International Jock

Thursday, January 13, 2011

What’s under his kilt?

Wearing underwear under a kilt.
For ages the consensus was that you are not a “real Scot” unless you are bare under your kilt. However recently the Scottish Tartans Authority, an organization dedicated to keeping the integrity of the traditional Scottish garb, has decreed that refusing to wear underwear beneath your kilt is “childish and unhygienic” and that this flies in the face of decency. The organizations director Brian Wilton said kilt wearers should have the common sense to wear underwear beneath their countries national dress. And he went on to say that just because highlanders wore nothing in the days before wide0spread underwear usage was available doesn’t mean that we in the 21st century should do the same. Underwear is important for two main reasons the first is decency the second is hygiene. The first is the obvious complaint that without underwear in certain situations you are at risk of revealing yourself. And although some, including myself, find this an appealing feature of the kilt others feel it is disrespectful of the traditional and almost sacred significance of the tartan or kilt and I can understand that. The second is a dirty fact that we usually try not to think about, that our underwear is a sanitary protection that protects the cleanliness of our garments. Apparently there have been problem with kilts becoming so dirty they practically were declared a biohazard. Sounds crazy but a kilt maker named Slanj who has provided traditional kilts for Billy Connolly and Ewan McGregor insists his clients wear underwear because he has had some returned in such a messy state that he called them too unhygienic for his staff to handle. A high quality traditional Tartan is very expensive and not as easy to clean as a pair of briefs so this is a valid concern.

No underwear under kilt.
Yet not everyone agrees. Formula One Racing driver David Coulthard said “Kilts are from the past and so is the tradition of not wearing any underwear. I'm proud to be a true Scotsman. It's a tradition that should be left alone. I've been wearing kilts since I was a little boy and will continue to wear my kilts in the time-honored fashion. There is nothing childish or unhygienic about it.” And many kilt wearers have this same opinion.

Matching underwear under kilt.
This is a subject I am torn on because on the one hand I love the idea of a naked man under a kilt yet on the other I also like the image of a nice pair of underwear hiding beneath that manly cloak. But this is an underwear blog so I am going to go address this from a different angle. This case really emphasizes the magnitude of the impact underwear has had on us. At one time the Scottish Military were required not to wear anything under their kilts for ease of movement and today the authority on this rich and distinctive culture has ruled it necessary for underwear to be worn in order to preserve the dignity of this tradition. Often we get so caught up in the look and visual attractiveness of underwear we forget that they serve an important role in our lives. They support, protect our modesty and keep us hygienic and clean which promotes good health. So whichever side of this kilt debate you are on, you have to give underwear credit for the impact it has made. Thank you underwear.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm torn between the two choices too! The idea of a man wearing nothing under his kilt is exciting, but honestly I wouldn't be able to contain myself if the wind blew up a hot guy's kilt and he was bare or had on a hot pair of undies. Either way, it's a turn on just to catch a glimpse up a guy's kilt.

Someone should come out with a line of kilts with built in jocks or thongs, so Scottish men can get the breathability of going without underwear, but still be covered. And it would open minds to the thought of masculine men wearing "traditionally gay" underwear. :)

Rodden Shaw said...

Scot. One 't'.

Dr. NutHut said...

That's a good idea. But ultimately I agree that just finding out what's underneath is exciting enough. Although I'd be disappointing if it were plain old baggy boxers, which you know half the straight guys would have on. I think spreading stylish underwear to the hetero world needs to be a priority. The women will thank us for it, lol

UMan said...

Rodden - You're right. Sorry about that.

Dr. NutHut - I hope the "straight guys" would be more intelligent than to wear boxers underneath as they'd provide no support and you'd still have the problem (or would it really be a problem?) of being able to see all the way up.

Another interesting angle would be to manufacture brief and trunk style underwear in matching Tartan prints so that you don't even really notice what's being worn underneath. Similar to many female (and male) dance costumes.

Rodden Shaw said...

As a Scot and kilt wearer can I implore you not to pursue the tartan underwear idea? Everything is fine as it is. :)

UMan said...

What do you wear under your kilt Rodden?

Rodden Shaw said...

I wear nothing. If one was to wear a kilt on a daily basis then underwear would make perfect sense, but I do not know of anybody who does so (though the odd eccentric who does must exist) and most kilts get dry cleaned after every two or three wearings, so hygiene isn't a big issue.

I do know a couple of guys who have to wear underwear under their kilts as the rough wool irritates their glans - they are both circumcised.

The kilt is a fairly masculine garment (whilst it is obviously similar in appearance to a skirt, it is rather different in construction - it's unusual for a kilt to 'blow up' because it is an extremely heavy garment). Tartan underwear would seem to feminise the garment, to my mind, which would be something of a shame. That said, I don't really like fashion kilts, or kilts worn with t-shirts, etc anyway, so maybe I'm just a bit of a traditionalist.

UMan said...

Makes a lot of sense Rodden. Thanks for your insight.

Anonymous said...

so i'm not sure if anyone has experience with this happening, but what happens if someone sees up your kilt and you're not wearing any underwear?

UMan said...

Anonymous - I imagine they'd see your goods then :P

Rodden Shaw said...

@ Anonymous Well, yes, UMan got the logical answer straight away.

There are two situations I often face where some care must be taken - tying one's shoelaces (this has to be done by bending down, rather than going down on one knee or placing one's foot on a raised surface) and using a staircase (I often 'take' stairs two at a time, which can make the kilt billow up).

Otherwise there are few other occasions where somebody might see up my kilt, unless they were specifically attempting to do so.

Women face this dilemma often, yet skirts are still popular - it's not difficult to conceal your genitals whilst wearing a kilt without underwear.

Unknown said...

What IDIOT thinks it's ok to wear underwear under his kilt?!that's NOT the tradition Morons!!!!

UMan said...

Once again Rodden, thanks for your insightful feedback.

Lonniebanks - I appreciate your comments, but let's please keep this conversation respectful.

Thong Man said...

I love this sort of discussion on tradition versus new ideas. What's more is that it talks about two of my favourite garments - underwear and kilts.

Although I would naturally love a tight-fitting pair of briefs under my man's kilt, I also like the manliness of the freeballer - why not try both.

Anonymous said...

OK, I'm one of those blokes who wears a kilt almost every day. Eccentric? I don't know but I'm a bagpiper, Scottish by blood, and wearin kilts is part of how I make my living.

If asked in person, I wouldn't admit this, but most of the time I'm wearin a jock or bikini briefs underneath my kilt. My mate's would give me bloody hell if they knew I was packin underwear, but it's simple: the wool of the kilt either chafes my circumcised cock or gets it worked up. Either way, without underpants on, I loose.

It works out fine thought because I also have a right healthy appreciation for a sexy pair of underpants. (I'm with you Thong Man, underwear and kilts are both good)

Since this is an underwear blog, I wanted to offer up some pix of what this Scotsman secretly wears under his kilt. My ex GF regularly aimed her spycam up mine (and several other blokes') at various Highland gatherings and gigs, weddings, etc over the 6 years we were together. She was a kinky lass and she definitely got her groove on with her little spycam and my kilts... but I'm kinky too so I liked it.

Anyhow, I don't know how to share photos with you, Mr. Moderator, so here's my e-mail address and, if you like, I can send em to you to put on your blog (or not) as you see fit.

[email removed by moderator]

PS: I've been know to wear my kilts on construction sites too, (my other job is roofing) even up and down ladders, so my jock also spares the poor bloke having to hand tools up to me from below.

Anonymous said...

I'm in favour of wearing something under the kilt but it should be of a dark colour and match the main colour of the kilt like dark green or deep red or navy blue.
When I was a boy it was bottle green girl's school knickers thet I was given to wear but mens briefs are now available in dark colours.

Anonymous said...

I personally do both and go 'regimental' and with underwear when I wear a kilt. It depends on circumstance and the situation. I personally feel more comfortable going regimental in a kilt and will do that more often than not, but there are times and situations when common sense dictates otherwise. When I do wear underwear with my kilt it is usually dark briefs.

Anonymous said...

i subscribe to the view that no undergarment should be worn beneath the highland kilt.

KiltedBen said...

I too am relatively new to kilt wearing and in the handful of times that I have been out and about kilted I've always ended up 'Going Regimental' even when I started out wearing underwear (twice briefs and once with a jock) it just didn't feel right so I ended up taking the underwear off and hanging free the rest of the day. I've now learnt not to put on underwear with my kilt and just go regimental the whole day. For some reason it just feels right and in this instance underwear feels wrong

Qcislander said...

I've been wearing kilts for a few years now, and by my lights there's no better way to do it than regimental/commando.

That said, there *are* places where having something under there for modesty makes some sense: I'm thinking formal-ish situations (in puritanical places like the USA or the Middle-East especially) where your best kilt *is* what to wear, but where even inadvertently flashing your audience with the whole package is at least a bit scandalous, if not cause for decapitation.

I have a dance-belt that I wear in such (rare) circumstances.