Knowing what we all know now ...

[Schultz]

Had I had the cash back in high school, I'd have definitely worn a kilt to school and as much as possible. It would've made my mother happier than seeing me in the ol' "studs-n-leather" punk rock attire, that's for sure!

[Jewddha]

Well, for me, my kilt at school is almost the "studs-n-leather" to the "studs-n-leather" about, on account of there being so many of them, and so few of me.

[auld argonian]

Well, I went to high school back in the middle sixties and it would have been an incredibly tough thing to do...it was a boys' high school and the really cutting insults were those that dealt directly with one's sexual orientation...in retrospect this is sort of funny because I've subsequentally found out that not a few of my classmates were, in fact, gay.

But the problem was that it was high school, we were all in our teen years and insecure and the times were different. You wore a sweater that was "too pretty" and you got called every derrogatory name for a homosexual you could think of...so you could only imagine what would happen if you wore a kilt. It was not at all fair but what do you expect from a bunch of puppies fighting for position in the pack order?

I knew a couple of guys who were active in Irish step dancing back in grammar school...they had kilts as part of their outfits...they got out of it right quickly by the time they got to high school. The funny thing is that now my own son knows a kid in his high school that has attained a bit of notariety because of his Irish step dancing...I bet that this kid thanks Michael Flatley every day of his life for Riverdancing in pants instead of the kilt. I would have never had the nerve to wear the kilt in high school...all credit to the guys who do it now..they have thicker skin than I had back then.

Best

AA

[mddock58]

I was in HS in the 70's, insecure and not one to buck the norm.

Enough said, don't really want to remember specifics as to my fashion choices during those years.

[pdcorlis]

Great Question! Well - I wish I could say YES I would have worn a kilt in high school and college but I have to be more honest than that. The truth is I didn't know who the H E double hockey sticks who I was back then... I do think I would have worn a kilt in my 30's and 40's but I was poor as a church mouse then. But... it all works out in the end and being kilted in my 50's is wonderful. Who knows - maby I get less grief since I'm an old fart in a kilt :rolleyes:

[possingk]

I went to high school in the late 80's early 90', I wore cowboy boots and a hat to school every day, wore jeans to my senior prom (with a cowboy hat, matching boots) it obviously didn't bother me much to draw attention to myself. I wore a red jacket to my wedding (see aviar). I had a speech impediment when I was young, so I used to draw attention to what I was wearing hoping people wouldn't notice how I talked. I guess that has stuck with me to this day. The nice thing about the kilt is that people come up to talk to you about it.

So if HoseHead had gotten me into them sooner I would have worn them then as well. Kilts are much more comfortable than the jeans I wore back then.

[KiltedPilot]

Interesting question, Derek. I found I changed quite of lot over time.

When I was around 9 I had to wear a kilt for some special occasions at school (in Scotland). I recall I just hated it, as did most of my friends.

Ten years later, at university, I wore a kilt to a ball and just had a fabulous time. I did it to be different really, but it was just such a great thing to wear -- comfortable, and got a great reaction from the girls. I went on to wear kilts at several special university occasions.

Despite that success, I think most teenagers are desperately concerned how they appear to their peers. I hesitated to wear the kilt outside of special occasions. If sites like this had existed then (1970s/80s), it might had pushed me to wear a kilt more often. It would have given me some external validation that it was OK to wear them often.

Now, at 39, I don't really care what people think. All those teenage concerns about ones peers have largely gone.

I suspect financial cost, versus a limited student budget, would have prevented me from wearing kilts full time at school, even if I could have got over my hesistation. I am sure, however, that I would have worn them more.

KP.

[GMan]

I wish that I was "gutsy" enough back in High School, I was somewhat of a go with everyone else. Not until I was in college did I ever think about expressing my individuality. I wish that they were part of my life then, but alas they were not as I was not "thinking out of the box".

Hindsight would say I wish I did, but reality came late for me, and boy am I making up for lost time.

[Mr. Kilt]

I tip my hat to the younger members here who have no qualms about wearing a kilt to school. The respect I have for you is immense. I certainly wasn't secure enough to do it when I went to HS in the late 70's. Like pdcorlis said in his post, I didn't have the foggiest idea of who I was back then, and the less attention I drew to myself the better. Now, at almost 43 years of age, I just don't care what others think of me. I dress for "me" now.

[UmAnOnion]

When i was in high school i was ostracized enough as one of very few persons of color in a predominently white school. and when you add in that i was a lower middle class scholarship student surrounded by spoiled brat rich kids, you can see the situation would have been perfect for me to start my kilt wearing then - NOT!!! I got harassed to no end there - well at least until they realised i had a smarter mouth than most & coudl give them a dressing down like no other (a talent that continues to this day but i do reign it in a bit), but was still an outsider.

Now that i am older, wiser (& in much better physical shape than many) and have the confidence to not care about what others think, do i dare to don the kilt.

I say kudos to all who are brave enough to start an adventure like this in thier more formative years and I give a big thumbs up to those who support them in those decisions.