To wonder if skirts are inherently misogynistic and objectify women...

[Oakenbeach]

... and that women who continue to wear them are perpetuating the notion, albeit mostly subliminally, of a man’s entitlement to easy and unimpeded “access” to women.

A handbag is a useful thing to cart around my stuff. Men like women in tight jeans. I like a man in a kilt.

No

Do you have to go somewhere special to carry a handbag? They are just an every day thing bit like coats really.

Don't people normally wear coats to Tesco where you live?

I’m with Funny on this DDIJ why on earth would anyone consider it in the least odd to be wearing a tailored coat in a supermarket in the Winter?

It’s perfectly normal. Really, seriously not worthy of a “gasp” or any comment at all.

I wear a suit and a tailored coat to work, as do many women, (and men come to think of it)

Popping into a supermarket on your way home from work is a normal daily activity surely?

Even casually dressed I might wear a tailor wool coat in the Winter. .

And no one has ever laughed at my handbag. Why would it be in the least amusing?

A tailored coat is far more suitable for Tesco than a dressing gown.

Skirts and dresses are comfortable, warm in winter when layered and cool in summer when not. Not everone's cup of tea, but definitely not a misogynistic item of clothing

So if they were designed and promoted purely for comfort, why do only women wear them?

I thought it was offensive/'not done' to refer to a kilt as a skirt?

I wear tailored coats to Tesco. I've also worn a full wedding outfit (guest outfit, not bridal!), fancy dress and scummy, paint covered stage blacks to Tesco - it just depends on what I'm on my way to or from when I pass there. I'd never make a trip out specifically to go to a supermarket, it's always combined with something else.

I love skirts and dresses and wear them most days. Don't think it's misogynistic at all. I think we're lucky to have more fashion choices than men.

DDIJ it’s perfectly fine for you not to dress up for Tesco (or anywhere else for that matter if you don’t choose to) but surely you (and your DD) recognise that it’s ok and I fact quite normal for other people to choose differently?

I’ve wandered through supermarkets in an evening dress from time to time when the need arose. No one batted an eyelid.

I’ve visited MacDonalds in a fancy wedding outfit including big hat. No one mentioned it or even glanced my way.

But DDIJ you must know that you are highly unusual in only leaving the house once a year. Your normal habits can't possibly be seen as representative of the general population and what's often done.

No.

Not researched it but my guess is that skirts probably originated for convenience of urinating and defecating in days when you didn't have a flushable toilet?

I think skirts originated because they are easier to sew than trousers, but yes, they probably stayed in use for so long because they provide some privacy for urinating when you don't have sex segregated toilets.

Obviously any laws forcing women to wear skirts are misogynist.

Skirts themselves aren't. They're just a piece of clothing, and in many very misogynist cultures, men wear skirt-like garments themselves, as everyday wear, which makes it rather unlikely that they're an instrument of oppression in and of themselves.

I, personally, think all the things you accuse skirts of do apply to high heels.

So if they were designed and promoted purely for comfort, why do only women wear them?

Men do wear them, too?
Or at least, men wear items of clothing that consist of one layer of cloth covering both legs, with no cloth between the legs.

They mostly wear that sort of clothes in very hot climates, which fits with my observation that skirts are more comfortable than trousers in extremely hot summers.

I only wear skirts that are wide enough for me to walk in unimpeded on even ground, and long enough so that men don't get to see anything I don't want them to see. (ankle length)

I'm always on board for criticism of current women's fashion, but skirts as such aren't bad.

I can only imagine how much people would laugh if they saw me all dressed up in a dress a coat and an empty handbag.

They wouldn’t laugh at all.

You can wear what you like, carry a bag or not if you like. Most people won’t even notice let alone care.

Women in smart coats and bags in Winter are normal.
Women in casual coats without bags are normal too.

I think there would be an argument if women weren't allowed to wear trousers...

When I first worked in retail we were not allowed to wear trousers.

The tiny handbags that you have to actually carry in your hand always seem needlessly impractical to me, but I like a big one with a shoulder strap.

It's also possible to carry 'feminine' items like hairbrushes and make-up in any sort of bag, and other things in any sort of bag - there aren't any rules! My current (large, practical) handbag has a few make-up items in it, but also first-aid stuff and a book from my university library, among other things.

DDIJ, most people pay much less attention to other people's outfits than you think they do. I'd notice if someone in Tesco was wearing pyjamas or a bright pink onesie. Any sort of coat, dress, trousers, handbag - wouldn't think about it at all. Certainly wouldn't laugh.

Men do wear them too
Or at least, men wear items of clothing that consist of one layer of cloth covering both legs, with no cloth between the legs

You're reaching a bit, aren't you? In Western culture, with a few very specific exceptions, men do not wear "skirts". They clearly were designed for and are promoted to women specifically. Why?

DDIJ your relatives don't sound very nice.

🤣

Must say DH in a kilt gives me the horn, and there’s the easy access/no kecks thing going on too...