The Blog Exchange is happening today, and I have been paired up with Gunfighter. Enjoy his best post below!
Gunfighter lives with is wife and daughter in Northern Virginia, and is employed as a tactical firearms instructor for a federal law enforcement agency. He blogs about the things he sees and what he thinks about them at The View From Here. When he grows up, he wants to be a writer… or hand out balloons at Disneyworld.
Those of you that have been reading my blog for the last several months, you have been waiting patiently for me to tell you about why I wear kilts regularly and to post pictures to go along with.
Well, for you, today is your day.
As you might imagine, wearing a kilt in 21st century America, without benefit of being in a wedding or being an extra in a Mel Gibson movie…
…is an unusual thing… but it is becoming less and less unusual these days. These days, there are no small number of modern kilt purveyors popping up all over, and there are many men to provide the demand for their wares.
For the most part, the success of the modern, casual kilt, the world over, can be credited to one man; A Mexican-American in Seattle Washington, named Steven Villegas was working on a motorcycle (one of his many projects) wearing a pair of shorts made from old, camouflage cargo trousers, but found them too restrictive to move the way he wanted to… so he took a scissors to them, applied some sewing, and the first Utilikilt was born.
I have been wearing Utilikilts since 2001, and the second most common question I get asked is: “Why are you wearing a kilt? You aren’t from Scotland!” or words to that effect.
Well here are the answers:
1. Because I can.
2. Because I look great in it (I have great legs).
3. Because I’m not a complete conformist.
4. Because a kilt is almost as cool as a Superman suit.
5. Because my wife likes it.
6. Because friction is bad (figure that out for yourself).
7. For good reproductive health (although I am out of that business).
8. Chicks dig it (they do, trust me).
9. Because men envy me for doing what I want without regard for what others think.
Where does all of this come from? Oddly enough, the idea was planted as a result of reading a Science Fiction novel when I was a young Marine, in about 1986. The name of the novel was “Methuselah’s Children”, by Robert A. Heinlein. One of Heinlein’s favorite characters through several novels is a fellow named Lazarus Long. No need to talk about the book, or this character other than to say that this guy could usually be found wearing a kilt, which I thought was very cool.
Fast forward nearly twenty years: Mrs Gunfighter, Olivia and I were attending the Virginia Scottish Games in Alexandria, Va. in 2001 (I think) and were having a great time watching the pipe bands, dancers, and sampling the various crafts and foods that were available. While we were browsing about, I remarked to Susan how much I would like to wear a kilt on a regular basis. Problem was, they are rather impractical. Not only are they made for a Scottish climate (made from heavy wool), they don’t have pockets and are prohibitively expensive (a traditional kilt would cost me around $600).
Well, being that it was mid-June, here in Virginia, and hotter than hell, I took an opportunity to get some lemonade for us, while Susan waited in the shade. While I was standing in the line, I noticed a guy in the line at the next booth, wearing a kilt. Which wasn’t uncommon, considering where we were, but the thing that made this guy so UNcommon, was that his kilt was black! and it had large cargo pockets!
When I got our lemonade, I noticed that logo over the back pocket (it had back pockets, too!) said “Utilikilts”. I was determined, there and then, to find out more.
A few days later, I did a search (was there even a Google, then?) for Utilikilts and found their website, and the rest is history. I now own 5 Utilikilts, and plan on ordering a new one (this one in leather) some time soon.
If you are wondering about the reaction I get to wearing a kilt, I’ll tell you this, and my wife will attest to it if you ask her: Women I have never seen before have followed me in the mall; have been brazen enough to ask if I was wearing any underwear; have come up to me and flat-out ask if I was married; have looked me in the face and said “I wish my husband was half the man you are”; have said to me: “OhmyGod! That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen!, can I borrow you for a while?” I must say, I find it hugely flattering. I get this kind of a reaction from women when I am rapidly approaching (well, OK, IN) middle age, getting fatter by the minute, and am only so-so good looking.
Men react in a range of ways. Some tell me how cool it looks. Some tell me they wish they had the nerve. Most are neutral, although many men ask this question: “Aren’t you afraid someone will give you a hard time about it?” To which I answer: “Nobody has ever given me any grief about wearing a kilt… after all, who wants to have his ass kicked by a man wearing a skirt?”
So there you are.
Most often, when people think about kilts, they have this sort of image…
…in their heads, but today, kilts can be found in lots of places, from athletic events…
To hiking…
To a rock and roll band at Disneyworld…
To the war in Iraq.
To selling a kilt to a woman so she can molest her man while he wears it
At least, that’s what she told me (that is me, on the left… oh God, it was so hot that day!)
Anyway, that’s my story.
Oh, the MOST commonly asked question is: “What do you wear under your kilt?” My usual answer is: “My boots and my socks”
You can purchase modern kilts here:
Utilikilts
Amerikilts
21st Century Kilts
Sportkilts
Freedom Kilts
