Need to know how polite you are to people who are....curious

[Sir William]

I have been wearing a kilt for about two years now and wear mine whenever I get the opportunity. I have to deal, as I assume you all do, with the odd questions and comments.

My question is..how do you handle when someone asks you "What's under the kilt?" Or when they think it's "funny" to say that you are wearing a "skirt". Are you polite, do you "play" along with the comment jokingly? What do you do? I am sarcastic at heart and I do not say what first pops into my head because it will be sarcastic. I also know that these people do not run into the kilted very often if ever, so I'm trying to bear with it.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

Much depends on how the question is asked. Most people are just curious, having never met a kilted man before. To them I usually give a polite but joking response such as "shoes and socks".

I once had a woman ask me on a cold day if it was breezy underneath. She was wearing a skirt so I replied that she should know as well as I did. She got a startled look on her face and then laughed and said she had asked a stupid and inappropriate question.

For those who try to bait me by calling it a skirt (and its almost always a man), I smile and reply that its called a kilt and only a real man can wear one.

I ignore the drunks as I've no time to waste arguing with a fool.

[MizzouScotsman]

Much depends on how the question is asked. Most people are just curious, having never met a kilted man before. To them I usually give a polite but joking response such as "shoes and socks".

I once had a woman ask me on a cold day if it was breezy underneath. She was wearing a skirt so I replied that she should know as well as I did. She got a startled look on her face and then laughed and said she had asked a stupid and inappropriate question.

For those who try to bait me by calling it a skirt (and its almost always a man), I smile and reply that its called a kilt and only a real man can wear one.

I ignore the drunks as I've no time to waste arguing with a fool.

Never thought of turning it back on the women in that way....thanks for the idea. And I do have a shirt that reads "Real Men Wear Kilts".

[jgcunningham]

"As a matter of fact, I do need more room than you obviously do in your trousers."

[kiltedrennie]

I've been asked (in order of frequency):

Q: Is it a kilt or a skirt?
A: Uh... looks like a kilt to me!
I honestly didn't understand what they were really asking until I attended the local renaissance fair and it was explained to me. Now that I do, the answer is the same mostly to keep them guessing.

Although I don't think anyone who asks would every consider asking a woman in a skirt the same question, I've become accustomed to it. So far it's just been asked out of curiosity as far as I can tell. It's as if, if they stopped long enough to actually consider it, you've given them permission to do so by putting yourself on exhibit and/or making a spectacle of yourself. Although not anywhere in the same league, it reminds me of the attitude some men have toward women who dress provocatively. They think it is okay to annoy them because they are asking for it.

Q: Are you Irish/Scottish?
A: I'm 1/4 Scottish, 1/4 English, 1/4 German, 1/4 I have no idea.

Q: What tartan/clan is that/are you?
A: MacQueen

Q: Why?
A: Because I'm proud of my heritage and their just so dang comfortable!

Q: Is this a thing with you now?
A: Yes.

Comments are usually something like "Nice kilt!" or a simple stare and grin.

[ploptoken]

Latest fun in public:

On the way home from the local Highland Games this weekend, my wife, twins and I stopped at the grocery store to get our weekly supplies. I have been trying to wear a kilt as often as possible, so i don't really think about other people never having seen a large bearded man in a kilt before.

While chit-chatting with some friends we bumped into, my buddy says, "I think those girls are trying to sneak your picture. They've circled about 6 times and stop at the end of the isle until you move."

About 5 minutes later the two early teen girls walk up to my wife and ask if they can take a picture of me. My wife defers the question to me. I agree because they asked. So now i am searching the web each night to see if it pops up on a cheezburger site. lol

[Stoo]

"Good girls don't ask...
Bad girls find out for themselves..."

[Geniepants]

I had a funny one last weekend, and I didn't even have to say a thing. I was visiting family in St Louis, and went across the Missouri River to St Charles where they have an area with small, local shops (including a celtic shop called Thistle and Clover)

I went down about a block to an English shop run by a husband and wife that are actually English. Well, they had some kilt stuff in the back, so I picked up a set of sporran straps. The wife had no idea what they were, and her husband was like, "We've had these for two years!" Anyways, they then started talking about the Tartan Day Festival that was kicking off the next day, and the wife warned me that it was going to be windy and people might find out if it's true what's under there. The husband turned to her and said, "It's a kilt. If he wore underwear, it'd be a dress." I was smiling quite a bit at this point, and managed not to burst out laughing.

As to other situations, I usually go with the light hearted jokes, or sometimes I'll go with "Only my wife knows for sure, and she ain't telling."

[cryptoman]

If a lassie asked me The Question and I was an American, I would look embaraced and say, "you pervert." Yelling like a school girl was not my cup of tea. As I am pretty shameless but stand up for moral behaviour, I'd say: "If it was okay for you If i juggled your t-shirt and bra to have a clother look at your womenhood, than you can have a clother look at my space alien down there.

[Sir Didymous]

I'm kind of late to the question as I only recently started having time in the day where I'm not in a uniform (Insert long story about being worked to death at a dead end job, having enough and quitting). Typically before recently if I was in public in a kilt I was on my way to a reenactment and no one ever seems to asks "those questions" of an armed and great kilted highlander. But recently I have been asked the "what do you wear under your kilt" question on a few occasions. My answer to those who ask is "I am properly attired for the kilt." However today I was feeling a bit on the ornery side and a lady came up and said "Me and my old man were told by a kilted man somewhere else that men don't wear underwear with kilts. Is that true?" My reply was "It depends on the man." She got a bit of a grin and asked "Well how about you?" In turn I said "I'm not normally in the habit of discussing such things, but if you hang around I was considering going down the zip line (one of the rides at the festivities) later and you may find out." She blushed and my wife near choked on her snow cone.

As to the "skirt" thing: The closest I have come to anything of that nature, that wasn't a little kid, was a couple of teen boys. They were across the street when I was out walking and one of them wolf whistled at me. I shouted "Thank you!" as I continued walking they whistled again (only a few seconds later) to which I shouted "Once is enough! I might be cheap, but I'm not easy!"

So I guess circumstance has the most to do with things. I like goofing off, so I usually just have fun with it.

[StevieR]

[QUOTE=Sir Didymous;1184233As to the "skirt" thing: The closest I have come to anything of that nature, that wasn't a little kid, was a couple of teen boys. They were across the street when I was out walking and one of them wolf whistled at me. I shouted "Thank you!" as I continued walking they whistled again (only a few seconds later) to which I shouted "Once is enough! I might be cheap, but I'm not easy!"[/QUOTE]

That retort had me chuckling for a good five minutes. Well done mate.