Upcoming first day outside..

[Doc]

Welcome and well met! The hardest part about your first time is just getting out the door, after you have had days or weeks for you mind to come up with every worst case scene. Now you are standing outside and you are ready to freak. I think thats what draws people to comment. To help with all of that (I hope) is the advise I got from my gramps, wear it like you were born to it. Besides, it's like rocky said, most people wont even notice or reply. Good luck and let us know how it went.

[Blu (Ontario)]

... How do you cope?

Quite well, actually.

While I've only owned kilts for 7 years, I've been wearing them out & about for close to 5. I've worn kilts just about everywhere. (Although I must admit, I've never worn a kilt to a comedy club).

The best advice I can give is to take your time and wear it to places yoou're comfortable. Nice restaurants are a good place to start. As JimB suggests, wear a proper kilt belt and a sporran with it. Nice shoes help as well. As you "test the waters" and gain confidence, expand your horizons accordingly.

I also suggest scanning throough the forum for threads on quips and answers. People will test you - it's human nature. If you're prepared, the experience can be lots of fun. Women like men in kilts... but women LOVE confident men in kilts!

The more you do it, the more you enjoy it.

[Jerry]

While I've been kilted since 2004, I still do not wear it every day. When I do, I've been almost disappointed at the lack of comments. I'd say, "just do it". If others have a problem, then it is their problem, not yours.

[sjrapid]

I'd echo the sporran, hose and belt comments (flashes seem less important)

Tartan + pleats + tasselled sporran seem to fit into the 'Ah - that's a kilt' shaped hole that most people have in their mental landscapes.

Best regards

[elitekiltedcommando]

I say go for it. Be an individual and don't let what other people think of you get you down. Best advice is take any of the bad comments for a grain of salt. Their comments just show their own immaturity. Have fun. Have comfort. Be kilted. Oh, and welcome to XMarks!

[gilmore]

So my question is : How have you overcome the stereotypes and peoples laughs and pointings... I am bit shy from my character but still, like a said to my friends, "none of you can go outside wearing something like this and be proud of it... "

How do you cope?

Tell them you have decided to become a transvestite. By the time they figure out it's only a kilt, they will have come to think of wearing one as normal behavior.

[ScottInNewHampshire]

I agree with beowulf about feeling more confident and self assured while kilted. I tend to be a bit shy in some settings but when I'm kilted, people seem to be driven to talk to me. This forces me to be more outgoing and friendly. Not a bad lesson for an Old Guy.

Have fun. You know this is something you've wanting to do. Trust yourself.

BTW, Welcome to XMarks from the Seacoast of New Hampshire (USA).

[GG]

Also I live in a society that has never had men wear any skirt type of clothing. Live in finland by the way.

So my question is : How have you overcome the stereotypes and peoples laughs and pointings... I am bit shy from my character but still, like a said to my friends, "none of you can go outside wearing something like this and be proud of it... "

How do you cope?

I have only been to Finland a few times for business – and without a kilt, so I can’t tell for sure how the reactions shall be, but being a Dane I come from a country which like Finland has absolutely no kilt tradition and people therefore no qualified knowledge about how a genuine kilt looks like. Most do know, however, that kilted men have some sort of a bag on the front. Therefore I agree to the proposal that you should wear a sporran with your kilt.
If people in Finland are just as tolerant (or indifferent) – which I think they are - as are most Danes, Swedes, Germans etc, you should hardly face any problems wearing your solid coloured kilt in public. Very, very few will take any notice, at all. So you hardly need to cope. Just do it.

Happy outing!

GG

[Fearnest]

Congratulations!

I started out with an olive UK mocker, without sporran or hose or flashes... it's kind of like swimming. You can either dip your toe in, shiver, stand on the side, dip your toe in again, shiver some more... or you can just jump in the water!

I'd recommend the latter - just jump in and enjoy it! So what if the water is cold and shocking? You'll get used to it quickly that way.

Get your knees in the breeze!!!

[Eujeankilt]

Richard,

Welcome from western Oregon, USA. We have a Finn member here named Ackwell. He can probably give you more insight to kilt wearing in Finland.

I'd say show your SISU and wear it with pride.


Dale