nervous in my kilt

[McFarkus]

It takes a while to get used to it. I was lucky, my brother and nephew preceded me in kilts. But I remember the first time I left the house in one, I was a little nervous, but I just strode out like I was in total charge.

A lot of feeling comfortable is "psyching" yourself into an attitude that what you're doing is perfectly normal (it is) and going about your business.

Also, I would recommend reading some of the threads about how to answer questions and comments about the kilt. I had a few of them ready to respond with and was able to sound confident when I did get comments. That made me feel better prepared to go out in my kilt.

[acstoon]

Mcfarkus has spoken the essential point, here: confidence.

Go out into the world, in your kilt, with head held high.
If you act like it's no big deal, so will everyone else.
Chances are, you will be more sharply dressed than most people around you!

[Alaskan Kilted Guy]

It takes a while to get used to it. I was lucky, my brother and nephew preceded me in kilts. But I remember the first time I left the house in one, I was a little nervous, but I just strode out like I was in total charge.

A lot of feeling comfortable is "psyching" yourself into an attitude that what you're doing is perfectly normal (it is) and going about your business.

Also, I would recommend reading some of the threads about how to answer questions and comments about the kilt. I had a few of them ready to respond with and was able to sound confident when I did get comments. That made me feel better prepared to go out in my kilt.

Well said. You just have to exude confidence. I have had very few negative comments made to me whilst kilted. If I remember correctly almost all of those comments were made behind my back. Go figure.

If someone asks why you're wearing the kilt, just tell them "Some of us need more room than others." and walk away while they think about it.

The more you wear it the less of an issue it will become.

[Cavebear58]

You just have to exude confidence. I have had very few negative comments made to me whilst kilted. If I remember correctly almost all of those comments were made behind my back.

I'm sure that's absolutely right, but about ten years ago now, I was walking to an appointment at 4pm in Central London, when I was aware of a rushing noise behind me, spun around and realised that four youths were running after me with every intention of mugging me. I was wearing a blazer and jeans at the time.

More by luck than any other skill, some basic judo training (something I gave up as a teenager about 25 years before) suddenly came from the recesses of my mind, and I managed to drop two of them and deflect the other two. This, of course, annoyed them, and so they then picked up some bits of road works barrier and some bottles and tried using these on me. Fortunately, I was reasonably fit (and I suspect that they weren't) and I managed to run out of reach before they did any damage. Needless to say, the police never caught them!

Now, despite not having been hurt... Indeed, knowing that two of them would have been more bruised than I was... I am still quite reluctant to do anything that draws attention to myself, even if I'm not wearing the kilt.

So, tonight I arrived somewhere I'd expect there to be a number of kilt wearers, and yet there weren't. I went for a walk around the blocks looking in shops windows etc, and got a few more-than-glances from a handful of mature adults. Two little girls had a laugh and giggle. But when I realised I was walking towards a group of youths who seemed quite boistrous, I decided to turn and head the other way.

This got me quite wound up, and so, instead of going to a restaurant for supper (they were all beginning to thin out and so I'd have made a bit of an impact entering), I found a take away (where I got lots of looks) and then headed back to my room.

I know it sounds a bit wimpish, and I realise that it's all in the head (heck I'm a psychotherapist!) but that doesn't make it any easier!

Cheers, Graham.