Defining Your Goals

Today, a woman in the United States, as well as most Western countries, can simply say, "I feel like wearing slacks (or jeans, or a skirt, or a dress) today!" and go ahead and do it, with no questions asked. Ideally, a man should also be able to say, "I feel like wearing a kilt" without having to justify himself. But for many men, it isn't that simple. Merely verbalizing a desire may stir up a storm of objections, most of all in his own home. A man might easily become discouraged, particularly if he is uncertain about his own wife’s feelings on the subject.

Before we confront our wife (mate, etc), it would be helpful to examine our own attitudes, motivations, and goals regarding kilts, skirts, and other unbifurcated garments. After all, we are the ones who are challenging the status quo. We know that we may be in for a fight. Therefore, we must have a clear idea of what we're fighting for. Exactly what do we want to accomplish, and why?
The answers to these questions will depend on each individual. There are many different reasons why men desire to wear kilts, skirts, and other unbifurcated garments. Your reasons and goals may not be the same as mine. So, before we become mired in confusion and controversy, let's clarify where we're coming from and most importantly where we want to go. You must decide the path you intend to follow.

While recognizing that individuals are complex and not easily categorized, it is nevertheless helpful to distinguish the following different approaches to men's skirt/kilt-wearing:

■ Transgender: This involves men wearing women's skirts, dresses, and other clothing and accessories, not primarily for comfort but because they are women's garments. Most men are fascinated by the magic and sensuality that they observe in the female image and female clothing, so it should not be surprising that some men want to try it out for themselves. This approach may or may not involve dressing in full drag, with wigs, make-up, and fake breasts, and adopting a "femme" name. (Most men couldn't "pass" as female even if they wanted to.) The goal may be to express one's "feminine side," to achieve erotic stimulation, or simply to have fun at a Halloween party or similar occasion when people dress in costume. There may be a combination of motives, with varying degrees of intensity, depending on the individual. This approach is commonly referred to as "cross-dressing," and it's probably what many people think of when they hear the term "men in skirts." The Transgender approach actually has nothing to do with men's fashion at all, since the whole point is to adopt women's fashion instead.

■ Freestyler: This approach is based on the premise that men should be free to wear any and all clothing, without regard to gender - just as women in the United States and some other countries are now free to do. The goal is "Fashion Freedom" - the total abolition of gender distinctions in clothing. Freestylers openly buy skirts and dresses in the women's departments and wear them as men. They may or may not also wear women's slips, panties, pantyhose, shoes, make-up, and other accessories. They may wear a combination of men's and women's clothing. The whole point of the Freestyler approach is that gender should not matter. In actual practice, in which women's skirts or other things traditionally associated with female fashion are given a masculine presentation or otherwise incorporated into a masculine fashion statement.


■ Ethnic. This approach involves wearing unbifurcated clothing - such as Scottish or Irish kilts, Greek fustanellas, or the robes, caftans, or sarongs of other countries - as an expression of one's ethnic pride or in connection with ethnic celebrations or activities. For example, a man of Scottish descent may wear his tartan kilt while attending Highland games, Robert Burns dinners, weddings, Scottish dances, or other special occasions, or while playing the bagpipes or marching in a parade. When most people encounter a kilted man, they automatically assume that he is Scottish or Irish and on his way to or from such an event. The rest of the time, most kilts are hidden in closets or cedar chests and therefore have little impact on men's everyday fashion.

■ Braveheart. This approach involves wearing kilts and other male unbifurcated garments (MUGs) as ordinary, everyday attire, for reasons of freedom, comfort, and compatibility with male anatomy. Bravehearts do not desire the freedom to dress in women's clothing, nor are they concerned with abolishing gender distinctions in clothing. They strive to maintain a clearly masculine image. Strict Bravehearts prefer unbifurcated garments that are specifically designed for men and avoid clothing that is intended for females. Their goal is to open men's fashion to kilts and other MUGs, so that men will be free to wear these garments everywhere, all the time, and not just for special events.

Which of these approaches most closely describes your attitudes and objectives? Perhaps you identify with more than one. Perhaps your approach is something altogether different. Whatever it is, you must recognize and understand it before you can develop supporting arguments. The approach that you follow will determine the way you address the objections of the Trouser Tyrants, as well as affecting your chances of success.
When it comes to convincing, or at least neutralizing, the Trouser Tyrants, some approaches will be easier to "sell" than others. It is important that we understand our adversaries and how they think. We will start with the following general observations about people who support Trouser Tyranny:
■ Many are uncomfortable with sexual ambiguity. They want men to be clearly masculine in appearance and easily distinguishable from women.
■ Some are religious conservatives who try to use the Bible to justify their prejudices about clothing.
■ Some are homophobic and disturbed by anything that they associate with homosexuality.
■ Many get upset when people don't conform to traditional "norms" in appearance and behavior.
■ Many are overly concerned about appearances and worried about what other people might think.
■ Many are worried about how the appearance of another person (spouse, family member, employee, etc.) might adversely reflect upon themselves or otherwise cause problems.
If these observations about Trouser Tyrants are accurate, men defending the "Transgender" approach might as well save their breath. Cross-dressing is the epitome of everything the Trouser Tyrants loathe. According to the religious conservatives' interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5, it is an "abomination" for a man to put on women's clothing. They believe that God demands a clear distinction between males and females. In addition, some religious conservatives see cross-dressing activities in public schools as a plot to promote homosexuality. In deference to this view, many schools in the United States have forbidden boys to dress as girls for Halloween or powder-puff football games.

But people do not need religious justification to find cross-dressing objectionable. Discomfort with sexual ambiguity is so common that it probably has deep psychological or sociological roots. In addition, there may be genuine and realistic concern that the cross-dressing individual might become the victim of harassment and even violence.

Likewise, men advocating "Freestyler" principles will come up against the same objections to men wearing women's clothing. (Freestyling has been characterized by some as "cross-dressing lite.") The concern for safety may also be an issue - since a Freestyler openly wearing a skirt or dress as a man would make a more obvious target than a man disguised as a woman. These problems might be mitigated if the Freestyler chooses his outfits carefully and projects a self-confident, masculine image. However, the Freestyler philosophy rejects any such limitations. By definition, Freestyling has no boundaries. It stands for men's freedom to wear anything and everything that women wear, all the way up to full drag. This is a concept that Trouser Tyrants will never accept.

In contrast, the "Ethnic" approach would probably be easiest to sell; particularly if you have the appropriate national heritage to justify it. This involves traditional male clothing worn in a limited, clearly defined context.

However, even this is not a sure thing, as indicated by the following examples which have appeared on the Internet. At a high school in Michigan, a boy of Scottish descent wound up in detention for wearing his kilt to the school's "Ethnic Heritage Day." In another case, an Irish-American boy was disciplined for wearing a kilt to school on St. Patrick's Day. A few years ago, when a male employee of Scottish descent wore a kilt to work at the University of California-Davis admissions office in honor of Tartan Day, his supervisor ordered him to remove the kilt and put on jeans instead. The supervisor deemed it inappropriate for the man to wear a kilt when greeting prospective students and their parents - even though one of his duties was to praise the University's policy promoting ethnic diversity!
The Ethnic approach might be a good starting point for some men, including those who have some Scottish or Irish background or who don't mind pretending that they do. But it is probably too limited, by itself, to free men's fashion from Trouser Tyranny.

The "Braveheart" approach builds on the already established heritage of ethnic MUGs, such as kilts, but it is not limited to ethnicity or special celebrations. It is open to the development of new varieties of unbifurcated garments, such as the Utilikilt, designed and marketed specifically for men. It provides men with the comfort and freedom of unbifurcated garments without suggesting that they raid the women's wardrobe. Because kilts and MUGs are male clothing, the thrust of Deuteronomy 22:5 is blocked (look up same chapter verse 11) . Because Bravehearts emphasize a distinctively masculine appearance, the concerns about sexual ambiguity are blunted. In addition, the Braveheart philosophy is supported by rational arguments and pragmatic justifications - as well as the emotional power of movies like Braveheart and examples of macho male celebrities proudly wearing kilts.
Using the Braveheart approach, we can stake out a defensible moral and rational position, be consistent, and hold our ground. While there is no guaranty that the wife will be convinced, I (you) will at least have a fighting chance!