Why Men Should Wear Skirts
When was it decreed in western culture that men should wear trousers and that women should wear skirts? In many other cultures around the world you can see examples of men wearing wrap –around garments such as Sarongs, Kilts, Lunghi, Kikoi, Pareo and Sulu. These would all seem not just a far more comfortable mode of attire than trousers, but when you consider the human form, a far more practical choice too.
Anatomically men have a bulky and sensitive collection of genitalia suspended on the outside of their bodies, of which one is a complex heat exchanger designed to keep sperm at a constant temperature and should be exposed to as much air as possible. In fact men with fertility problems are frequently advised to wear loose fitting shorts, to help keep their sperm in top condition.
So why with this irrefutable biological requirement have men been made to enclose their reproductive organs in such an unsuitable garment as a pair of trousers, which also put pressure on one of their most sensitive regions? There can’t be many men out there who don’t have the occasional problem bending and sitting, or who aren’t familiar with the frequent need to adjust themselves throughout the day.
Since the 1980’s many famous fashion designers including Jean-Paul Gaultier, Gioirgio Armani, John Galliano, Kenzo, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto have tried to introduce the male skirt into popular fashion. Though despite a great deal of effort, none of their designs appear to have travelled from the catwalk to the sidewalk.
It seems impossible that in our enlightened times when women happily cross dress in trousers, suits, shirts and ties that there should be such prejudice against a man wearing one particular piece of clothing. There does seem to be one exception to societies’ reluctance to accept the concept of a man wearing a skirt and that is the humble kilt. Even though a kilt is nothing other than a pleated woollen skirt, it has been proudly sported by such Hollywood heart throbs as Sean Connery, Samuel L Jackson, Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, David Duchovny and Liam Neeson.
Could it be that the kilt is still strongly associated with the warlike Highland Clans of legend, or that no one has yet dared to go up to the likes of Liam Neeson and call him a “sissy”. Whatever the reason and despite so much evidence to support the benefits of skirts for men, I am afraid that until public opinion changes, I will be towing the line with the crotch sore masses of trouser wearing men.
