First skirt comment

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Well, I got the first "skirt" comment from someone! I was dropping my daughters off to pre-school yesterday (as I do every day, and kilted every day since I started wearing a kilt to work), and as I was walking up to the school, a lady walked out of the door, looked at me and said with a smile "You have some great skirts!". Now, I do NOT want to start the whole naming argument again! I have my own thoughts on what I am comfortable with people calling this garment we wear, and much of that is in their tone. Anyway, some would have likely corrected this woman, gently or harshly, and told her it was a kilt. I did not, because her tone was obviously complimentary and she truly felt she was paying me a complimet with her comment. Telling her it was a kilt necer crossed my mind. It was a good morning!

[Sherry]

It wouldn't be snippy to say, "Thanks! I call it a kilt, though," or something along that line. The emphasis would be on the thanks for the complement, with a bit of education on the side.

Sherry

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

It wouldn't be snippy to say, "Thanks! I call it a kilt, though," or something along that line. The emphasis would be on the thanks for the complement, with a bit of education on the side.

Sherry

Sherry, I know it wouldn't be, but her comment, demeanor, smile, etc. all said that she thought what I was wearing was great and she wanted to let me know. There have been many posts and arguments here, and on other boards, about what to call a garment worn by a man that does not have legs. Personally, words are words, and in the immortal words of Shakespeare "A rose by any another name smells as sweet...". When I first decided that I was going to wear a kilt, I took the time to do some research, and look inside myself and decide if I was doing this to be cross-dressing (which is perfectly fine with me, and I don't mean in the Seinfeld "not that there's anything wrong with that" sense, but that I truthfully don't care why somebody wears what they do). I decided that I was not, and that I really did not care if it was called a kilt, skirt, MUG, short dress, frxslevbfte, or whatever. The only offense I would take is if somebody who knew better, or had the opportunity to know better, decided to razz me on it and call it something designed to get a rise out of me. In that case, I came up with my own comebacks to put that person in their place depending on their level of obnoxiousness. As someone else said on this board, I don't want to alienate people, who are trying to educate themselves and be open minded, with a curt response that shuts them down.
Sorry for the long response, I have been restricted from regular web access for almost 2 days!

[GMan]

It is a tough call at times when you hear that comment. You just have to play it by ear, and go with the flow.

[Blu (Ontario)]

I've often had the "skirt" remark from young men shouting it from moving cars. Not much of a chance to respond to that. I've also had it from people obviously being complimentary but also from others with one eyebrow raised (pondering my (perhaps) dubious agenda). Each situation requires a slightly different response... esp. if the person is known to you. The main thing is to avoid letting it get to you.

[Rick]

While shoping at a business I have frequented off an on over the years, the proprietor greeted me with "Nice Skirt" and a smile. I noded approvingly. After he finished with a customer, he came over and said that but for the wife, he was dying to have a "kilt". Likewise, I have had other people I know in professinal circles comment on my "skirt" after seeing me at a concert or other event. I know that these people know the difference, and thus, I simpley respond politely, injecting the word "kilt" skilfully in the conversation that ensues. In both cases, a polite happy response was in order.

The ones who refer to my kilt as a skirt with contempt, I simply ignore.

At the end of the day, my attitude is adjusted favorably by remembering what a nice lady said to me at the Detroit Institute of Arts the other day after I volunteered to take here photo with her husband in front of Rodin's The Thinker. Her comment was simply "You look wonderfull."

Rick

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

...Her comment was simply "You look wonderfull."

Rick

Rick, beautifully stated. That is exactly what I interpreted the lady to mean with her comment to me.

[chasem]

I have only received the skirt comment once. I walked into my college english class this year, and one older lady - older than me, I'm 21 she's roughly 50 - said "Nice skirt!" with a smile and a very polite tone.

I smiled and stated simply, but politely, "It's a kilt, but thank you!" Making sure to be energetic with the thanks.

She then told me that she knew, she just wanted to mess with me, and then apologized.

I told her that it was quite alright, and I appreciated the compliment anyway.

From there, we went on to talk about her daughter who is living in Japan, and her son who is in Afghanistan, and various other cultural-related topics. Since then she and I have spoken quite a bit in that class.



Anyway, my point is that - should you feel the need/want to - mentioning that it's a "kilt" rather than a "skirt" (semantics...) doesn't necessarily have to be done in a manner to "shut them up," but rather to - I hesitate to use the word as it sounds like you'd give a speech, but - edducate them, and speak kindly with them.

Of course, it's all a matter of personal preference.

[GlassMan]

I was at the post office dropping off some packages not too many weeks ago. So I had one of those plastic USPS bins under one arm full of outgoing mail and supply orders, and I was holding my can with the other as I hobbled towards the front door.

Just as I was about to walk in a man came out who looked like he should have been in a dictionary as a picture beside the word redneck. Having grown up in the South, I don't consider that an insult, just a class of person. This guy had hair like a rat's nest, a dirty t-shirt with a Monster Truck & a confederate flag on it but without sleeves, blue jeans and a belt buckle larger than the one on my kilt belt! And of course the requisite untied leather work boots and almost as many teeth in his mouth as grease stains on his shirt.

He was a nice man and held the door open for me. I thanked him and as I walked by he said "Nice skirt, er, I mean kilt." I was thanked him for the compliment and also for correcting himself. He said that when what he'd first said came out of his mouth he felt it sounded like an insult rather than a compliment so he had to use the proper name.

So then I asked him if he knew why it was called a kilt. He said no, so I said "Cause the last guy who called it a skirt got kilt!"

Needless to say he nearly slammed the door on me while I was still standing in the doorway he was laughing so hard. He thought that was so absolutely funny.

So you can get really nice compliments from unexpected places. Just because a guy doesn't have a decent dental plan and has a blue-collar job doesn't meant that he's not an open minded, decent chap who it turns out shares a secret desire to wear a kilt! 8)

[Rob]

a lady walked out of the door, looked at me and said with a smile "You have some great skirts!".

The perfect response would have been:-

Starting with a puzzled look on your face, quickly change this to a big smile and say: "Oh, you mean my kilts. Thank you very much."

In that way you are letting her know that they are kilts, without being at all impolite.

Rob