Who does and doesn't call it a skirt.

[Kilt TN]

Never have had a problem at Lowes, most of the time I have fun wear it there. The guy’s just being a jerk just to make himself look more masculine to his friends.

[beloitpiper]

2. This past weekend an old woman mentioned to me that she "loved my skirt." I replied "Thank you, but it's a kilt." She was quickly apologetic with a "I am so sorry. I knew kilt. I have no idea why skirt came out." I assured her that it was no big deal because it was an innocent mistake and not meant to offend.

This happens a LOT. People call it a skirt, and when I correct them, they say "Of course! Kilt! I knew that. I don't know why I said skirt. You look great."

[Bludongle]

My recruiter taught me a wonderful lesson on the step of the bus heading to San Antonio.

"No matter what your Instructor says, he has never met your mother."

So often have I applied that lesson to others in my life that it is second nature to NOT pay much mind to what others say. Its the people that I respect to whom I listen. Everyone else is chattering background noise.

And on the other hand, embracing these "dirogatory" labels takes all of the power out of the users hands.

I probably shouldn't admit this here but quite often I respond to the "skirt" comment (but there aren't many) by saying ...

"Look at me! Does it really surprise you I would throw on a pretty little frock and make it look fabulous?"

After that they tend to at least shut up and have the grace to look abashed.

As a last note when I was out last week some guy in a bar commented to his buddies about "running around in a skirt". His friends immediately backhanded him on the shoulder and told him that "Its a kilt, Dumba**. And its cool as h*ll!"

[Big Homestead]

When I started wearing the kilt, dialogs we as follows

Random buddy: "Hey, nice skirt"

Myself: "It's not a skirt, it's a kilt."

Nowadays I'm more jovial.

Random Buddy: "Nice Skirt"

Myself: "It's not a skirt, it's a dress. Can't you see my purse around my waist?

[Nighthawk]

Let's face it - a man who wears a kilt has no personal doubts about his own sexuality. He knows he's a man, and doesn't have to prove it. He just doesn't care what other people think.

I was about to say that.

I took my kids to Petco to get a fish a couple days ago, and I was approached by one of the ladies working there. I was in my SWK saffron. She told me that one of the other girls saw me come in and said to her that there was a man in skirt in the store. She wanted to confirm the claim. She also told me that she assumed right off that it was a kilt, and told the other "If I go out there and it's a guy in a kilt, I'm going to come back here and kick you." The girl who thought it was a skirt was the person who rang us out. She told me that I got her kicked.

[auld argonian]

Hmmm...people calling a kilt a skirt getting kicked...

...I like it.

Best

AA

[keepoffgrass]

Ive gotten the skirt comment a few times. Not often tho. The first was some guy saying the typical nice skirt in a mocking comment. I was a new kilty at the time so I said something back that shut him up, that I wont repeat in here.

The second time I got it from a guy at the post office when I was picking up my mail. He said "Nice skirt" kinda jokingly, I turned around faced him and said a bit sternly, "its a kilt" he jumped back and said something to the effect, "I'm sorry! no offense! I know its a kilt, and I don't want to mess with a Scotsman!" Then we got into a bit of a conversation about he and his brother were out at a bar one time and he witnessed a Scotsman in the kilt, beat the crap out of 5 or 6 large college football players for messing with him. This guy was just trying to make conversation, and his remark was innocent, so people I think will call it a skirt in a non mocking, or more jokingly manner without meaning any offense. Just being themselves. I don't have a problem with that.

The 3rd time was at Wal-mart, by a couple giggling girls. This one irriated me the most by far. They were in their early teens, and being very annoying. The said very loudly to their dad I guess it was, "Theres a guy over there wearing a skirt!" to which he replied "Oh, is he cute?" I bellowed out, "Its a kilt actually!" rather loudly. and then there was silence. I looked around the corner of the isle and saw three butts hightailing it out of there. This time upset me for a few reasons... One, is that they were of Polynesian decent and many of the different island cultures, men wear "skirt like" garments. Two, the girls were vary loud and obnoxious in a public place with parents around. 3 they were totally disrespectful and the father encouraged that behavior until he was answered with a possible confrontation, which is typical bullying behavior. Kids are kids, and they do stupid disrespectful things, thats just life; but its the parents job to correct and teach, not to encourage disrespect and bullying. Thats why it irked me.

But for those handful of times, one wasn't meant to be offensive in anyway. And the positive out weighs the negative by far. Women love them, face it. If a guys wearing a kilt, hes a MAN and he knows he is, that confidence tends to draw them in. And I don't know how many times another man has gone out of his way to come up and shake my hand because I'm wearing a kilt, saying stuff like, "wow. I wish I had one." Or "I wish more men had the nerve to dress properly and respect their heritage." Or "where did you get that? " stuff like that.

The most recent time, I had a guy come running to me from across the parking lot, asking if I was Celtic, because he was Welsh and he loved my kilt and wished he had one. Its always nice to have a total stranger go out of their way to come talk to you, because you are "The Man". Anyways, take the negative with a grain of salt, because the world is full of ignorant fools, thats not going to change, but its them with the problem not us, and all they do is make themselves look foolish in the end.

[NewKilt]

From Webster's dictionary:

Main Entry: 1skirt
Pronunciation: \ˈskərt\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse skyrta shirt, kirtle — more at shirt
Date: 14th century
1 a (1): a free-hanging part of an outer garment or undergarment extending from the waist down (2): a separate free-hanging outer garment or undergarment usually worn by women and girls covering some or all of the body from the waist down


Main Entry: kilt
Function: noun
Date: circa 1730
1 : a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland and by Scottish regiments in the British armies
2 : a garment that resembles a Scottish kilt


I don't worry if folks call it a skirt... .it is. I worry about tone of voice, are they being jerks about it? Are they being sincere and not aware of the more correct term? Usually I just say...Thanks!!

I do the same - I say thank you. There has only been one time it was not sincere. Still remember the young girl (probably 6-7 year old) that said with all sincerity, "Cool looking man-skirt!" I said, "Why thank you young lady."

Don't worry about it. The top part of my US Navy uniform was called a "jumper," and I think the shirt worn by the US Marines at that time was called a "blouse." Just another example of clothing terms that get associated as being feminine, when they can actually be male clothing.

Darrell

[michaelbeeman]

I hear the skirt thing on occasion, however it hasn't ever really bothered me. The few times I thought the person was deliberately trying to get my goat, or trying to start something, I've spoken up. Otherwise, generally I think they do mean it as a compliment and simply are not familiar enough with kilts to call it that. Having said that, recently a couple of college age fellas tried to upset me by saying, "Nice skirt, is it your favorite"? I responded with, "Naw, my favorite has a poodle embroidered on the front". They had no come back and it got quite the laugh from my buddies!

[Darkislander]

Skirt is not a term I have heard here in and around Scotland when wearing a commonly designed kilt. I would however wonder how some of the alternative designs would go down.