nervous in my kilt

[Fedgunner]

Okay, so I have 2 kilts now and have worn them around the house, on a road trip and to walk the dog in the wee hours of the morning,...yesterday, I decided to wear my new sport kilt over to the local park while walking the dog,..I became very self-conscious, which surprised,..I found myself avoiding folks and waiting for some sort of slur to be thrown my way,...I was surprised, but can't imagine I'm the only one who has experienced this. How do other folks deal with this anxiety/sense of sticking out etc?

Nothing adverse happened to me, but I was glad to get home

thx--Mac

The first time I wore a kilt oot and aboot.. Aye I was nervous.
I recieved so many thumbs up, "Oh hell yeah", and nods of appreciation that I understood one thing.

Walk in a kilt like you were meant to wear it.
Nothing more. That is the "secret".

I'm 50 years old... I really don't give a rat's *** what other people think.

The confidence of the wearer is one of the attractive parts of the kilt.

[Deil the Yin]

I have to say that, even having worn the kilt frequently for over ten years, I sometimes still get "pensive" about folks reaction. However, this usually hinges on what kind of mood I happen to be in, and if I feel good then even the off-comments don't bother me. But if I'm tired or in a bad mood... I'm on edge. And even in small towne South Georgia it's rare that I get anything but a positive comment (or stupid/innocent question). Bad comments are NEVER to my face (usually in a moving car going the other way).

Anyway... just my experience with it.

[zeeew]

I've had a "nice dress" once, but in his defense it was a bit long.
My problem is my hands, no pockets, but the more I wear a kilt, the more relaxed I feel.

[pdcorlis]

By jove I think you've got it!

Well Done.

[Brasilikilt]

I can appreciate the nervousness whilst wearing kilts

For years I lived in a fairly rough neighborhood in my city. I was told that I was "cruising for a bruising" if I wore my kilt in my area. I actually armed myself with a 1911 at first, but then deemed this quite excessive and opted towards a bata or shillelagh. I encountered very few instances of hostility and eventually ventured out into the world with just a Leatherman.

I might be echoing comments made previously in this thread, but it might help to think about WHY you are wearing a kilt.....is it for you, or everyone else?

If you like wearing a kilt, then disregard everyone who objects to it!
They are low life forms which merely envy the confidence or "balls" it takes to wear such a garment out in public. It is their problem and not yours.
It is a free country where it is your right to wear whatever you want.

You have already stepped out into the world while wearing your kilt. As you do it more you will notice that the reaction is much more supportive than anything else.

Hope this helps

Iain

[Cassidy]

I remember the first time I wore a kilt anywhere other than a historical reenactment was to high school. I was a freshman, and I can't honestly remember why I did it- but I knew that it was make or break for me and it was either going to be the end of my social life or the beginning of my carving a niche out for myself in a school of 4000 students.

I remember being extremely nervous, and even still sometimes when it's late at night and I'm in a bad part of town walking up to an ATM machine, I sit there wondering why the hell I'm wearing a skirt in this context. But I've found that when I walk around in a kilt I develop a certain swagger that probably came from false confidence at first, but now stems from a very real sense of invulnerability. Nowadays when I'm wearing my kilt, I feel like I could fight a bear- and it's ironic that something that makes you so nervous to begin with can instill you with such confidence, but it can.

Of course, I usually have a set of knuckledusters in my sporran just in case, either way. :-P

[Kerr the Walker]

Indeed the kilt has it's own built-in swagger. It's only time before the "swish" of the pleats influences your step.

Wear it proudly!

[Carolina Kiltman]

Nervousness at any new undertaking is normal, just like the apprehension when getting up to speak before an audience. I felt the same way too, but now it is so normal that I really don't think about it. In hot weather I wear a T shirt from Cafe Press, that says "Why do they call it a kilt? Because a lot of people were kilt for calling it a skirt!" It usually brings a smile. I do not think I have ever had an adverse comment. Usually I get asked to have a picture taken with some of the tourist types. Of course I live in a hot-bed of Scots, the Cape Fear region.

[Cassidy]

I've gotten the random picture requests from strangers, too. Once I was even asked for my autograph.

And when my wrestling fed brought in Roddy Piper and I was still just a fan and not a wrestler, not a person there believed me when I swore I wasn't his son just because I was wearing a kilt.

[DesertCeltic]

I can now say that I have become much more comfortable in kilts. I have worn them 5 days in a row to work, but sometimes still feel a bit of apprehension as I work for a company with over 12,000 employees on three campuses. The folks in my specific building have become somewhat accustomed to the guy in a kilt after such a short time. Other buildings still result in the usual second looks and pauses in conversation. The one thing that I agree with that all other posts have said is that your level of confidence in wearing a kilt in public will be exuded and is reflected back to you in the comments and attitudes of the general public.

It is easier to swim in a cold pool if you just jump in and the same goes for kilts in my opinion and it is never as bad as you think it will be. One of the nice caveats with wearing a kilt to work has been the nice compliments I have received almost daily from women that your buddies in jeans and Tshirts won't get if that makes you feel any better.