Are we better off without pants?

[Mikhail Mengsk]

I think pants were introduced by eastern peoples who used them for riding horses. Their use would have become common in roman-barbarian kingdoms, i think. Anyway, they are obviously better for riding and for rough terrains, where larger tunics would become trapped by plants, spikes, and other similar.

All of this is IMHO, i've no historical evidence of that.

@Aemilius- they wear their standard clothes, i think. Culture is hard to change, even if you are freezing your jewels XD

[Power2the1]

Personally, I wear both pants and my kilt whenever it suits my fancy. Mainly, though, its to show a little bit of pride in my Scottish ancestry and, in my own way, fight a minuscule battle against the 'sheep-like' conformists putting a damper on one's own personal expression, whatever that may be. Also, its to encourage others of Scottish ancestry that its 'ok' to break away every now and then and experience something much more fulfilling in wearing a little piece of (your) history.

Here is a pic that my wife took of me at the carwash:


This was long before I started lifting weights so I look rather skinny:


Seriously though, its a great experience wearing the kilt. Heres a few reasons why:

1) I've gotten pretty much 100% positive feedback from a lot of folks that are total strangers but that approach me because of it and we start of a nice lil' conversation about it. That alone make it worth it.

2) My clan is Mac Leod of Harris if anyone is wondering. Same as Duncan Mac Leod of Highlander fame. You become twice as cool in your kilt when you mention that fact hehe...

3) Thought I am very happily married, chicks do dig it and I have been asked by a few if I "wear anything under the kilt." You won't get that kind of attention or question wearing pants!

4) Those pics are over a year old, and I've since started lifting weights. Therefore the physical intimidation factor goes through the roof and its a great deterrent for any English enemies out there that may wish to start something with me (lol).

5) The kilt keeps your, eh, 'manhood' nice and cool as you walk due to the breeze created from the sway of the kilt, and in the winter keeps certain areas of the said region from retreating into your abdomen...seriously. It is the *perfect* comfort and it agrees with your male anatomy far better than pants do.

So if you have Scots blood/ancestry I encourage you to find what clan your are aligned with and get yourself a kilt! Concerning the thread topic, I do not think that were are better off without pants, I will say from everyday experience that both pants and kilts have their own set of advantages.

[Megas Methuselah]

5) The kilt keeps your, eh, 'manhood' nice and cool as you walk due to the breeze created from the sway of the kilt, and in the winter keeps certain areas of the said region from retreating into your abdomen...seriously. It is the *perfect* comfort and it agrees with your male anatomy far better than pants do.

Heh heh. I used to know this one punk back in high school who wore his kilt quite often. When I would ask him why, he'd respond, "Because I like the wind on my balls."

But I'm guessing this would be another reason, too:

3) Thought I am very happily married, chicks do dig it and I have been asked by a few if I "wear anything under the kilt." You won't get that kind of attention or question wearing pants!

[Watchman]

Conclusion - chicks dig guys who wear skirts.

[bobbin]

1) I've gotten pretty much 100% positive feedback from a lot of folks that are total strangers but that approach me because of it and we start of a nice lil' conversation about it. That alone make it worth it.

Being scottish I wouldn't get this as much as whenever you see somone wearing a kilt in scotland you just assume there's a wedding nearby (which is usually the case). There is a guy near where i live who walks around in a Great Kilt though, now that turns heads.

2) My clan is Mac Leod of Harris if anyone is wondering. Same as Duncan Mac Leod of Highlander fame. You become twice as cool in your kilt when you mention that fact hehe...

Mines is MacDonald of the Isles, I'm sure at some point down the line of history our ancestors were knocking lumps out of each other on a bog somewhere.

3) Thought I am very happily married, chicks do dig it and I have been asked by a few if I "wear anything under the kilt." You won't get that kind of attention or question wearing pants!

Even in scotland somone will invariably say this at least once, it almost a tradition!

5) The kilt keeps your, eh, 'manhood' nice and cool as you walk due to the breeze created from the sway of the kilt, and in the winter keeps certain areas of the said region from retreating into your abdomen...seriously. It is the *perfect* comfort and it agrees with your male anatomy far better than pants do.

They are surprisingly warm but when the wind gets up it can be a pain. Plus there's the whole etiquette on sitting down with out exposing yourself
ps: my clans tartan

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

On the OT i pretty much hold the same veiw as The Persian Cataphract in that the main reason for the adoption of trousers is practicality, there was a reason highlanders took off their kilts before battle.

[Power2the1]

Mines is MacDonald of the Isles, I'm sure at some point down the line of history our ancestors were knocking lumps out of each other on a bog somewhere.

Really now?

The last Scottish Highlander battle of the clans that we know of pitted my clan Mac Leòid against your Mac Dhamhnuill clan. After a long battle that lasted most of the day I must say my clan was forced to give way to yours. You are my sworn enemy now, you dirty Mac Dhamhnuill!

[moonburn]

well considering the points from the original post one must agree that since industrialisation happened in england and one of the british isles major exports had always been textiles we can assume that pants became the "easyest" and cheap male product to wear, wich pretty much gave pants 1 to 5 generations to the rest of the other elements to become the culturally accepted dressund code

as for the scots and their great pride i had always assumed that kilts have been invented by an english in 1722 who lived in lower scotland (lowlands (?) ) and he used the clans tartans as inspiration but that until that point the kilts where actually some type of wierd wool togas and that scots whore trousers (like all other celts) underneath it.

as for the it´s great with chicks i must admit it´s true due to some personal experience of competing with some crazy friends who at a night decided to wear kilts, altough the "great" with chicks seems more conected to the fact that it increases female curiosity and it makes it easyer for them to device a ploy to check the goods instead of having to buy it to check it

[bobbin]

Really now?

The last Scottish Highlander battle of the clans that we know of pitted my clan Mac Leòid against your Mac Dhamhnuill clan. After a long battle that lasted most of the day I must say my clan was forced to give way to yours. You are my sworn enemy now, you dirty Mac Dhamhnuill!

Have at ye!! seems our ancestors made up shortly afterwards so no harm done
ps it was only the last battle on skye, there was still a whole century of fighting left for the highlanders.


@moonburn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_kilt

[Cambyses]

Well, I have two points to add to this debate.

1. Is it a coincidence that women (in western society) have started to wear trousers in much much greater numbers in the last 50 years, at the same time that they have become truly emancipated? And that indeed in many conservative circles wearing trousers is very much frowned upon.
2. Those flimsy Hellenic tunics acquired a certain - err - reputation. Whether or not that was justified Ive no idea. The arrival of the monotheistic religions and a less permissive society, surely also encouraged more conservative clothing, of which trousers (I cant say pants, being English that word means something else to me) were far more pratical than the other "covering-up" item, the toga...

[Phalanx300]

Personally, I wear both pants and my kilt whenever it suits my fancy. Mainly, though, its to show a little bit of pride in my Scottish ancestry and, in my own way, fight a minuscule battle against the 'sheep-like' conformists putting a damper on one's own personal expression, whatever that may be. Also, its to encourage others of Scottish ancestry that its 'ok' to break away every now and then and experience something much more fulfilling in wearing a little piece of (your) history.

Here is a pic that my wife took of me at the carwash:


This was long before I started lifting weights so I look rather skinny:


Seriously though, its a great experience wearing the kilt. Heres a few reasons why:

1) I've gotten pretty much 100% positive feedback from a lot of folks that are total strangers but that approach me because of it and we start of a nice lil' conversation about it. That alone make it worth it.

2) My clan is Mac Leod of Harris if anyone is wondering. Same as Duncan Mac Leod of Highlander fame. You become twice as cool in your kilt when you mention that fact hehe...

3) Thought I am very happily married, chicks do dig it and I have been asked by a few if I "wear anything under the kilt." You won't get that kind of attention or question wearing pants!

4) Those pics are over a year old, and I've since started lifting weights. Therefore the physical intimidation factor goes through the roof and its a great deterrent for any English enemies out there that may wish to start something with me (lol).

5) The kilt keeps your, eh, 'manhood' nice and cool as you walk due to the breeze created from the sway of the kilt, and in the winter keeps certain areas of the said region from retreating into your abdomen...seriously. It is the *perfect* comfort and it agrees with your male anatomy far better than pants do.

So if you have Scots blood/ancestry I encourage you to find what clan your are aligned with and get yourself a kilt! Concerning the thread topic, I do not think that were are better off without pants, I will say from everyday experience that both pants and kilts have their own set of advantages.

Supises me you aren't having Casse in your sig as well seing the Highlander spirit.


And it depends on your location I gues, many people around the mediteranian opted for.. dresses. While men in colder areas went for trousers, except the Highlanders, they were crazy(in a good way).

And if this charges at you with a dress it loses its fear appeal somewhat:

[WinsingtonIII]

I think pants are necessary in colder climates (at least in the winter). Talk to any woman from a generation that was forced to always wear dresses and skirts year round when in school and they will tell you all about how miserable it is to wear a dress when it is below freezing. In the summer, a little breeze would probably be very nice, but in the dead of winter, the last thing I want is any sort of breeze traveling up there. That being said, most men probably look better in a kilt than in shorts anyways, so during the summer months, it looks like pantless might be the way to go.

[bobbin]

And it depends on your location I gues, many people around the mediteranian opted for.. dresses. While men in colder areas went for trousers, except the Highlanders, they were crazy(in a good way).

IIRC they wore things similar to breeches underneath as well (so they were only slightly mad).