In my 8 years of making and wearing kilts full time, I believe that MOST people in America (which is all I can judge my experience on b/c that's where I live) have the following views (right or wrong) of someone wearing a kilt:
1. He's a bagpiper
2. He's Scottish
3. He's Irish
4. He's gay (b/c he's wearing a 'skirt')
In my opinion, those are the general thoughts people have on seeing a guy in a kilt. As humans, we tend to compartmentalize and try to fit things neatly into 'categories' in our brain to save time and make judgements based on similar items in the category. Some kilt wearers fit into 1 category. Some fit into multiple categories. Some (myself included) don't really fit into any of those.
You want a REAL fun time? When someone sees you in a kilt and asks you each of the questions (Are you a bagpiper? Are you Scottish? ...) and you answer no, watch their reaction. When they run out of 'categories' to put you in, they look very puzzled (like a confused dog with head tilted to the side). If I want to help snap them back to reality, I tell them I'm a kiltmaker and their eyes go up and mouth opens and they say "Oh... Ok. Now it makes sense".
Right or wrong, that's what I think most people believe when they see a guy in a kilt.
Bottom line, does it matter if you fit into all or one or none of the categories? No. Who the heck cares what some random person thinks of you?
Originally Posted by RockyR
Bookmarks