A while back I found a kilt at a thrift store for around $30. Beyond that it was a Stewart tartan (I'm a Stewart though my mother) and it actually fit....well mostly. OK so it was a bit long, but that I knew could be fixed with a little hemming. I mean 30 bucks for a kilt?? um yes please! So I snatched it up, and took it home.
Alright, I admit it, I procrastinate way too much. I think this kilt sat up in my closet for about 6 months or so i until I finally decided to take the plunge and fix it. And then the fun began for lo and behold it wasn't a kilt, it was a women's kilted skirt. So here's a quick lesson on kilts. Officially there is no such thing as a women's kilt. However in our modern world some women have taken to believing that the pleated tartan skirt is the same thing as a women's kilt. So whats the difference? For one thing they are a bit longer then a traditional kilt ( I had to hem about six inches of the one i got). Second they open on the left side rather then the right. and third, the pleats are much more shallow. This meant I had to switch the buckles out for the other side of my new "kilt".
So off to the local fabric store I go. My first annoyance was that it took me about 4 stops to find anything closely resembling the strap and buckles on the kilt. My bigger annoyance though was one of the employees in one of the stores, after I showed her what I was looking for and why, she looked at me with a dumb look and asked "well aren't the highland games over for the year?" Yeah, she actually asked me that. Not only was I appalled from a customer service stand point (what difference dose it make why i want to buy something or make something??) but here is a prime example of why I am doing the cultural revival work. So many people around think that wearing a kilt is just a cute thing done as part of a "silly hobby" or something done just for fun at games or as part of a Saint Patrick Days celebration. I know, the way some people think surprises me sometimes.
Why then do I think its so important to wear a kilt? It's part of my heritage. It's a part of my cultural identity. its a symbol of who I really am. Stop and think for a minuet how many people from other cultures continue to embrace the clothing and symbols of their people? quite a few I'd dare to wager. So then why should we not also embrace our own?
After all, that's why I got involved into the reconstruction process. I felt a total disconnect to my heritage. sure I'm an American and couldn't be prouder of that, but I'm so much more then that. Sadly I think that there has been so much pressure in this country (and others as well) to conform to the melting pot concept and our own identity's get lost in the mix. Now don't get me wrong, I love cultural diversity. I love learning about other cultures and traditions, but I feel a personal draw to my own cultural past and I think its very important we all understand who we are and were we come from. And that is why I wear a kilt.
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