It was it, holidays were here, we manage to go up to our family in the North of France.

We took the opportunity to meet another skirt wearer, Adrien, you can see his interview here on this site and I could see a friend of mine from time I was at college and who I haven't seen for at least 14 years.

Finally, my parents talked, at last, about the subject of my wearing of a skirt and we could discuss about it.

On holidays in the Somme and in the Pas de Calais in my family, Caroline and me went to the restaurant in Lille to see Adrien who we met last in 2007. Just before leaving from the Limousin, I finished the making of a long skirt with plaid colors grey, black and silver.I will talk about it with more details in the right side of this site. So, I wore this skirt with a grey shirt without collar and opened shoes speckled with black and grey. Unlike me, Adrien is more skirts down to above the knee, which was verified by his short denim skirt fully buttoned in the front .

It was a pleasant moment of sharing about our anecdots in skirt, our situations and evolutions, all this naturally in front of people passing by the street and the restaurant employees. This is one of them who agreed to take a picture of us in front of the restaurant. Our different fashion choices showed to Ch'tis people ( those xho live in the North of France are called Ch'tis ) two possibilities for a man to wear a skirt and the diversity of skirts.

A few months ago, Fred, a friend from IUT Littoral in Calais found me via the website " copains d'avant" on which I am registered.This site allows you to create a personal record with photos, places where we went to school, etc.. Thanks to that, it is possible to trace people who were in the same class in the same job, etc.. I took the opportunity to put photos of me wearing a skirt on my profile, it is a means to show that a man can wear a skirt. Moreover, Fred asked in his first message why I was wearing a skirt,what I explained him.

As I went back to the north, we were given appointment in the late afternoon the same day Caroline and I saw Adrien. Fred and I spent the evening reminiscing about our stories about Calais which some came back by the fact to discuss. It was great. He asked me about my wearing of a skirt, with a real desire to learn more and not with voyeurism . He showed real respect for my choice of clothing without prejudgements. We plan to try to recontact all our friends from this time to organize a meeting

Then Caroline and I went to my parents where our children were on holidays. During a discussion between my parents and me, they made a point of my qualities ending with "except skirts" which, by inference, was considered as a default. And that's when my parents and I had a real discussion about my wearing of a skirt, a subject on which my parents have never returned since my mother asked me not to talk or wear in front of her entourage; thing I've observed only half way being in national medias or wearing a skirt on the internet, I knew that people around my parents would learn it. Here are in bulk what I understood about this conversation :

To begin, I noticed by different talks from my parents that I remain masculine was a positive point within this topic that seems negative to their eyes.

What bothers them is that this is one of their relatives who wears it and what others say or might say. Indeed, if it was the neighbor's son who wore skirts, it wouldn't disturb them. But they feel directly affected because it is their son who wears it. As others are concerned, according to my parents, 8 of 10 people from the village (580 inhabitants) make fun of me. I asked them if people had laughed at them and they said no but it was people who had told them. There is no certainty on the rightness of this high percentage of 80%. I gave them the example of teasing I had such as "ass son of earth" because my parents were farmers and I told them that I've never asked them to change their job. I explained that they were proud to have been farmers, but for others it's shameful to have this job. My parents asked me why I do not wear a skirt without talking to the media and why I had to justify myself. I understood in the first part of this question that they would have wished that I wear it without talking about it , that's to say secretly. It always comes back to the fact that wearing a skirt is not the problem itself; it is the fear of what others may say. I said that explaining was important; prejudges exist as they know it and going out wearing a skirt without explaining why lets people invent anything on me. I am a responsible man and then I explain my choice in medias to avoid unnecessary problems to my family.

I mentioned them that among the testimonies I had, it is mostly relatives who make "a problem" if one may say so, and not the others. It appears from what my parents said. People talk, look insistently or scoff at the beginning, it is almost an integral part of being human. The looks, jokes, etc. fade with the habit of seeing a man in skirt. This was the same for women in trousers. So I informed them that I was wearing a skirt in Lille and Dunkirk and everything went very well,that Fred had a positive reaction to this subject. I added that my social life had not changed in my area, I didn't loose my friends and my wearing of a skirt does not stop me from having news, cash hostesses at supermarkets talk with me and even my hairdresser asked me to come in skirt to her salon.

I think my parents realized, if it was not already the case that I am "clear" in my vision to see this freedom of dressing and the skirt, that it was important to explain people to avoid the invention of anything wrong on the subject. Finally, and that's the most important, they now have the opportunity to try to understand me and my relations with them are not tarnished.

This conversation between my parents and I is rather personal and if I share it here it's because I really find it necessary to show an example of relationship between parents / children when one of them is wearing skirts. Some of you may recognize them in this true story, or find by it the courage to talk with loved ones and find the words. Nevertheless, each story is different.

Between being with my family that I do not see often, have had this discussion with my parents, meet a childhood friend who had a positive reaction to my wearing of a skirts and see a friend who is a skirt wearer , I came back happy about this week holiday in the North.

Photos below :

In front of the pub Event's Café, rue Solferino Lille

From left to right: Adrian, Caroline and Jerome

Photo below:

On the beach at Dunkirk

From left to right: friend, Caroline and Jerome

- previous anecdot of the meeting with adrien in Lille

- Adrien's interview