Media : CLOSER (magazine) n° 4

Publication : 11 juillet 2005

Caroline is proud of Jerome's style.She even encourage him to go out wearing skirt in their small village.  Every evening,it's the same thing : coming back from work, Jerome Salome, 30 years old, kisses his wife, his 2 daughters and put himself at ease pulling a skirt on. but, don't see in this clothing choice, any sexual ambiguity or any fetichism... "I don't want to be like a woman,says this tall ginger-haired, it's just for comfort. The skirt is more adapted to men's morphology. And, during summer it's very pleasant. But, it changes nothing to my personnality." What a coincidence, Caroline, his wife, loves to see him wearing skirts. "It suits him very well,she affirms with a sweet voice, Jerome is tall, quite thin, skirts make him seem to be thinner and taller." For sure, these 2 are made for each other. Since a very long time, Caroline is fond of skirts for men. " When I was 16, I met a boy who wore a skirt, while I was on holidays. I found him very beautiful and I have always hoped that men's fashion would evoluate in that way."

On Internet, he met other men like him.

When she met Jerome , in 2002, the young man has been wearing skirts for a long time, hiding from others, at home. Far away from the laughs and from social pressure. "As a lot of children, I tried my first skirt to dress up as a girl and I discoverd that it was more comfortable than trousers." But Jerome would never dare going out wearing a skirt, he is too shy. Hopefully, Caroline came into his life. "A few weeks after we met, I let one of my skirts in the bathroom, she remembers laughing, and Jerome left the bathroom wearing it. I loved it, it suited him so well; I offered him the skirt." But, it was nevertheless impossible, even if she encouraged him, to convince her lover to go out dressed like that....Till that day of august 2002 when she told him on a determined voice : "Tonight, we go out and you will wear your skirt !" Divided between fear and amusement, Jerome agreed. After all, he met other men , on Internet, who assumed perfectly their style. "I am far from being the only one." At this time,the lovers lived in a suburb of Paris and they chose Montmartre for Jerome to try to go for a walk wearing a skirt in public. Among parisians and tourists, nobody noticed Jerome. It was, for Caroline and him, a real relief. "Since that day, i assume" he says happily.

Caroline takes, sometimes, jerome's skirts 

At Salome's house,each one has its own wardrobe and each one their skirts. At this time Jerome's wardrobe contains 7 skirts : straights, classicals, longs or under knees, most of the time they are out of denim and they all have pockets - to put keys and wallet- and a zip. "It's more useful in urinals." Caroline's one are, on the contrary, more feminine, with flounces and lace, with colours as well. " I, sometimes, take jerome's one but not very often because we are not made the same. Contrary to him, I am small and plump."

Passionnated by this piece of texture, jerome made searches on it. "Long time ago, Egyptians, Greeks or french kings wore tunics, skirts or dresses without being considered as women." He even created a website to make mentalities change and to fight against prejudices. In his small village in Haute- Vienne, about 30 kilometers from Limoges, reactions are never hurtful from the inhabitants. "Some laugh loudly, says caroline, others say that he is homosexual...but it never goes farther." To avoid this or to be considered as a perverse, when he wears a skirt outside, jerome is with his wife and his children. "The funniest is that most of the women who laugh at me wear trousers !" he prefers remembering the kindly remarks, as the one from a woman who said : " At last one who dares !" He dares, yes, but not at work yet. " I am afraid that my colleagues turn back to me." But it's not a lack of willing. "If my boss reads this article and suggests me to come to work wearing a skirt, I will do it with great pleasure."

Testimonies : what does the village think about it ? 

* Laetitia Laplagne, 24, waitress :  "That's schocking ! I think that a skirt doen't suit to a man. that's horrible. it's a clothe made for women."

* Jeannine levat, 55, bookseller : "That's great ! We took trousers from men, that's very good that men wear skirts! That's not new. In Indonesia, it's an usual way to dress upfor men."

*Bernadette Laporte, 47, home helper : "A man wearing a skirt, to be really honest, I think it's not beautiful. If my husband would decide one day to go out wearing a skirt, I think I would be very ashamed... "

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