How does what "they" think affect what you wear?

[Semiomniscient]

All reactions tend to be based on context (that is the place I'm wearing it) tempered with the experiences of the individual.
Since we have quite a lot of parades down here, and three pipe bands in Baton Rouge alone, many know what the kilt is--but assume that I play the pipes. (That's usually the question I get in a non-event kilted appearance.)
There is also a racial discrepancy in as much as acceptance of the kilt. My students (100% of whom are black) at first usually make fun of me when they hear about it or see a picture of me in a kilt. When I taught at a private school with more diversity between white, black, asian, and arab populations, it was more accepted (I guess *** for diversity promoting acceptance)? But by the end of the year, my students were interested in the kilt and all my "Scottish stuff."
At an International Heritage celebration, I was approached by a Nigerian woman who asked if wearing the kilt made me feel as though I lost my masculinity. I was very taken aback by this, as I've never thought of the kilt that way, seeing my dad, grandfather, brothers, and many of their friends wear the kilt often. But I guess that this view is there for those who aren't used to it.
I'm trying to get my friend into a kilt as well, and he seems less than enthusiastic about it. One of our dancers does not feel comfortable wearing the kilt he's borrowed from our instructor. Neither grew up seeing the kilt prominently worn. So they have to overcome their initial inclination to see it as skirt-like. But in general, I think there is a fascination with the kilt... but it becomes a different ball game when you move from curiosity to getting someone to wear it.

[Korvyn]

but it becomes a different ball game when you move from curiosity to getting someone to wear it.

But once you do they love it lol

[piperdbh]

I live about an hour away from Grandfather Mountain, and if I'm seen kilted in the summertime, people assume and/or ask, "Are you going to the Highland Games?" I think the proximity and the large Scots-Irish presence here have sort of tempered people to at least realize it's a kilt. Not everyone, of course, but the people who matter.

edited to add something I just remembered
Last summer I had the privilege of showing Mael Coluim around my town, and we stopped for lunch in a local over-rated eatery. He was wearing Caledonia; I was in Carolina, which look sort of similar, so it looked to a lot of folks like we were matching each other. As we made our way to our booth, I watched other patrons' eyes to see where they would look, and overheard a few folks saying to their lunch partners, "Must be Highland Games this week."

[Duke of Delrio]

Oh, I don't know, Alan . . . you're no slouch when it comes to clearly stating your thoughts. One of your many virtues!

Around here kilts are rarely seen. When I wear mine, I tend to hear things like" . . . Oh yeah . . . my grandfather used to wear a kilt." That one always puts a spring in my step. I know one other guy within 50 miles who wears a kilt, mostly to highland games and such as that. Bless him, he's learning to play the pipes too!

I am 6'4" tall and range around 235 lbs. Nobody has ever cracked wise with me about wearing a kilt. At least, not to my face. Since you can toss those weights higher than I can throw a small head of red cabbage, I wouldn't get cute with you either. . . . no matter what I thought of your kilt wearing.

Truth to tell, my kilting is mostly done for more formal occasions when nearly everyone is wearing something you would not see them in down at the store or the gas station. Perhaps that has kept any negative comments out of my hearing. Any rarity can be considered odd. In this neck of the woods, a man on foot is about as rare as a man wearing kilts. A man walking while wearing kilts, however, might have to walk farther before he is offered a lift.

[Mickey]

In my 11 years here, outside of Tartan Days, I have seen one guy in a kilt, one time, in a grocery store and that was about 9 years ago. There are a fair number of piping bands downtown and they are always in various parades. Most everyone in this area knows what a kilt is, but they just aren't seen in "daily wear" settings.

I kilt up at least one day each weekend and am out and about, everywhere. Like many others in this forum, I also really couldn't give a rat's ankle what people think of me or my clothing, especially being a rather non-social person. I go out expecting the worst, but have never had a negative comment (looks are a bit of a different story... a lot old guys here don't approve, but they don't approach me, or my son for that matter). However, even though I don't care about what they think of me, I do care about what they think of kilts as a whole. Similar to when I wore a uniform, I feel that I am representing something other than myself, so I pay attention to wearing it well, and even behave myself much better, making sure to be extra courteous (when normally I would be a bit of big toe to some folks).

Even though I'm Irish, I feel a certain amount of pressure to not disrespect the kilt in public. When kilted, I stick out just by being there. They won't remember me as a person one way or another, but they will remember the jerk in a skirt, or the gentleman in the kilt. It is up to me to decide that for them.

[Zardoz]

Well, there are like 5 million people in the 'greater Houston' metropolitan area, so I think it would be a little hard to nail down a "generally held notion" for all of them. But I guess it depends on your 'range'....
I'll say that at the stores, pubs, resturants, etc. that I go to regularly, "they" think it's just fine, and indeed at some of those places I'm likely to run into a kilted friend or two as well.
But I don't just go to my local, I've worn a kilt, at the appropriate level of dress, to all kinds of places/events etc.. and I can count on one hand the number of really negative remarks I've heard. As I said, I know several local kilt wearing guys, a couple I've not seen in trousers, and I don't think any of them have ever spoken to me about any problems either.
Truth be told, I just don't think or care about what "they" think. "They" could saw 'nice kilt' to my face and think I'm crazy and silly looking. Really, they could say 'you're crazy and silly looking' to my face and I wouldn't care. I think most people I see look like they dressed in the dark anyway.

[chrisupyonder]

When kilted, I stick out just by being there. They won't remember me as a person one way or another, but they will remember the jerk in a skirt, or the gentleman in the kilt. It is up to me to decide that for them.

My sentiments exactly. I try my best to be the gentleman in a kilt. If anyone thinks I am the former then it is their problem and I don't care because if that is their perception then nothing I could say or do would change that.

Chris.

[gordontaos]

Whoops!

[gordontaos]

The town that I live in, Taos New Mexico, is mainly composed of folks of Spanish or American Indian descent. Anglos are a minority. However, in a county of less than 30,000 souls, there are at least 10 kilted gentlemen. I have worn a kilt out and about, day and night, formal and informal, at least 50 times in the past year. I have only had one "nice skirt" comment (from a passing woman in a bar), in all of that time. All other comments, mainly from women, have been very enthusiastic.
As has been said before, people tend to place you in a "box", and I have had my share of bagpipe and festival questions. My standard "quickie" answer as to why I'm wearing my kilt is..."because its Tuesday".
I have actually started NOT wearing a kilt to some establishments, so that they won't know what to expect when they see me walking through the door.

[Semiomniscient]

But once you do they love it lol

Well like I mentioned with one of our dancers, he doesn't love it. I'm all for him wearing trews for dance demos.