Children Staring

[Riverkilt]

This weekend went to Colorado City on a "cheese run." Colorado City, Arizona is an enclave of about 12,000 Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints...polygamists. While there are multiple factions in the area from folks who dress in modern clothes to well armed survivalists, most polygamists there dress in pioneer clothes. Women in bonnets, long cotton dresses with long sleeves, with jeans under their dresses, and tennis shoes. The men wear long sleeve western or dress shirts with jeans and boots.

Point is you know you're in another culture when you're there. Because they believe the rest of us are the devil they won't talk other than to say brief responses to commercial questions, "How much is this?"

It is a dairy area and they make fantastic cheese in many delicious flavors that they sell much cheaper than supermarkets. And, its unpasturized so it'll get your innards right.

So I arrive with my lady and her 25yo daughter to stock up. We brought money and coolers. I'm wearing my basil UK survival, Teva sandals, and a tank top. My long hair, beard, and tattoos are contrary to what these folks believe a man should wear. The kilt is off the chart for them.

The adults give me the usual "look."

But the kids...especially the little guys about three and four just stare...their eyes bug out and the lock on as if trying to comprehend what this new thing is they are looking at. Mother's are yanking their arms to get them to stop staring at this "creature."

Got to thinking about it and remembered I've noticed that "lock on stare" from some young Navajo boys too.

Am I making sense here? Anyone else experience the little kids, especially little boys about 3 to 5 fall in to that sort of stunned stare from seeing you in a kilt?

Ron

[Graham]

Ron, I have never found myself among more than two Mormons at one time, so you are brave beyond measure for that alone.

But to be kilted, in the way only you can be kilted, in such a gathering...well, I can only stand and admire!

Mormons (in Australia) must be the most conservative people on earth in clothing.
they need to be freed from bondage to trousers.

where are my "rose coloured glasses", I see kilts on the horizon ;)

[Dreadbelly]

The last two Mormons I ran in to firmly believed that I was the Anti-Christ. They peddled away as fast as their bikes could carry them.

Quoted a certain verse about having no other Gospels, especially those delivered by angels.

Ron, I believe if I were to go in to that situation, they would probably stone me.

[Southern Breeze]

I was at a family cook-out yesterday and noticed the same stunned stare from most of the kids there when I arrived kilted. After about ten minutes the look was gone and I was barraged with questions about what was I wearing,why are you wearing a skirt and so forth.After a lengthy Q&A session they all pretty much thought it was cool and several asked their parents if they could get one! :-D :-D

[Dreadbelly]

I was at a family cook-out yesterday and noticed the same stunned stare from most of the kids there when I arrived kilted. After about ten minutes the look was gone and I was barraged with questions about what was I wearing,why are you wearing a skirt and so forth.After a lengthy Q&A session they all pretty much thought it was cool and several asked their parents if they could get one! :-D :-D

EXCELLENT outcome!

Future kilt wearers.

[Shay]

Most parents I know would be relieved or delighted if you were to say to them, "Would your children like to ask me about my kilt?" It shows you respect them as parents, and are open to children's questions, without being pushy.

[motorman4life]

Am I making sense here? Anyone else experience the little kids, especially little boys about 3 to 5 fall in to that sort of stunned stare from seeing you in a kilt?

Ron, the funny thing is.. while they may dress in a contemporary version of frontier clothing, often handmade and passed down, they have so little exposure to history/reality (other than what they are told by people in their sect) that they probably aren't aware that boys in the old west and old midwest usually wore dresses until they were 6 to 8 years old. It was not like you see in the John Wayne movies! In many areas, this continued up through the 1920's. In some areas, boys didn't wear pants until they were old enough to fint in their father's hand-me-downs.

[Kilts_Knave]

In many areas, this continued up through the 1920's...

We have a family photo of my grandfather, born in 1919, in golden locks of hair and a pintafore! His parents even had it "colorized," way back then, which had been the style. They painted little rosy cheeks and pink lips on him!

But, on topic, I really don't understand how any American (even the Mormons in Utah) can not know what a kilt is?!

[Riverkilt]

Aye,

Somewhere there's an old family photo of my grandfather Murdoch as a boy of about 5 wearing a dress in Western Montana about 1896...and a frilly dress at that.

For those around the world, there's a BIG difference between the Fundamentalist LDS polygamists and the mainstream LDS folks.

An LDS coworker at least envys my kilts...he's asked about ordering one. Don't know that it will happen.

Thanks Shay, good thought. Parents seem so embarrassed by their little kid's staring I've just moved on to ease their embarrassment. Will give it a shot next time

[Brasilikilt]

Hey all

The other night when I was taking my USA kilt out on it's maiden voyage, my wife and I went to eat at a mexican restaurant, one of the kinds of restaurants where you know the food is good and authentic because you're the only non-hispanic person in there :-)

I got a few of the the usual looks and double takes from the adults, but the funniest reaction was from some kid about 10 or 11 who was looking at me with his eyes WIDE open and his jaw dropped as if I was a space alien, walking on his hands dressed in drag!!
I smiled and waved at him before I went to get my food......his facial expression was CLASSIC!! :-)