Some people just don't know

[Rigged]

When wearing a kilt we stand out from the crowd (some more then others), seems to me one way to do this is by going to media events and other places where the odds of being singled out and Interviewed are high and talking about why we wear kilts.

The "Million Skirted Men March" event in New York comes to mind. It stands out as a good reason why companies hire media consultants. Andrew Bolton and Jean-Paul Gaultier do not speak for me.

Mainstream media is mainstream media because it reflects mainstream values and the mainstream worldview. It's an insider's game and we need someone on the inside to shape our message in a way that won't be spun and wind up on the "News of the Strange" segment.

We can certainly try to do this on an individual basis, be each of us has be very sure that the person interviewing us is on our side, like this guy:

http://www.thelantern.com/news/2004/...e-608365.shtml

Keep in mind too that not all of us who wear kilts want to be accepted into the mainstream.

Also, some guys on this list don't share the "whatever gets more guys in kilts is good and everything else is bad" philosophy that other guys on the list have.

So what happens when someone who has a different agenda gets the interview?

And this gets to what I see as the heart of the matter: We don't have an overarching strategy because, being the individualists we are, we haven't agreed on a single overarching goal that we can all work towards.

Another point I want to make is that some kilt makers think they're having a social impact because they've sold a lot of kilts.

In San Francisco, during the Gay Pride festival and the Folsom Street Faire (a BDSM culture event), Utilikilts sells kilts all day long.

My daughter-in-law works in the Castro District which is the gay section of the city. Sometimes we pick her up from work to take her on family outings.

In four years I've only seen one other man wearing a kilt in the Castro during a normal work day.

I'm the only kilted man I see walking the streets in the most liberal, progressive city in America, where a popular brand of kilt is purchased and owned by perhaps hundreds of socially and sexually liberated men.

Where are all the kilts?

[Highlander775]

I believe that any trend will have to start on the West Coast like any other fashion.Within five years,we should see it in Pittsburgh. 8)




"Bringing History To Life"

[Rigged]

Except for Seattle, Pittsburgh seems to have a more active kilting community than the rest of the west coast.

[Jeremy]

Back to a post from a couple days ago: Magnus- I'd like to see that PDF. One of the last times I wore a kilt to work, within five minutes of when I walked into the building, a group leader from another department ran up to me with a mirror duct-taped to her shoe. I expect a little harrassment at work- I work in a machine shop, but that went kind of overboard. I can't wait to see what she does at the christmas party in a couple weeks, which is usually a drunken mess anyway. Only thing is she's really not my type.

[Tim Walker]

The kilts I see worn here in Seattle are Utilikilts. Utilikilts is based here. Indeed, their only kilt store is here.

[longforgan]

Hi, I cannot help but think that the attitude of the masses to the kilt springs from their view of male human attire in general. One very interesting dynamic which I know is real but have not been able to explain is the phenomenon of jeans. I may be a rare standout in the western world having never worn jeans. I disliked them the moment I ever say them and just knew that I would never wear them. Just in case any of you jump to the conclusion that I am a lifetime kilt-wearer; ah- no 'fraid not. I've stuck to slacks and shorts for most of my life. But how about this jean thing. They are an international uniform there's no doubt. Everybody likes to think that they are an individualist, but how can they be? Face it, men are just stuck on those tubes of cloth which adorn each leg. Don't expect most of them to ever put on a kilt. Ah, well the folks on this site and I know it's their loss. Frankly I am glad. I don't need a lot of company to do the thing I love and besides, it's nice to standout and be noticed a little. - Longforgan

[Magnus Sporrano]

The nice thing about kilts is even among kilters you can be an individualist. With blue jeans everyone's lower half looks alike. But with kilts you only cover from waist to mid-thigh, and you have a huge array of tartans to choose from. From the knees down you can make a number of fashion statements as well, and can also from the waist-up. And as some like Hamish will point out, you don't have to stop at tartans... you can go from there to solid colors, pinstripes, leathers, bicolors, you name it.

At a recent kilt night in Philly I think there must have been around 10 guys in kilts if I am not mistaken. No two looked alike. Kelly (USAK) and I were the closest because we had the same tartan (Royal Stewart) but she has a completely different look from me (gender differences aside). Everyone else there that wasn't in a kilt just kind of blended into the crowd.

[Hamish]

Hi, I cannot help but think that the attitude of the masses to the kilt springs from their view of male human attire in general. One very interesting dynamic which I know is real but have not been able to explain is the phenomenon of jeans. I may be a rare standout in the western world having never worn jeans. - Longforgan

A "rare standout" maybe, but certainly not a lone one - I also have never worn jeans. Actually, that's not quite true: back in the 1960s I did buy a pair, put them on and sat in a bath of cold water for hours to shrink them to skin tight, which is what everyone was doing at that time! However, I doubt if I ever wore them more than twice. I liked the skin-tight effect but he fabric did not suit me; the colour did not suit me - and being just another lemming did not suit me! So, out they went!

I took a huge gamble when ordering my 7yd denim kilt from KiltStore.net earlier this year, but the colour is not what I would call "denim blue" (so that's alright) and the fabric is quite different when made into a kilt! I love it.

[Jimmy Carbomb]

... back in the 1960s I did buy a pair, put them on and sat in a bath of cold water for hours to shrink them to skin tight, which is what everyone was doing at that time!

I'm so appreciative of your stories Hamish. Especially the ones from the '60's since I'm FAR too young to know anything about that time period!

I guess the bathtub in jeans thing was European? They were doing "other" things over here.

...or so I'm told.

THAT KILT!

Now THAT'S what a solid kilt should look like! WOW!!!!!!!!!!