X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers.
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This forum has changed me...
I dawned on me recently that joining and participating in this forum has changed my attitude towards the kilt, towards Highland Dress.
Being a piper and spending most of my life playing in pipe bands, I had pretty much gone over to the standard attitude that pipe band people have towards the kilt: it's something you are required to wear when you play, and is therefore somewhat resented and disliked.
It's why you see pipe band people walking around Games in partial uniform: maybe wearing their hose and ghillies but with shorts, the hated kilt not put on until the moment the band has to play, and removed instantly afterwards.
Or in the kilt but with sneakers/trainers instead of the hated ghillies. Or whatever.
And pipers/drummers who are not actually playing or judging at a Games, but attending simply to listen and hang out and schmooze, would never dream of wearing their kilt. It just isn't done. It isn't "cool". To be "cool" the piper/drummer must show up in t-shirt etc. (At any pipe band competition there are dozens of top pipers, drummers, judges, etc standing around watching and schmoozing dressed like that.)
In spite of my lifelong love of Highland Dress, I found myself conforming to this attitude.
This forum has changed me. It has got me to appreciate and value Highland Dress more, and has got me to wear it at times when I'm not required to wear it.
So at two Highland Games I've attended this year I've shown up kilted even though I'm not currently in a band. My piping buddies have asked me dozens of times "so, are you playing today?" and when I say that I'm not, they're a bit puzzled.
This weekend is our largest local Games, Costa Mesa, and I'll attend kilted, to the surprise/consternation of my piping friends. So be it!
(If I showed up in a Utilikilt it would really get them going!)
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