kilt lifters

[Sir Robert]

Look if you hang out with drunken morons in bars filled with idiots yes you had better be prepaired to be lifted.

If I could not handle that then I would not go there.

[Will Macadam]

"Your man should control you better," always gets a woman steaming mad. There is no response she can give that doesn't have a better comeback.

Heh heh! That put down would work equally well if not better with a MAN, it would effectively assume he was someones 'bitch' (I'd imagine no self respecting gay man would actually lift a kilt, but idiot kilt-lifters can virtually be counted upon to be homophobic and thus appropriately humiliated) However, I'd fully expect such a comment to end in a brawl.

As to 'the question' depends on whose asking on the day and the circumstances, most of the time its an opportunity to either promote yourself, or the kilt, use it to your best advantage!

The best defence to lifters is not to go kilted (without reinforcements) to dodgy drink sodden venues, yes, I know one shouldn't HAVE to police ones movements, but is the alternative and the unpleasant outcomes, worth the hassle?
Wullie.

[kiltedjaz]

My feelings on ‘kilt lifting’



I wear my kilt as part of my normal everyday clothing. It is NOT and never has been a ‘costume’ or a fashion statement.



I object VERY strongly to unsolicited comments about what I’m wearing under my kilt and to unwanted, uninvited and invasive attempts to look.



My answer to these people is a very polite but extremely firm ‘mind your own business’ and that any attempt to look will be treated as assault, and that I would have NO hesitation in calling the police if any further attempts were to be made.

Many of these ignorant people seem to think they have a right to ask or to take a peek. By doing this they are treating the kilt as a fancy dress and showing me no personal respect as a member of society.



Imagine the scenario … walking down the street, there is a woman wearing a skirt…I go up to her….ask her if she is wearing knickers and I want to look up!!

What would her reaction be? .. A laugh?...A smile?...A ‘go ahead’, feel free? …Let’s treat this as a joke and a bit of friendly banter ? Somehow I think NOT. She would likely scream her head off….shout for help and the police. I would end up in prison.



But it seems to be acceptable behaviour to do the same to a man in a kilt… WHY ?????

I do not think it is acceptable, in any form, for a stranger ask or attempt to look at what’s under my kilt. I see it as extremely insulting, a gross invasion of my privacy and I will NOT tolerate it at any time. My reply to them includes asking them what they would do if I did the same to them….how they would feel and what would they do to me? Very often this shows them that they have behaved extremely poorly and usually generates an apology …‘I never thought of it that way’.



Until the majority of real kilt wearers adopt a similar attitude we will remain the butt of jokes, ‘funny’ comments and unwarranted invasions of our privacy. We should be working hard to remove and or control the titillation aspect of wearing the kilt.

Amongst friends this behaviour MAY be acceptable at times, but, in my opinion, it is certainly NOT appropriate in public.



As for Max’s comments:-

"Hey you're in the wrong country for that"
"Trains for Scotland leave at King's Cross, you're on the wrong tube / travelling in the wrong direction"

That is just as insulting….would the same people do the same to Arabs, Indians, Muslims or Africans dressed in their national costume.

Of course not…they could be prosecuted under the Race Relations act. So what makes them see it as acceptable to pass fatuous and infantile comments to a man dressed in Scottish national costume.



I never let any of these comments pass unanswered…I stick up for MY rights as a human being to demand respect from others..

[An t-Ileach]

A Sheumais,

I entirely agree with you. I get very ratty with people who do this. The only problem with the poileas is they're never around when you need them, and in London they're just as likely to treat it as a "piece of harmless fun" and have a go at you for wasting police time.

[Geoduck]

Look if you hang out with drunken morons in bars filled with idiots yes you had better be prepaired to be lifted.

If I could not handle that then I would not go there.

To some degree, I agree with this. I don't think it should be acceptable, but it can be planned for. I usually avoid late nights at clubs, but on Saturday, I went into the dangerous (sic) section of Seattle, known as downtown Ballard. We even passed UK headquarters on the way. The kilt went unnoticed until about 12:30 am, when some women came up to me and asked what I was worn under the kilt (finally, perfect phrasing) "Why nothing, everything is in perfect, working order." They giggled and walked away. A couple minutes later I felt that tell tale breeze against the back of my legs and sure enough... Luckily, I have made the promise to my wife (I know, you make conscesions when you go out with the guys) to always wear boxers under the kilt, if she's not there to appreciate me not wearing them (sorry if that was a bit blunt). So I'm not exactly sure what they may have seen, but at that point, I'm only a little flattered (honestly) and relieved that I had planned ahead.

After we left the first bar (band was done) and moved onto another pub for a last pitcher before we called a cab, we ran into a rather intoxicated (by no means intoxicating) woman. She ran uyp to me, grabbed my apron and proceeded to pull up my kilt! I couldn't have been more offended. I asked her if she would mind if I did that to her in a skirt, at that point her male companion stepped in (I'm not sure if he was trying to get her out of trouble, but he was clearly embarrassed). She screamed names at me until we entered the second bar, names that would describe female genetalia, if you get my drift. I just couldn't believe the audacity. Honestly, the first group of girls was playful, and I couldn't be too offended, but the second....:confused:

Oh well, I do figure this will happen, but it is still violating. I still think the best thing one can do is walk away, nothing ticks off someone looking for a confrontation than the person just walking away.

[sav]

As a college student, I have to deal with quite a few people (sadly, many my own age) who don't have the maturity and good sense of a rock. As has been stated by many on this thread, when a bonnie lass does a quick check in the rear at a party or something of the like, I generally don't throw a fit. Apron-lifts by anyone (except a significant other... ;) ) are off-limits. As for "the question"...Yesterday I was posed the question (rather rudely in tone) by a FACULTY MEMBER! A professor who I used to look up to has now lost any respect I may have had for her. I responded, as calmy as possible: "Excuse me, but I take offense. I have never been anything but professional towards you, and I think that you have acted very improperly!" Can you believe she had the gall to be upset at me!? She claimed that I took her comment "out of context." At any rate, it's obvious that she was the one that was out of line.
~Sav

[davedove]

Fortunately, I've only ever had the discreet check from the back. I'm not sure how I would handle the brazen approach some of you have described. I do think we all need to remember that for now a double standard does exist in society between men and women wearing skirt-like garments. Is that right? Of course not, but it does exist and it will take a long time to change it, and certainly not unless kilts become mainstream garments. Maybe I'm more easy-going than some of the gents who have responded here, but some of their reactions seem extreme. But then again, I do recognize that for some people you have to go to extremes to get their attention. I don't think violence is warranted, except maybe for those times when the checks become actual assault. Let's try educating the public, but remember it's going to take time.

[macgreggor]

two replies that seem to work for me:

do you REALLY want to know?

so it is ok if i ask your daughter (wife,girlfriend) that question?

no fights so far...knock on wood!

macG

[jfellrath]

I was out for a bachelor's party last Saturday and wore my tan UK. As the groom-to-be was dressed in a prisoner's outfit, I didn't attract too much attention until he went outside to get some air. Suddenly, I had two groups of women coming up and asking me if they could 1) lift the kilt and 2) slap my ***!

I simply told them I didn't think that was appropriate and they pretty much backed off.

[Kilted KT]

I always seem to have problems with the more intoxicated females.

After reading this entire thread, I'll be boning up on my remarks to the question...

here is another good comeback for the not-so-playful lifters

"I see your keepers left the cage unlocked today"