for a psychology student, "Fears of going kilted."

And its SOOOOOO silly! ;)

I've had fears of going work kilted (Go home and change now or your fired!), going to AA kilted (endless laughing and pointing), going to a motorcycle rally kilted (Hey sissy boy, let me see what you got under there HA HA HA), going to jail on business kilted (We can't allow you in here like that), going to court on business kilted (You're in contempt!), et.al.

Yet in REAL life, I've NEVER had an encounter kilted that has angered or embarrassed me or anyone else...well, there was that one gust of wind at the Tuba City Flea Market this Spring...

The worst it gets is truely interested people expressing their interest in an awkward manner that comes out really stupid (Where are your bagpipes?), or an uncomfortable lesbian coworker (what do you wear under your kilt? How do you go to the bathroom in that?)

WHAT IS SO WEIRD FOR ME is that even after over a year of wearing kilts full time on my own time and to work daily for the last six weeks, those lingering fears of being humiliated for being "different" still rumble around in my brain and leak out at weird times.

Yesterday morning, kilting up for work, a thought ran through my head that I've made my point at work showing up kilted for six weeks. I should wear pants today. Common sense returned when I realized the discomfort the boys would endure for 10 hours of confinement, the thought passed, and I went to work kilted.

I'm an intelligent aware 60 year old licensed professional with a graduate degree, a product of the USMC, underground mining, law enforcement, corrections, parole, probation, bagging bodies, assisting at autopsies, fire dept crisis units, psych wards...in the trenches on the front lines. Been shot at and shot back with serious intent.

What is it in my core that fosters these silly little fears about wearing a long honored, historic, male garment to the supermarket?

All I can figure is that humans are tribal animals...some fear of being abandoned for daring to be different.

Fortunately, this silly fear seems to rapidly decline with the building of experience going about kilted....but a small bit seems to linger still and occasionally martial its forces and attack my brain.

Maybe an anthropologist would be better than a psychologist for this.

Reading these posts I don't think I'm the only one who can't totally quiet this silly latent fear. My hope is to soon smother it in 16 oz Strome!

Ron

[Dreadbelly]

Just wear it!

Less chat more splat.

Nothing to it but to do it.

You wont actually know till you try it.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Dread,

That is what is great about you. Straight to the point and ignore the BS!

RJI

[davedove]

Just wear it!

Less chat more splat.

Nothing to it but to do it.

You wont actually know till you try it.

While I am fond of thinking things through, there is also value in this approach. Sometimes I believe we all overthink things.

Sometimes it's easiest to test the waters by just jumping in.

[Dreadbelly]

Dread,

That is what is great about you. Straight to the point and ignore the BS!

RJI

Yeah, but it gets me in to all kinds of trouble.

Seriously though. You can do it.

If I can walk in to a honkey tonk bar full of ignorant rednecks while wearing a kilt, and walk back out of said place in one piece, you can wear your kilt to work and probably not have to worry about to much trouble.

[Dreadbelly]

While I am fond of thinking things through, there is also value in this approach. Sometimes I believe we all overthink things.

Sometimes it's easiest to test the waters by just jumping in.

Hindsight being what it is, I probably should have thought a little more about going in to said honky tonk bar. They had the best ribs in town... I figured I'd just walk right in and get me some.

Walking in wasn't the problem, and neither was walking out with a belly full of ribs.

In between those two peaceful moments were some rather hectic ones out in the parking lot.

Had I thought about it a little more I would have realised walking in to a honky tonk full of rednecks probably wasn't such a good idea, and probably wasn't worth the ribs.

Although I must say, the people inside were really suprised to see me come from the front door for the second time... They all hunkered down over their plates and their drinks and nobody said nothing to me. None of the guys that went out in to the parking lot with me to settle our differences came back inside.

The waitress said men in kilts are sexy... And that she was tired of looking at the fat slobs that hung out in that place :mrgreen:

[Eujeankilt]

WHAT IS SO WEIRD FOR ME is that even after over a year of wearing kilts full time on my own time and to work daily for the last six weeks, those lingering fears of being humiliated for being "different" still rumble around in my brain and leak out at weird times.
Ron

Ron,

It's interesting you mention that. I've only been wearing kilts full time to work for six weeks or so with absolutely no concern, except for stray winds. I've worn kilts with golf shirts or short sleeve dress/casual shirts and sandals or hiking boots. Today I wore kilt hose and nice casual shoes and I felt naked.

Logically, I know it's no different, but I guess that I had gotten used to how I looked and the change made feel like I was wearing kilts at work for the first time.

To be honest, in the past I have worried about what others think of me and wearing kilts was a way to force myself into the limelight, to expose myself to my fears (no pun intended).

We are indeed odd critters.....

Thanks for your post.


Dale

[elijah]

I've worn kilts to work for 2 years today and still am nervous about policy changing or repercussions. Generally, though its gone smoothly. It hasn't hurt that I'm very successful at my job, its phone work, and little physical contact with the public.

I reccomend starting out with something tartan and wearing a nice shirt, the first few days. You can branch out over time. I've worn Amerikilts, plain King Kilts, etc. Honestly, since the first few months, I've had little taunting and a few curious questions from the new people.

Yes, there are some sacrifices. I work in the call center and am uncertain about moving beyond that, but I'm okay with that as there are other positions in the call center and the pay is generally good for this area.

The question you have to ask yourself is what kind of work can you do in a kilt and it is worth it for you to do it? The answer may honestly be starting your own business or working from home.

I did venture outside of work to represent the company at the career fair and had one job seeker, an engineer come up to our table laughing at me (we don't hire engineers), but also had a couple compliments too. The company let me go in the kilt, because while they had prohibited jeans, a kilt hardly could be viewed that way. I made sure to look extra nice with a white dress shirt and tie for the public appearance on behalf of the company.