I will not presume to think I know what anyone else's spouse is thinking, but I have a similar situation of a wife who does NOT like it when I wear a kilt. And she is not afraid to speak her mind about it, saying things NOT in jest, but in front of our friends and family, like "he has more skirts than I do" and "I don't think a man in a skirt is at all sexy---rather it turns my interest in sex off for you, honey". For example, my birthday was this past weekend, and I was wondering if we could go out to dinner with some friends, the husband who knows I wear the kilt has always wanted to see me wear it and just never had a chance. So I thought on my birthday I could go out for a nice dinner kilted, with our friends, but was rebuffed with "If you wear a kilt don't expect me to go with you, especially if we invite (our friends) to go with us, becasue I don't want to be seen in public with you wearing that thing". I was this close to saying that we would miss her company at dinner that night, but instead took the high road and just she and I had a quiet dinner out, unkilted, needless to say me a bit disappointed. She also scrutinizes our credit card bills for Paypal charges and overseas credit card charges for kilt related items and gives me grief about every pair of hose, every kilt pin purchased, let alone when I want to get a full new kilt.

I understand that major purchases are and should be a family decision, but I am more than gainfully employed, the sole breadwinner for the family, and the amounts I spend relative to our disposable income are small and not threatening our finanical security.

She has even said that if I had been a kilt wearer when we met, dated and got married, that she never would have gone out with me. So, since I took up a new hobby, and some new dress style, am I that different of a person now than I was 4 years ago?

Now is that jealousy? Well all I can say is that when I insist on kilting up, and she does go with me (typically some celtic related event like a highland games) she is extremely conscious, far more than I, of folks around me and the looks I get while kilted. I do not know whether it is embarrassment to be seen with me, envy that I am getting undue attention, or some other concern that bothers her, but it really bothers her, without doubt.

Just my personal observations of my own similar situation.

jeff