" I'm old-fashioned. I like two sexes! And another thing, all of a sudden I don't like being married to what is known as a 'new woman'. I want a wife, not a competitor. Competitor! Competitor!" - Spencer Tracy in 'Adam's Rib' (1949)
Art thou every retard among us related to thine uncle or mistress by way of moral or illegitimate rendezvous? Thus, we are one side of the other's coin by luck or pluck. - Jimmyz
Regardless of what they do in Scotland or how I feel about gender politics, I would not send my son to school in a dress or skirt because I would not want him to be bullied because of my own thoughts.
I see no problem dressing a son in pinks or for girls to have shirts with cars or dinosaurs or whatever on them. I don't think young children really pay that much attention or if they do it is not usually negative. Nor do I have a problem with them playing with whatever toys they like. But I will draw the line at putting my kid in a position to be bullied because of my personal beliefs.
Scottish kilts are not synonymous with "dresses" either, female dresses and skirts are designed to highlight the female anatomy (e.x. the hips), as men and women have a different physical anatomy and structure, so they were specifically designed with the female body in mind; kilts and other garments such as robes for men were not.
Kilts are also ceremonial wear, not "everyday casual wear" in Scotland, so wearing a kilt to the grocery store would be like the equivalent of dressing up like an orchestra conductor on a trip to the beach.
Even female jeans have a completely different design and form than male jeans.
Likewise, comparing dresses to pants is a silly analogy - pants were adopted by women primarily for functional reasons (it's much easier and practical to do physical work in pants than in a skirt), women didn't start wearing pants because they "wanted to look like men".
Dresses on the other hand, have very little functional use and are designed primarily for fashion, so there's no reason for a man to wear one unless he just wants to look like a woman, which is why people (rightfully) view it as different.
Truth is most of these arguments and comparisons are laughable, and just the result of people not knowing basic sartorial history (much like the "boys used to wear pink, girls used to wear blue" myth, which is also false and has been debunked).
Peter1469 (09-23-2017)