I've always had a leaning towards wearing skirts; as a child I could never understand why, as a boy I had to wear trousers, while the girls wore skirts or trousers. It's a question which I still haven't found an answer to, so perhaps there is no answer; instead it's just one of those daft unwritten social rules.
I'd worn skirts around the house for some years, so knew how to handle them (it's a skill that boys don't get taught). I finally discovered the delights of wearing a skirt out and about in public on the Greek island of Santorini. The sun shone and it was hot! I wanted to keep the sun off my legs; they'd been badly sunburnt on a Mediterranean cruise the year before. So, shorts were out; long trousers were far too hot. Hmmmm how about a sarong? It covers the legs, is loose and airy. It's a man's garment in places like Fiji. It was absolutely brilliant! It was the most comfortable thing I'd ever worn over my legs. I wore sarongs for most of that week's holiday. When home time came, I dug out the long trousers and climbed into them (that's another great thing, you don't have to hop around on one leg to put on a sarong, you simply wrap it around you). It was then that I discovered just how uncomfortable trousers are. They are hot, restrictive, and can be really uncomfortable when you sit down. Why on earth do blokes inflict such discomfort on themselves? I'd suffered half a century of discomfort without realising it.
Back home, I continued to wear sarongs around the house, only changing into trousers to go out. One hot day, I couldn't face trousers or shorts, so I screwed up my courage and walked into town wearing a tee shirt, sarong and sandals, fully expecting to be laughed at and called all sorts of rude names. But nothing happened; no-one noticed or cared. I felt great; it gave my confidence a tremendous boost; it's one thing to dress 'out of the ordinary' while on holiday, but quite another to do it on your home patch where you are likely to meet someone you know!
People talk about a life-changing experience; this was mine. It may sound silly, but the simple act of wearing what is technically a skirt has changed me, and for the better; I'm more confident; more likely to stand up and be counted. I have one rigid rule: the 'skirt' must be masculine i.e. no flowers or frills, and muted colours which I call 'male drab'. I want to present myself as a man (which I am), but a man who likes a change from trousers. There is no going back, I can not and will not return to wearing just trousers; skirts are too comfortable. I've bought a couple of non-tartan kilts (I'm not Scottish, or a 'wannabe' Scot). So now I have a real choice in what I wear - sarongs, kilts, shorts or trousers. It's not such broad range of choice as the women have, but it's much more than that enjoyed by the majority of men. If only they knew what they're missing!