It’s interesting, the American fascination about a man in choosing to wear a kilt. One of the first topics I got asked about when I returned home from a trip to Scotland was kilts. Kilts…and whiskey. And in particular, what do they wear under a kilt? Here to satisfy your curiosity are two very different replies from two authentic Scotsmen.
Listen to “What does a Scotsman Wear Under His Kilt?” on Spreaker.
QUOTES:
“The original Scots didn’t choose to wear or not wear underwear. It hadn’t been invented.”
“Trust me, if given the option, you would wear underwear.”
“Yer wife’s lipstick”
“Many people around the world will wear pants or trousers without underwear, nobody asks them, ‘What have you got under your pants?”
PLANNING A TRIP TO SCOTLAND?
You’ve got choices! Check out these tour options:
Multi-Day Guided Tours such as; The Highlands, Whiskey Tours, Isle of Sky & Best of Scotland
Ghost Tours & Walking Tours, Edinburgh
Edinburgh Whiskey Tours, Food Tours & Pub Crawls
SHOW NOTES
A Midlife Traveler Podcast; Season 1 Scotland Speaks
EPISODE: What Does A Scotsman Wear Under His Kilt?
Scotland, kilts, bagpipes, whiskey, funny accents and castles. American tourist curiosities about visiting Scotland abound… with seemingly kilts & whiskey at the top of the list. A first topic podcast host Laura was asked about when I returned home from a trip to Scotland was kilts. And in particular, what do they wear under them? Here to satisfy your curiosity are two very different replies from two authentic Scotsmen.
They both rather indicate that those of us not wearing the kilt should just mind our own business.
What Does a Wear Under Your Kilt? Reply #1: Sean
Sean is a friend of my husband, he is a Scotsman who married an American woman and now lives in the United States. He and my husband worked together in the fire rescue industry and have been known to occasionally go to a pub for drinks. On one such occasion where a group of guys were enjoying beers and stories, eventually the kilt question came up. Sean’s reply earned a laugh from the guys while at the same time insinuated, “Mind your business.”
His reply to a guy in a bar who asked what he wears under his kilt?
“Yer wife’s lipstick.”
What Do Scots Wear Under a Kilt? Reply #2: James
While in Scotland, I was fortunate to spend three days with a Highlander who grew up wearing the kilt as a normal part of life on the Outer Hebrides islands. Today, James still wears the kilt on occasions. It took me until the second day of the tour to ask James about the kilt he was wearing and the history of the kilt.
After sharing about the Scottish kilt history, there was about a minute or two of silence before someone asked what is worn under a kilt, is it underwear? James’ reply was a kinder and more politically correct way of reminding the foreign tourists to mind their business. Click the image hear the reply in is words… it’s so much better hearing the explanation through his awesome Scottish accent.
“The original Scots didn’t choose to wear or not wear underwear. It hadn’t been invented. And trust me, if it had been invented, they would have chose to wore it. This kilt is made from Harris tweeds…it’s very, very aggressive on your skin. So trust me, if given the option, you would wear underwear.
It’s kind of funny that mystery, that mystique. And yet many people around the world will wear pants or trousers without underwear, nobody asks them, ‘What have you got under your pants?’ …
PLANNING A TRIP TO SCOTLAND? Check out Heart of Scotland Tours:
We were very happy with the tours we took from Heart of Scotland (2 day Highlands & 1 day Viking Coast) and would recommend them to travelers. Here are some of their 1 & 2 day tours departing from Edinburgh.