A Question for Those with Masculine Jobs...

**KiltedSurveyor** · 13th September 08, 09:39 PM

As you can tell by my moniker, I'm a land surveyor. I have worn my kilts to my jobs. The first time I wore it to work, I had some questions and a few disbelieving head shakes from my contact at one of the engineering firms I do a lot of work for, but I think most everyone that knows me knows that I am a little different. I've had people obviously talking about me when I show up in a kilt, but surprisingly several people said that they had seen Utilikilts featured on the DYI network Cool Tools segments, and others have said that they heard about kilts from their sons/daughters. Mostly what I hear is that the kilt works for me, but they don't think they could pull the look off. That said, there are some jobs I do I definitely would not wear a kilt to: jobs where I may encounter large amounts of saw briars, blackberry bushes, stinging nettle etc...

**Birddog** · 13th September 08, 10:32 PM

Deleted.

**Mr. Kilt** · 13th September 08, 10:54 PM

When I was driving a transit bus alot of my coworkers knew I wore kilts. I often wore them into the bus garages if I had to go there on my days off. Most people thought they were cool, a few made "funny" comments that weren't meant to be mean.

**druid** · 13th September 08, 11:39 PM

Dept of Corrections here. I cannot wear it at work but I have worn it to outside-of-work (physically, outside the building) functions.

2 Officer Funerals, wearing my Black Watch Kilt.
1 Officer's Father's funeral.
3 officer Weddings, wearing my Black Watch and my Hotwheels Kilt (at the after-party).

Now I have my Family Tartan I can also wear.

**Tetley** · 14th September 08, 01:03 AM

Just to put the opposite slant on things, I work as a programmer in an almost entirely female dominated retail sector, lingerie. Of the 400+ employees only about 20 are male. Believe me, the ladies can be as raunchy as any man I've come across and if you cross them they can metaphorically flay your skin off as well as any drill sergeant.

I wear my kilt all the time and so far only one negative comment from the ladies at work and that from a lassie who just doesn't like kilt and that wasn't really negative, just that she doesn't like kilt.

**hospitaller** · 14th September 08, 07:09 AM

I work in Security Consulting, and I don't know if that's what you call a 'masculine' job but out of 23 people in the office, 20 of us are men, so be it what it may.

I started going to work kilted daily about oh, 2 months ago?

As part of my job I sometimes go to site visits, seminars and meetings, and so far I have had a few encounters but I can't honestly say they have been ALL that negative, as much as they have been of not understanding what a kilt is.

They way I approach wearing kilts, and this is just my personal opinion and intended as no offense to no one as I believe in laisse fair, is, some people wear their kilts as if it were a costume, others wear them as a daily/natural/normal piece of clothing.

I consider myself in the latter group, so whenever I wear my kilts, I behave and feel just as I was wearing jeans or any other 'normal' piece of clothing, and my behavious carries through and people don't seem to react as much now, as they did when I first started wearing them.

Probably because during my first outings, the kilt felt to me as a costume, but the longer I've worn it, it has become a normal article of clothing so I don't even notice it anymore.

If I can venture advice to you, simply start worrying about your coworkers comments and start wearing your clothes, the kilt being one of them as you would anything else.

Good luck

**macneighill** · 14th September 08, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Birddog

Jimmy, thanks for the input. However, I should have made it clearer in my original post. I am wondering if anyone in these type jobs have gone out casually with coworkers while kilted.

Well honestly, pretty much everyone on my department knows several members have kilts. Other than the usual joking (kilted or non-kilted), nothing really bad. Heck, if we're not making jokes towards one another then, somethings wrong. So, with having said that, I don't think anyone is being a "tough guy" when it comes to the few of us wearing kilts. All in all, everyone respects each other and their choices. I guess that's part of what makes our Brotherhood unique :mrgreen:.

**Cassidy** · 14th September 08, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Tetley

I wear my kilt all the time and so far only one negative comment from the ladies at work and that from a lassie who just doesn't like kilts and that wasn't really negative, just that she doesn't like kilts.

I never really understood this line of thinking. I've met some girls who just insisted they didn't like kilts, although perhaps it may have just been that they were embarrassed by them. But for someone to just genuinely not like them, for no particular reason, baffles me a bit.

I'll say this as well. If someone is truly and honestly offended at the suggestion that a career can be considered masculine, I really feel quite bad for them, as they must feel offended quite a lot of the time. We're here on a forum reclaiming the most masculine garment of all- perhaps this is not the place to suggest that all things are exactly suited for all genders.

**Nighthawk** · 14th September 08, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by Cassidy

I never really understood this line of thinking. I've met some girls who just insisted they didn't like kilts, although perhaps it may have just been that they were embarrassed by them. But for someone to just genuinely not like them, for no particular reason, baffles me a bit.

I'll say this as well. If someone is truly and honestly offended at the suggestion that a career can be considered masculine, I really feel quite bad for them, as they must feel offended quite a lot of the time. We're here on a forum reclaiming the most masculine garment of all- perhaps this is not the place to suggest that all things are exactly suited for all genders.

I agree. There are, weather we like it or not, some occupations that carry a gender specific stigma. The neon blowers where I work, for example, think it's extremely odd that they have a woman on their crew. Women just don't bend neon, or work construction, etc etc. Is it right that this thinking exists? I won't say. But the fact remains that this kind of attitude does in fact exist, and there is no better way to discuss than to discuss it honestly, weather that honesty hurts someone's delicate sensibilities or not.

**Thunderbolt** · 14th September 08, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by Cassidy

I'll say this as well. If someone is truly and honestly offended at the suggestion that a career can be considered masculine, I really feel quite bad for them, as they must feel offended quite a lot of the time. We're here on a forum reclaiming the most masculine garment of all- perhaps this is not the place to suggest that all things are exactly suited for all genders.

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

I agree. There are, weather we like it or not, some occupations that carry a gender specific stigma. The neon blowers where I work, for example, think it's extremely odd that they have a woman on their crew. Women just don't bend neon, or work construction, etc etc. Is it right that this thinking exists? I won't say. But the fact remains that this kind of attitude does in fact exist, and there is no better way to discuss than to discuss it honestly, weather that honesty hurts someone's delicate sensibilities or not.

I agree also.

T.