What the kilt means to you

[pdcorlis]

Guid man! What tartan do you wear? sorry for all the questions but am doing a wee survey. Do people approach ye expecting tae here a scottish accent and if they do what is there reaction?
Unrelated question, i used tae work as a professional photographer covering all aspects, started to lose business when digital came oot, whit aboot you? still going strong?
Thanks for feedback!

Don't know if this is pointed at me - but I'll jump in anyway. Personally I prefer to wear district tartans and own a few Irish county tartans as well - that's just me.

Now... the world of photography is in real flux right now - film is not dead but the bean counters are likely to be the ones that kill it if they can. For my landscape photography I still use a large format 4x5 camera - for everything else I shoot digital. I think digital photography holds some real excitement and the image quality is sure there. Now, I have the luxury of teaching photography at the local college but if I was a working professional today shooting weddings, portraits, studio, product shots, and the like I'd welcome digital like a long lost brother. shorter turns-arounds, reduced costs, and instant exposure verification.

If this was not pointed at me then... nevermind and sorry for the hijack!!!!!!

[Ozman1944]

Well, for me it's twofold.
1. Acknowledging my Celtic heritage; my forebears migrated to South Australia in the early 1800's; (S.A. was not a Penal Colony like Sydney) Mom's side from Scotland, Dad's from Wales & Cornwall when the mines gave out.

2. For the comfort, and the neat style of dress. Everyone keeps telling me how nice they look.
And, of course being a Celt there is a bit of rebel in here.

[GreenDragon]

to be honest, i first got interested in kilts because we couldn't wear shorts to work and i was looking for an alternative.

Then i found XMarks.

Then i started really digging into my family history.

Then it became my way of honoring my family.

My maternal grandfather's last name was Scott. He was a WW2 Veteran. I feel like it honors him and our bloodline. I was 9 when he died and didn't really know him. I know we're Irish, Welsh, Danish, Native American and (on my "dad's" side, biologically speaking.) German. Scottish, i'm not 100% sure.

The kilt to me is: Freedom, History, comfort.

[ozone]

My wife got me into wearing kilts after we visited Scotland in 2003. I am of welsh descent and had not considered getting a kilt until I saw the welsh tartan center. Since then...well most people on this board have the same story :-).

I like to wear a kilt occasionally nowadays because it's comfortable and fun.

Finally, as a non-Scot, I realized after one quick jaunt down the royal mile, that kilts and tartans are all just a tourist ploy these days anyway. Also, a few interesting history books later, one realizes that tartans being related to family names was largely a Victorian invention, so I stopped worrying about all that stuff and started wearing a kilt!

[wscottmac]

For me, it starts with the fact that my Dad's family (McKnight, sept of the Clan MacNaughton) came over from Scotland in the late 1600s, and were some of the early leaders in anti-English politics in NC. We're also thick w/ Alexanders on that side, and that branch (along w/ the Wallaces) came over w/ the McKnights way back when. My mom's maiden name is Scott. Luckily, on both sides of my family, genealogy has been a minor hobby, and we have DAR records all the way back. So, I know it's been watered down some, but I'm predominantly Scots on both sides. Ever since I was a kid, there's been that spark of Scottish heritage/pride that I've been exposed to from my family.

So, there's the genealogical argument.

Spiritually and emotionally, I just can't describe the feeling that rushes thru my veins (even from a very early age) when I hear the pipes and drums, and see a kilted pipe band. It's in the same spectrum as the feeling of peace/belonging that I felt when I visited the areas that our clan was from in Scotland. I dunno, there's something intangible there that gets my blood up.

Then, there's the argument that some men just need a little more room

And, in closing -- one of my favorite quotes:

"Join a Highland regiment, my boy. The kilt is an unrivalled garment for fornication and diarrhea." -- John Masters (1914 - 1983).

[Alaskan Kilted Guy]

What does the kilt mean to me?

Freedom
Choice
Conversation
Attention (Sometimes good, sometimes bad)
Comfort
Style
Standing out...

[Clockwork John]

For me, it is mostly about heritage. Part of it is also about rebellion. I'm a "reformed" punk rocker, so I do enjoy being different. Also, it is about defying a place and a culture that I despise, and connecting me to a place and a culture that I love. I went to London, Dublin, and Edinburgh on my honeymoon back in March, and I have never felt so at home anywhere- not even in my own home. I long for nothing more than to return to Scotland some day- God willing, to stay.

I wrote a post/blog on the subject. The thread here was entitled "what does it mean to be Scottish" or something like that. I also have what I wrote on my Myspace blog (see my signature) entitled "on Heritage and Nationality" or someting similar, if you're interested in reading it.

[McMurdo]

Well McG
This is quite an interesting post, I have been thinking about how to answer since this morning. For me the wearing of the kilt was at first to honour my heritage. My Mom and Dad are both from Scotland, Mom from Coatbridge, Dad from Aberdeen. My first kilt was a gift from my Dad, it seems that it shrunk from hanging in the closet all those years.

Anyway the first time I wore a kilt as an adult was for my brothers wedding, I was the best man, I remember thinking to myself, why have I not done this 'til now well that was 6 years ago. Not to long ago I had the opportunity to wear the kilt my Dad gave me to work, and it was very well received, to the point where people were asking me to wear it again.

Now I have 6 kilts and 3 on the way, and I wear the kilt on a daily basis. Quite a bit of my daily wear comes from this forum and the camaraderie and support that I have found here, there is no finer group of people anywhere on the net.

I do find the kilt very comfortable in winter and summer it really is the perfect male garment. I like some others like to have a connection to the tartan that I am wearing, to me it just makes sense. I have also found that my confidence has soared and I have noticed that the people around me do not make that big a deal out of it anymore I am just the guy in the kilt now.

[Roan Carter]

1. Foremost, honoring my heritage.
2. Superiority to pants in comfort and quality.
3. Making everyone in my East TN town question their beliefs about societal norms.
4. The joy of working with wool to fold my phillabeg and great kilt pleats.

[CactusJack]

I have always had the notion in my head about kilts, It was when my wife and I were talking about going to a ren faire that I said that I wanted to go wearing a kilt. She was all in favor of it and bought me my first kilt for Christmas last year. After wearing it a few time I realized how much I enjoyed wear one. The wife stated that after that I went Celtic on her.
I then started doing research on my ancestors having been told as I child that I had scotch and Irish ancestors. after a while I was able to trace some of my ancestors to Clan Campbell as well as the Blair's and Johnstone's.
So not only do I wear mine for my heritage but also because I just plain like to.