Kilts and costumes

[arrScott]

I am sorry to be a "stick in the mud",but kilts are not and never have been a costume.Part of a uniform certainly,part of Highland dress most definitely,copied the world over--- be my guest,but please please please,I beg you, NEVER worn as a costume.

I respect where you're coming from, but I'd argue that a uniform is something you wear to play a role "for real." A costume is something you wear to play a role "for pretend." For example, I play on a vintage base ball team; we recreate baseball as it was played in the 1860s. We wear vintage-style shield-front shirts, flat-topped caps, knickers, and stockings. When I wear that outfit to play a game, it's a uniform. When I wear it to answer the door on Halloween night, it's a costume. It's all about what you intend when you wear a thing.

Should, say, police officers ever wear their distinctive outfits as costumes rather than uniforms? I'd think not. It would confuse observers and undermine the authority of the clothes when worn as a uniform. For kilts, this consideration would only apply to specific individuals who are trying to persuade specific others of their seriousness in wearing the kilt, whether as a uniform or everyday wear. In that case, for those people, wearing a kilt as a costume would undermine their purpose in wearing a kilt at other times. But that shouldn't prevent others from having fun and wearing their kilts as costumes if they please.

I mean, nobody would say, "You shouldn't wear pants as part of your Halloween costume if you normally wear pants," right? Just because you wear a cowboy hat around town the rest of the year doesn't mean you can't dress up as a cowboy for Halloween.

[Jock Scot]

I respect where you're coming from, but I'd argue that a uniform is something you wear to play a role "for real." A costume is something you wear to play a role "for pretend." For example, I play on a vintage base ball team; we recreate baseball as it was played in the 1860s. We wear vintage-style shield-front shirts, flat-topped caps, knickers, and stockings. When I wear that outfit to play a game, it's a uniform. When I wear it to answer the door on Halloween night, it's a costume. It's all about what you intend when you wear a thing.

Should, say, police officers ever wear their distinctive outfits as costumes rather than uniforms? I'd think not. It would confuse observers and undermine the authority of the clothes when worn as a uniform. For kilts, this consideration would only apply to specific individuals who are trying to persuade specific others of their seriousness in wearing the kilt, whether as a uniform or everyday wear. In that case, for those people, wearing a kilt as a costume would undermine their purpose in wearing a kilt at other times. But that shouldn't prevent others from having fun and wearing their kilts as costumes if they please.

I mean, nobody would say, "You shouldn't wear pants as part of your Halloween costume if you normally wear pants," right? Just because you wear a cowboy hat around town the rest of the year doesn't mean you can't dress up as a cowboy for Halloween.

To suggest that the kilt is a costume(on occasions eg Halloween)just shows ignorance of Highland attire.You will do what you will do with your kilt and that is your right.Please bare our sensitivities in mind and might I strongly recommend that you do not visit Scotland and tell us the kilt is a costume!

[Monkey@Arms]

The "kilt as Halloween Costume" debate seems to come up every year about this time. (Hmm, I wonder why? ) As we've seen there are usually two camps.

One says the kilt is clothing, I wear clothing as part of my Halloween costume, therefore there is nothing untoward in including my kilt as part of my Halloween get up.

The other side objects either because they feel it undermines the modern day wearing of kilts as street wear (IE a kilt in and of itself is not a costume), or because the kilt has special meaning to them, and they are offended that someone would dress up as a Scotsman as a form of "fancy dress."

I suspect "never the twain shall meet."

Personally I'm thinking about going as a kilted pirate in a black UK workman.

Best regaaards,

The Dread Pirate Jake

[gilmore]

To suggest that the kilt is a costume(on occasions eg Halloween)just shows ignorance of Highland attire.You will do what you will do with your kilt and that is your right.Please bare our sensitivities in mind and might I strongly recommend that you do not visit Scotland and tell us the kilt is a costume!

I agree with you completely. A parallel would be wearing blackface and tap dancing, and not understanding why African Americans might be offended.

[Monkey@Arms]

I agree with you completely. A parallel would be wearing blackface and tap dancing, and not understanding why African Americans might be offended.

I'm not so certain I buy into that analogy. Since you are discussing the issue in the abstract, not the merits of any particular costume, I think the parallel is between someone renting a kilt and PC to dress up as a "Scotsman," and that same someone dressing up as a German in liederhossen and a Tyrolean hat, or as a Frenchman in stripped t-shirt, beret and cigarette, or for that matter a European dressing as an "American Tourist," with loud shirt and camera. While all involve stereotypes (as do many Halloween costumes for sale such as "hippie" "goth" "punk" etc.) none carry the racial baggage, and history of discrimination, as a white person dressing in black face.

Since just wearing a kilt, would not be "dressing up" it would not work as a Halloween costume for me, but I did do the Braveheart-face-paint-sword-thing last year. By the same token, I respect Chef's views that the perception of kilt as costume is one of things that stands as an obstacle to its acceptance as daily wear.

Best regards,

Jake

[Roan Carter]

I'm not so certain I buy into that analogy. Since you are discussing the issue in the abstract, not the merits of any particular costume, I think the parallel is between someone renting a kilt and PC to dress up as a "Scotsman," and that same someone dressing up as a German in liederhossen and a Tyrolean hat, or as a Frenchman in stripped t-shirt, beret and cigarette, or for that matter a European dressing as an "American Tourist," with loud shirt and camera. While all involve stereotypes (as do many Halloween costumes for sale such as "hippie" "goth" "punk" etc.) none carry the racial baggage, and history of discrimination, as a white person dressing in black face.

Be real certain about the brutal history of Gaels and kilts before you commit yourself to that opinion. We tend to recall recent, local history more vividly.