Quote Originally Posted by matt.mackinnon View Post
.. Yet I am left to feel like there is something wrong with me if I don a kilt and walk down the street. Perhaps my wife is a social prude and gives me nothing but grief saying that I am trying to make a spectacle of myself.
I hear two questions here. One is there something about our current society that is unaccepting of kilts and those wearing them. I say that there is not. As a member of two clans and having extensive Scottish family history, and having worn kilts for a very long time both formally as a pastor and socially as a "dude in a kilt" - I have never had a rude or obnoxious comment from anyone anywhere either in the U.S. or abroad.

The second seems to come from your not wanting to embarrass your family. Your wife is the only one you mention who has given you grief. I too would never wear anything that would knowingly bring undue attention or stress to my family. I have the enviable situation of having a genealogist wife who fully knows, understands and appreciates my family history, heritage and my desire to keep that heritage alive in my life. If you haven't maybe try looking into and supporting your wife's ancestry as well. I've found that those who share appreciation of each other's similarities and differences get more support from those around them than if they try to go it alone. Of course, I'm not suggesting you haven't already done any or all of these things. Good luck and, as stated previously, wear your tartan with pride and in a manner that suggests that you are just another guy out there wearing his familial attire and not one who appears to be seeking attention.