Honestly, it's not the word skirt that offends me, it's the lack of common courtesy that does. Generally speaking, when people ask me about the skirt I'm wearing, it's coming from a person meaning to offend me slightly, and not someone genuinely curious.

It's the same sort of attitude when someone comes up to me while I'm wearing my Marine Corps dress blues (arguably one of the most recognizable uniforms in the world), and asking me how long I've been "In the Army." When I correct them and say Marine Corps, they reply, "Whatever... same thing." They don't really want to know how long I've been in, they knew I was a Marine, they know the Army isn't "the same thing," they just wanted to hear their head rattle for a little bit, and reveal their decision to travel through life as a jackass and not a decent person.

While my uniform being insulted usually puts someone only one or two missteps away from being sent home with a broken jaw, someone poking at my kilt like that is seen as a minor inconvenience. Sure they're probably trying to subtly insult me, but I try not to feed the trolls too much.