Pondering why men can't wear dresses?

[susan54]

As a Scot and a crossdresser I feel moved to make some observations on kilts. I have two. In theory I can wear it whenever I want but have not done so for several years. Apart from weddings and some special functions, and sports events, it is worn only by those in the tourist industry. And pipers. There is nothing to stop anyone wearing it more widely, but they don't. It is not at all like wearing a normal skirt. It is very heavy and warm. It also makes you feel MORE masculine - the swagger comes naturally for some reason. The other problem is that if you depart from the 'rules' about wearing it you will get criticised by the old guard. The rules are bogus - the current form of the kilt is a modern affectation, and modern clan tartans were invented by two fantasist brothers who may or may not have been related to Bonnie Prince Charlie. If you wear a kilt unconventionally, you are likely tpo get more criticism than you would if you just wore a skirt, because the old guard feel entitled to tell you you are wrong - if you wear a skirt people already accept you are breaking the rules and are usually to polite to criticise except to compliment you.

Some of the leg is visible when you wear a kilt with the usual socks. If, like me, you now have hairless legs, this can give rise to questions. If I am wearing a skirt with bare legs in warm weather, I want the skirt to be light. If it is cold, I wear tights, so the conventional kilt fails on both counts. I think the type of skirts worn by men in warm countries are closer to the reasons I wear a skirt. Just for the record, manspreading is unacceptable in a kilt for obvious reasons, b ut there are still people who do it. This is especially objectionable if it is done by one of those die-hards who will not wear anything under their kilt - which is just gross.

My main kilt is the full 8-yard heavy wool job. My second is a lightweight cheapo bought in Lidl for about £20 (a real kilt is about 20 times that). I have thought about wearing it to sit in the garden in summer, but even in Scotland this would look odd - not as odd as wearing a skirt or a dress - but certainly odd.

[abbiedrake]

Refine, thanks for your considered and thoughtful posts. Fantastic as always.
I couldn't help but reflect that what you say basically boils down to 'we've largely cured the disease but the symptoms will linger for a time'.
I agree that today's women are emphatically not second class citizens. But the time when they were is part of the root of the prejudice that we, as CDs, run up against all the time. Look at the prevalence of crossdressing in comedy. Why is it funny? It's the irony. That a man would 'abdicate his male power'. It's anachronistic and stupid, but while we're addressing the core issues of inequality these petty things linger.
That we here dwell on these, in the scheme of things, petty technicalities is because of the cloistered and specific interests of this quite narrow community. We have only one thing that unites us, a penchant for ladies attire.
Let's just say we throw our darts a little widely in our efforts to hit the treble 20 (or the bullseye for those unfamiliar with darts &#128521.
This is far from a rebuke, rather a mild defence and maybe a reminder to us all that western society is heading in the right direction.

[ambigendrous]

My thoughts on income inequality: I worked as an engineer in the semiconductor industry for about 35 years before retiring, and was involved in interviewing people looking to fill positions several times. When we hired a person we did not set the salary based on gender - it was set based only on qualifications. I think too many people look at ANY industry, and think that a woman with 5 years' experience should be making the same as a man with 30 years' experience, and that is where the "inequality" is perceived. In my industry even a man with 5 years' experience would not be making the same salary as one with 30 years' experience.

[ReineD]

This is far from a rebuke, rather a mild defence and maybe a reminder to us all that western society is heading in the right direction.

Thank you. I also believe we are headed in the right direction at least in terms of full gender parity. Women in the developed world have come too far to allow our gains to stagnate until fully realized.

But can we expect equal gains over the acceptance of crossdressing males? You mention a man's abdication of male power. Do you think that men can accept crossdressing males as easily as they have and will continue to accept the narrowing gender gap? I've no idea. As mentioned in a prior post, my sons accept their gay friends. I've no idea what they'd think if any of their friends crossdressed.

[Lindsay blonde locks]

I think I've only seen one male wearing a dress in my life. Could be more that I didn't realize because they passed though. Eventually this number will average 10, through 18 years of life.

It is a bit depressing hearing the media's critique/laughing at the few famous celebrities who've worn skirts. That's not even the most gendered piece of clothing; dresses as mentioned in the title are on another level of taboo.

I want to wear dresses at some point in my life (I'm only 18). By the time that have the stable income to acquire the best and most feminine clothes, society could see less effeminate clothes as not a big deal for us to wear.

I would hope for us to progress towards full female clothes acceptance for men, but the fact that I might be able to wear women's jeans and skirts without a second glance so soon, that my first job out of college could be like that, is enthralling. Articles like this one are pushing us towards that middle ground of acceptance.

Dresses wouldn't be my every day attire even, formal events are where I'd most want to wear one. (Bleggh, suits)

[Teresa]

Reine,
Men accepting is a very interesting question ,

I often find men will accept better without their wife/partner being present , often meeting a couple the wife will make eye contact but the husband won't . I've only known one exception to that . The difference is more obvious if out socially, in private the man may appear to accept but it's a whole different ball game in public whereas a woman will go along with it providing she feels comfortable with your appearance . I'm obvioulsy speaking from my personal experience .

I'm not sure if the question is about gender but more to do with sexuality .

[ReineD]

I want to wear dresses at some point in my life (I'm only 18). By the time that have the stable income to acquire the best and most feminine clothes, society could see less effeminate clothes as not a big deal for us to wear.

My guess is that it will go the other way. Clothing will continue to morph towards the gender-neutral, which means pants and tops in practical colors that go with everything, not skirts and dresses. A vast majority of women already wear pants and flat shoes in their day-to-day lives because they are much easier than having to deal with hose, skirts or dresses, and heels. Go to any campus, mall or workplace and observe for yourself.

Nightclubs and places where girls go to meet boys are different. Girls do know how to show off their assets if they want to attract a boy.