For years fashion designers have been showing kilts and skirts for men - and even dresses. By and large men have ignored them. But times are changing, not because of the designers, but because men are waking up.

Men have discovered that kilts and skirts are comfortable! We've also discovered that it's alright to care about how we look.

Not much more than a century ago men wore fancy clothes (some of which are rather feminine by today's standards) and paid attention to their appearance. Then something went dreadfully haywire. Men began to eschew looking their best. Instead we imposed a prison of dull colors and practical, yet boring, fabrics on ourselves.

What's wrong with wearing silk? Or bright colors? It is true that there are silk shirts (and even boxer shorts), but they are styled exactly the same way as our boring cotton ones. And it is also true that some of us wear Hawaiian print shirts, but they are still in practical ol'cotton.

Now be honest with yourselves, men: how do your legs look? I have done a survey, admittedly less than scientific, and found that most men do think their legs look good. So why do we hide them?

Sure, we can show our legs in the summer by wearing shorts, but that is strictly casual and some places still don't like men wearing shorts. Contrast that with women, who can wear them to work!

Kilts are masculine garments. Raise your hands if you saw "Braveheart." Prince Charles wears them frequently, if we can believe the pictures we see on television. And in the recent "Avengers," the "Sexiest Man Alive," Sean Connery donned not only a kilt, but a ruffled shirt! How many women went gaga over that?

There are men out there - and the numbers are increasing every day - who do want to be able to express themselves with their clothing choices. They want to wear kilts and skirts on a regular basis. They want a greater choice in fabrics, colors, and styles. In short, they want the same freedom that women have.

Women haven't had as much freedom of dress as they do today. Just a few decades ago, a woman in pants was a scandal. Women worked hard to change things and they deserve a lot of credit for going after the freedom. Now men are beginning to do the same.

Women have appropriated essentially every piece of men's clothing (save, possibly, the jock strap) for themselves. Men are beginning to do the same. Unfortunately, men who try are aggressively discriminated against at work and in the courts.

There are men all over the world who are willing to put up with the small amount of abuse they get when they wear a kilt, sarong, or skirt. Younger men who are into the Goth look frequently wear dresses. Others wear baggy shorts that closely resemble split skirts. Long hair on men is hardly unusual. Lots of men wear an earring - and more and more are wearing them in both ears. Men get facials, manicures, and pedicures. There are lines of nail polish allegedly designed for men. Wolford has even recently introduced tights for men (they are wimping out by calling them "waist socks"). Comfilon now sells what amount to panty hose for men.

[While we are on the subject, let me publicly say that Dennis Rodman does not represent members of this movement.]

Those of us who want this freedom are not transvestites or transsexuals. We are males - and proud of it. We don't want to look like women, or even be confused for them. We don't want to take anything away from women. We don't want to wear "women's clothes" (whatever that really means); we want to wear men's clothes that have been styled after women's, in some cases. After all, most of us don't need the darting in the chest area.

The many men who have tried kilts or skirts have discovered things about themselves. Women often complain about men's lack of emotions. A man who tries a skirt finds himself experiencing a bit of vulnerability - and most of us find it truly liberating!

Trousers are a prison; we imposed it on ourselves, but they are a prison nonetheless. Dull and ugly colors, simple fabrics, and lack of texture are all part of this prison. It's time for us to break out!

Saturday, May 1, 1999 is being declared as International Skirt Day. Men the world-over are encouraged to wear a kilt, skirt, sarong, or dress for that day - in public. Show the world your legs! Celebrate a new freedom. Defeat Trouser Tyranny. And find out that women are just as interested in legs as men.