Roman battle armor, togas, kilts. You’ve all seen them and
the men wearing them. Yeah, that’s right, men in skirts. I
said it. Men in skirts. It happened once, and it could happen
again.
And it would be hot.
There’s just something about the swishing of fabric and
the freedom of legs not separated by bifurcation (the division of
fabric into two sections; usually one for each leg).
It’s sexy ““ on anyone. It’s only our society
that tells us it’s emasculating to wear a skirt.
If anyone can check out girls’ legs, why shouldn’t
girls (and guys) be able to check out guys’ legs in the same
way? Shorts just aren’t the same. Outside of our conventions
of the feminine and masculine, skirts are attractive material.
Sure, call me crazy. But it’s undeniable to me that fabric
wrapped around the body in the right way can look attractive no
matter what gender a body is.
I’m not talking about miniskirts ““ that would be too
much. But to me, that’s less a gendered argument and more a
reasoning of taste. Too short can be too much on anyone.
In other cultures, males have been wearing skirts for thousands
of years; they function under the pseudonyms of kilts, robes,
dhotis, sarongs and togas, to name a few.
Throughout the history of western garments, we see various times
when it has been OK for men to flaunt their masculinity through a
skirt-like garment, such as Roman battle gear or tunics.
Pants still took a while to taper in as reigning male attire.
First there were tights, worn under skirts and then with breeches:
the ancient equivalent of a skort (remember the ’90s,
anyone?) ““ a pair of shorts that appears to be a skirt, but
has no risk of showing one’s undergarments (or lack thereof).
I think a skirt on a guy could be sexy, but I draw the line at
tights.
Just as flares come in and out of style, so can skirts. I mean
sure, it’s been a few years, but it’s all about what we
call them. Kilts are masculine. Skirts aren’t. But kilts are
a specific style ““ just re-name the skirt as …something
masculine.
Fabric wrapped around the body is only inherently feminine in
our culture because we make it so. So go ahead, challenge it. I
dare you.
There are already names: colloquially, a sarong is a wrap-around
skirt, a kilt is a pleated skirt, and anything else, of course, is
a one-legged pant. It’s all in the name.
With metrosexuality making pink shirts and tight pants not only
a viable and permissible option, but often a preferable one, men
these days shouldn’t be afraid to flaunt their newfound
equality in dress.
Brighter and brighter shirts are in style, even shirts with
(gasp) dainty details and asymmetrical cuts. Why not further
fashion to the next step? Men: Girls wear skirts and you can
too.
There is even an online community for men wearing skirts. At
Bravehearts in Kilts Against Trouser Tyranny (kiltmen.com), there
are pictures of male celebrities ranging from David Beckham wearing
his sarong to Samuel L. Jackson promoting “The 51st
State” in a kilt.
The International Mens Fashion Freedom Network (imff.net) has
postings about recent experiences individuals have had wearing
skirts as men.
This topic has even had its own gallery show at the Victoria and
Albert Museum in London in February 2002, exploring the
unbifurcated male garment throughout history and in contemporary
society.
With Halloween coming up in just a few days, take this
opportunity to break out of western bifurcation. Just try it on for
size and see what you think.
You’ve got an excuse, it’s a costume. Or whatever
you want to call it.