Why won't people let boys where dresses/skirts?

[Glyn]

Star Trek tried to show a future where all were equal regardless of male, female, black, white, sexual orientation etc. Unfortunately, it being in pratice was another thing sometimes.

During the first season of The Next Generation, they tried to show that the divisions between the genders were blurred by having some men walking around the Enterprise dressed in little dress uniforms.

What's so interesting is that such a visible display of the gender blur only appeared in a handful of episodes, and we rarely saw men wearing that kind of uniform beyond season 2.

[Guest]

Anecdote:

I was shopping at Hot Topic the other day, dressed very much like a boy, and asked the store lady to try on a (fairly androgynous) skirt. When I came out of the dressing room again, she asked me how it fit like attentive sellers do, but she referred to it as a kilt. I wonder if it really was designed as a kilt (it was a lot longer than most girl, Hot Topic skirts, so maybe), or if she used that term because she saw me as a boy.

[Ippiki-ookami]

I agree.. guys should be allowed to wear skirts or whatever they want...

Its too bad we live in a world where things are classified as weird or not. In my opinion nothing is weird :P

[niku-bot]

Wow -- a new goat! A really---DEFINITE-looking goat! Those eyes...

I match these goats to my current outlook on life :lol:

[AVENCakes]

On shaving- I wish everyone just stopped having body hair. I hate body hair, it's just a personal preference, and I don't see why guys would have to shave for skirts but not shorts if they don't want to.

[Blerdivor]

Someone definitely needs to start a guy skirt business.

[Sammie]

On shaving- I wish everyone just stopped having body hair. I hate body hair, it's just a personal preference, and I don't see why guys would have to shave for skirts but not shorts if they don't want to.

Opposite for me. I haste the 'full body shave' fashion. Fully shaven people look like silly barbie dolls to me. Humans have a bit of hair on their arms, legs, etc. And I like it that way.

[borrowedTime]

Someone definitely needs to start a guy skirt business.

They already have.

http://www.jdez.com/men/

http://www.midasclothing.com

http://www.macabiskirt.com/mens_home.php

Or this one which I just found today:

http://www.emperman-skirts.com/

This is just a selection; there are more. And these are ignoring goth stores, many of whom sell skirts for men, and kilt shops, both traditional and modern (Utilikilt being the obvious one).

[borrowedTime]

On shaving- I wish everyone just stopped having body hair. I hate body hair, it's just a personal preference, and I don't see why guys would have to shave for skirts but not shorts if they don't want to.

It's all aesthetics and personal choice of course, but to me it depends on the image you want to give. If you're going to wear a masculine style of skirt (eg. denim, khaki, a heavy material...) then hairy legs just further masculinise it. Which is exactly the impression many people want to give.

If you're planning to wear something flowery or floaty, you may find wiry dark male hair clashes a bit with the image... <_<

Hair-free tends to be better for an androgynous or feminine appearance, in my opinion.

Personally I shave my legs so I can wear whichever type of skirt I choose.

[mad_scientist]

Someone definitely needs to start a guy skirt business.

They already have.

http://www.jdez.com/men/

http://www.midasclothing.com

http://www.macabiskirt.com/mens_home.php

Or this one which I just found today:

http://www.emperman-skirts.com/

This is just a selection; there are more. And these are ignoring goth stores, many of whom sell skirts for men, and kilt shops, both traditional and modern (Utilikilt being the obvious one).

I've seen some goth shops sell the "one-legged pant". Yeah... we all know it's a skirt, they're not fooling anyone.

[Sammie]

Someone definitely needs to start a guy skirt business.

They already have.

http://www.jdez.com/men/

http://www.midasclothing.com

http://www.macabiskirt.com/mens_home.php

Or this one which I just found today:

http://www.emperman-skirts.com/

This is just a selection; there are more. And these are ignoring goth stores, many of whom sell skirts for men, and kilt shops, both traditional and modern (Utilikilt being the obvious one).

Oooo some of those are gorgeous.

Never mind the bog/girl labels, I want those!

[Elliott Ford]

Sometimes the problem can be the other way round like this

[AVENCakes]

It's all aesthetics and personal choice of course, but to me it depends on the image you want to give. If you're going to wear a masculine style of skirt (eg. denim, khaki, a heavy material...) then hairy legs just further masculinise it. Which is exactly the impression many people want to give.

If you're planning to wear something flowery or floaty, you may find wiry dark male hair clashes a bit with the image... <_<

Hair-free tends to be better for an androgynous or feminine appearance, in my opinion.

Personally I shave my legs so I can wear whichever type of skirt I choose.

It's definitely a personal preference, so I'm not going to go around saying everybody has to wax or anything. I just don't like human body hair. It's not a gender thing, I'd be fine if shaved was masculine, it's just a me thing. And on some people it's really bad- when your hair is so thick that, from a few feet away, it looks like you're wearing pantyhose- that's just creepy. And doesn't strike me as being all that masculine because it's the pantyhose look.

[daveb]

Sometimes the problem can be the other way round like this

And she has the "balls" to fight it! :D

[Guest Puck]

Someone definitely needs to start a guy skirt business.

They already have.

http://www.jdez.com/men/

http://www.midasclothing.com

http://www.macabiskirt.com/mens_home.php

Or this one which I just found today:

http://www.emperman-skirts.com/

This is just a selection; there are more. And these are ignoring goth stores, many of whom sell skirts for men, and kilt shops, both traditional and modern (Utilikilt being the obvious one).

Dang those are hot. I wish I had the guts to wear them >_<

[AVENCakes]

On the Jdez link, it's amusing that they all have pockets. One of the things women keep complaining about women's clothes is the lack of pockets- it wouldn't surprise me if men would be more willing to wear skirts if they didn't think they'd then have to start carrying purses. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if quite a few women would be more willing to wear skirts/dresses if they had more pocket room.

[Blerdivor]

On the Jdez link, it's amusing that they all have pockets. One of the things women keep complaining about women's clothes is the lack of pockets- it wouldn't surprise me if men would be more willing to wear skirts if they didn't think they'd then have to start carrying purses. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if quite a few women would be more willing to wear skirts/dresses if they had more pocket room.

When I was little and went coat shopping the more pockets, the cooler the coat.

[Sammie]

Found an awesome picture:

Men in light summer dresses....

[Tito]

I always have wanted to wear a skirt, but I don't really like standing out in that way. I don't want it THAT badly. I have confessed this to a small number of women. They often reply that is actually too much trouble, because you have to worry about crossing your legs etc. Um... Try getting a skirt that goes past your knees? I know you're playing into popular fashion but since when have I done that... Really the only women I have seen wear long skirts were people dressed in an "eccentric" way generally.

On one occasion in highschool the person I told it too found it very funny. She told her friends, and they went around asked any male people they could find if they'd like to wear skirts, given that it was socially acceptable. They almost all said yes, which was even more amusing for the group of women. I guess I'm not quite as weird as I feel like sometimes, but then how likely is that going to come up during a "macho night out"?

[Guest member25959]

Going back to the topic of Kilts:

I think a Kilt is the only skirt which is socially unacceptable for a girl to wear :P

[Sammie]

As far as crossing legs is concerned: if it's a thick skirt/dress, or one that looks bulky (and is supposed to), it's no problem at all to wear a thin short jean under it.

I always wear some short jean under my skirts, since I hate sitting legs crossed all the time, and besides, a few of my favorite shirts can twirl up all the way, like so:

I love skirts that twirl up sooooo much, but they really need a short jean under it.

[Matt]

I've contemplated the wearing of skirts/dresses, but I like any major desire to do so and I'm not exactly brave enough, either to wear it or explain why I have it. I've thought about wearing a kilt as a test of how people react, which would also get people around used to me wearing non-trouser clothing, but having looked it seems that kilts are rather expensive. There might be a cheaper kilt-skirt thing but since kilts are usually seen as formal wear there may not be.

They often reply that is actually too much trouble, because you have to worry about crossing your legs etc. Um... Try getting a skirt that goes past your knees? I know you're playing into popular fashion but since when have I done that... Really the only women I have seen wear long skirts were people dressed in an "eccentric" way generally.

Actually men should be able to wear skirts easier in that case, since men's underwear in general tends to be more concealing than women's (or at least what men and women are expected to wear.

I've seen two people in long skirts that I recall, and both wore pretty normal clothes otherwise. Any others will have been in their finest because of when I would have seen them.

Going back to the topic of Kilts:

I think a Kilt is the only skirt which is socially unacceptable for a girl to wear :P

No, girls can wear kilts, the websites that sell kilts that I've seen have women's kilts available. In fact women get choice in length. It's just not very common.

The most formal menswear (in western culture) is a suit, which can effectively have the trousers swapped out for a kilt easily, whereas the equivalent for women is a fancy dress, which doesn't go well with a kilt. Women can wear suits now without people questioning it, but they can wear a skirt with it, which is more readily available and effectively the same thing, hence seeing a kilt on a woman is rarer than seeing one on a man.

[Sammie]

Going back to the topic of Kilts:

I think a Kilt is the only skirt which is socially unacceptable for a girl to wear :P

You wouldn't like my clothes then, I LOVE kilts.

And even though I might not really count - just being female-bodied - I think that in general there is nothing wrong with girls in kilts. It can look very awesome.

One example:

Apart from the addition of ugly knee-high socks, this kilt looks lovely.

[CrazyCatLover]

I had a friend in high school who used to wear skirts and make-up all the time. Somehow, it made him seem even more masculine...

[Guest Fosco]

Not overly sure why people are referring to kilts as skirts. They are two different types of clothing. A kilt is not a skirt.

A kilt is a type of clothing. Like trousers, or a cardigan, or a hoody, as is a skirt. So you can't have one type of clothing being another.

"Who's coat is that jacket?" or "Who's cardigan is this jumper?" Doesn't work. It's either a skirt or a kilt. A cardigan or a jumper. Trousers or shorts.

Anyway. Contemporary kilts are being worn by more and more men all over the world.

Sarong kilts are also worn by men, usually those in third world countries, however, it's not uncommon for western men holidaying abroad to be seen wearing them.

Batik, Kanga, Lava-lava and Mundu are other skirt-like types of clothing worn by men, in Africa, India, or other parts of Asia, like Java.

In the western world, I certainly don't think men aren't allowed to wear skirts or dresses, I think it is more a case of, the majority don't want too. If they did clothing manufactures would start to sell more of them. The demand simply isn't there. If it was, clothing companies would get in there and want a piece of the pie.

But as I said men wearing contemporary kilts are on the up, so who knows in a couple of years Abercrombie and Fitch may start selling them.

[Pamcakes]

I think it takes a real man to wear a skirt! ;)

P.

[Sammie]

I think it takes a real man to wear a skirt! ;)

Yes!!

I was surprised watching Life on Mars yesterday and seeing one of the typical stereotyperough guys wear a neckless , which he - when commented on it - defended saying 'you're just not man enough to wear jewelery''. hehe.

[Matt]

Not overly sure why people are referring to kilts as skirts. They are two different types of clothing. A kilt is not a skirt.

A kilt is a type of clothing. Like trousers, or a cardigan, or a hoody, as is a skirt. So you can't have one type of clothing being another.

"Who's coat is that jacket?" or "Who's cardigan is this jumper?" Doesn't work. It's either a skirt or a kilt. A cardigan or a jumper. Trousers or shorts.

I think I gave this impression.

It's not that kilts and skirts are the same, it's more that they fulfil the same role (covering lower body) in the same way (single 'leg'). Hence they are comparable. You can also compare a cardigan and a jumper (both go over other clothes on the upper body to provide insulation).

That's my logic and I'm sticking to it, but then I'm not even sure when a jacket becomes a coat anyway so I know nothing.

Edit: Wikipedia defines a skirt as: "a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs" which would include other similar garments. Wictionary also lists as a definition of 'skirt': "Something resembling a skirt", which again would include kilts and other skirt-like garments.

Anyway. Contemporary kilts are being worn by more and more men all over the world.

Sarong kilts are also worn by men, usually those in third world countries, however, it's not uncommon for western men holidaying abroad to be seen wearing them.

Batik, Kanga, Lava-lava and Mundu are other skirt-like types of clothing worn by men, in Africa, India, or other parts of Asia, like Java.

In the western world, I certainly don't think men aren't allowed to wear skirts or dresses, I think it is more a case of, the majority don't want too. If they did clothing manufactures would start to sell more of them. The demand simply isn't there. If it was, clothing companies would get in there and want a piece of the pie.

But as I said men wearing contemporary kilts are on the up, so who knows in a couple of years Abercrombie and Fitch may start selling them.

If most men don't want to wear skirts (or dresses for that matter), skirts are only worn by women. Therefore skirts become female and most men don't want to wear them. Then they're only worn by women and so on. It's a vicious cycle. If men in other cultures wear skirt-like clothing, and western culture is (mostly) an exception, then it's likely that culture is influencing men not wearing skirts, since it seems less likely that all the people who don't like wearing skirts all happen to live in the west.

The alternative is that men in other cultures don't like wearing skirt-like clothing, but are being influenced by culture to continue wearing them. It's the same effect, only in reverse.

[KayleeSaeihr]

I swear when I get a good skirt...I'm going to put up a photo of me wearing it :P

[carried in bags]

it is a shame. i think women have far better clothing designs then men. about half my clothing must be womens clothing. i dont have any dresses or skirts, just tshirts, blouses and trousers. i am on the look out for a long tshirt/minni dress thing. i did see one in a charity shop window, im gonna call in today to see if they still have it