A short essay I once saw a post on the Dirty Sole Society in regard to ankle bracelets. The young straight male writer was wondering if he might be perceived as gay if he worn them. The same thought had been raised in regard to toe rings on men. Here are my thoughts on jewelry and fashion in general. First off, I am gay! We can try to ignore what other people think. However, there are some men, who if they even think you are gay, might very well beat you up for fun of it. I don't know if that is a reason to conform. Just being barefoot might make them think you're weird, but most likely not gay. If you happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, you could very well be threatened. I have known of cases when straight men have been beaten up for looking 'gay'. It's sad but true. As for myself, i just don't like jewelry in general. Back in my senior year of high school [class of '73] i got one of my ears pierced. Then of course the talk was 'what did that mean?' If it was in your right or left ear, it could either mean you were gay or a radical. After i graduated i got the other one pierced. I think i consider myself a bit radical and gay. Over the years i have thought about taking them out and forgetting i ever had them. I just couldn't. They had become a part of me. They are like a tattoo i don't want to remove. Aside form the ear rings, i wear no other jewelry besides a simple gold band on my finger. I got a pair of them for my lover as a special anniversary gift on our 5th anniversary. Today you see ear rings and all sorts of other piercing jewelry on men and women. It's become 'fashionable' to the point that even Ed Bradley of '60 Minutes' has even substituted as CBS news anchor man on occasion [the first man ever to anchor a nation TV network news program with a pierced ear]. In some ways the extremes are still considered radical or non-conformist [look at Dennis Rodman]. I sometimes wonder if i should give them up and just remove them. They don't add much to my appearance other than draw un-needed attention to me. Because they have become fashionable and quite trendy makes me think all the more that i would like to give them up permanently. I also wear a simple Timex watch, but i don't consider that jewelry per se. I also don't wear it all the time. When i think about it, i'm not really nude when i have on the earrings, ring or watch. I could easily live without the all jewelry. This would allow me to be completely myself; stripped down to my absolute bare essence. That to me is the ideal of living. I have to wear glasses. I simply cannot see without them. NOTE: If you look at my earrings up close you will see that they are actually body piercing rings. They have a classic Celtic Torc Ring C shape [stripped down and simplified] which were worn by the Celtic chiefs around the neck. Torcs were a popular jewelry item among free-born Celts from around 800 BC until 500-600 AD. They were worn with the opening to the front. Instead of the simple barbells my earrings have on each end, many of the ancient necklaces had falcon, boar or wolves heads on each end. I think they may have been worn as armrings also, but i'm not 100% sure of that. History has shown that Men have worn earrings in many cultures. I do not think of my earrings as being female. They are bold and symbolic to me and have a Celtic look to them. I think pro athletes have broken down barriers when it comes to wearing bold earrings to some degree also. I would refer to the often used Michelangelo quote: "What spirit is so empty and blind, that it can not recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful that the garment with which it is clothed?" I just don't agree with the thinking that ankle bracelets accentuate both your feet and legs/calves any more than necklaces and bracelets do anything to enhance the beauty of the body. I think jewelry detracts from the nude body or foot. I have read literature that puts forth the proposition that nudism and barefootedness as being natural, but the jewelry isn't. Nudist even put forth the proposition that loosing one's clothing makes every economic class equal. If they are wearing jewelry with precious stones set in gold or expensive watches, they are not equal with those who can't afford such luxuries. I don't think nudity creates a level playing field in regard to class or classifications [labels]. I am 'anti-fashion' for myself, though i can appreciate fashion on others. When i am nude or even just barefoot, i don't want to detract from my natural state. This also includes artificial fragrances. I hate colognes and perfumes with a passion. Some of them give me head aches or can even make me nauseous. I believe in being clean, but don't think i need to cover myself with a fragrance. August 22, 2000 - As of this last week I have decided to seek out an alternative to wearing pants, jeans or shorts. I was born with Irish blood coursing thru my veins. I had thought of this years ago, but never pursued it. When a year ago i found out how much they actually cost i thought it was a hopeless pursuit. What i am talking about is the kilt. I have read some history on the subject and the Irish never actually had kilts, but there was a movement of Irish people way back when [somewhere around the 4th - 6th centuries], to the highlands of Scotland. At that time they were still wearing something like a long shirt or tunic for which the Irish word was léine [Lay na], and an outer mantle thrown over it which in Irish was called brat. It was these descendants that slowly used and modified the clothing they had brought with them that eventually became the present day kilt. It is suggested it was the brat or mantle that actually evolved into what we know as the kilt. Though there must be some credit given to the British too. [One source} The present day kilt was invented by an Englishman, Thomas Rawlinson, around 1727, near Inverness. Other sources hint at the fact that a form of the modern day kilt did exist to some degree already by 1727 and was adopted by Thomas Rawlinson for his workers in his factor, which made it even more popular. Anyway, i have felt for a long time that men of old did not need to wear the binding pants. They wore un*bifurcated garments like kilts, robes, caftans, sarongs, tunics, and other skirt-like garments. Western society has forced us into the *bifurcated garments like pants and shorts. It took years for women to break away from having to wear dresses and skirts. It seems quite common today that women can and do wear pants, jeans, shorts and even men's suits. So i feel i could get away from these restraints by finally getting a couple kinds of kilts and connect to my heritage at the same time. I like being a man and do not want to dress in woman's clothing, but the kilt and many modern adaptations of other un*bifurcated garments are actually male in nature and appearance. They are simpler and more comfortable than crotch binding pants. Some people call Male Unbifurcated Garments MUG's. If a man is seen in a MUG on the street, he might be perceived as gay. But, if you were to insinuate to a group of Scots that they are wearing skirts, they might take exception with your insinuation. And it might not be in a polite way. See my first two 'Sport Kilts' - they are designed for casual wear. See my first real wool kilt - beautifully made in Scotland [7+ yard] 13 oz. 100% wool - [Ancient Mac Donald, Lord of the Isles tartan] See my second real wool kilt - beautifully made in Scotland [6+ yard] 16 oz. 100% wool - [Ancient Campbell tartan] 26 Jan, 2002 Update - I have worn my kilts several times, but when it came down to it, i did not like the feel of the heavy wool on my skin. I also did not feel much of a connection to my Celtic roots. I got the impression people thought i was a Scot when in fact i came from Irish ancestry. I lived my whole life here in the USA and even when i have tried to seek my Irish root, i don’t feel Irish. I don’t related to the Irish culture. It seems almost futile to force the issue. When it comes down to it a loose pair of cotton shorts are actually much more comfortable. For that matter nothing at all is the most comfortable. What i am is a male human. For me to truly show that i am human and male would mean i should feel most comfortable wearing what i was born in. There needs to be a shift in the thinking and laws of our society. We need to decriminalize the simplicity of natural nudity. The way it is today in the USA, nudity is not acceptable for everyday wear. We as a species covered our bodies out of necessity because of harsh weather conditions. It took many, many thousands of years for it to turn into ‘fashion’. Religions then ushered in a moral code regarding ‘dress’. The culture was shaped by religions and it became traditional that humans HAD to wear clothing. Now it seems that even the idea that people shouldn’t have to wear clothing when the weather is mild is beyond the comprehension of the average ‘indoctrinated’ person. We are all influenced by our culture and the culture has been influenced by the predominant religions. The Yanomami people, of the Brazilian rain forest, wear nothing but a fine braided cord around their waist. They do don paints, jewelry and some body adornments for special ritual dance celebrations, but generally are a naked people living in peace. I did noticed when watching recent documentaries on them that contact with western civilization had caused some of them to start wearing shorts. Older documentaries i had seen years ago showed no sign of this change. It was always just culturally acceptable for them to live without clothing. Unfortunately, not only has contact with western cultures brought clothing to them, but also diseases that they have no resistance to and many have died. This is just one example of how a culture accepts nudity as the 'norm'. It was the repressive western culture that introduced clothing to them. They have had their territories invaded by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. It is greed that is destroying their environment, their culture and even killing them. Thankfully there are organizations working to save what is left of these beautiful people. People like myself are forced in to SEGREGATION from the rest of society. If we want to be natural as we came into this world, we are forced to go to nudist camps, resorts and designated, but secluded, beaches; all places where we can not be seen by the rest of society. This kind of segregation has to stop. We should not accept the status quo! We are free citizens and tax payers. We should not be labeled as ‘perverts or freaks’ because we accept our bodies and are not ashamed to live in them without hiding them. Actually our skin is a breathing organ and moderate sun light is good for us. We are HUMAN! Our whole body is the visual evidence that we are HUMAN. Our bodies show we are a part of the HUMAN RACE. It is our ‘racial’ identity. It is strange that society forces us to cover up our gender identity also. On the beach people don’t expect us to be dressed in a suit or evening gown; but they do require us to hide our gender identity. There is nothing inherently lewd or dirty about any particular part of anyone’s body. We who understand this concept that we are the HUMAN RACE, must speak out against the systematic forced segregation of the HUMAN RACE. The year 2002 is now the time to resist the system of forced segregation. Resist the multi-billion dollar conglomerates of the clothing industry, the moralistic religious and cultural indoctrination of shame. Just because it has become the tradition of what seems ‘right’ doesn’t mean it is. Life is too short to be ruled by antiquated and out dated laws which oppress the HUMAN RACE and deny our physical identity. Simple non-sexual nudity has never harmed anyone. Because of the religious and cultural indoctrination, many people might find it strange, offensive, disgusting or immoral, but that is only the perspective of those who are not ‘free’ in their own thinking. There are still those that think all black people should be sent back to Africa, that women should stay in the home, that disobedient children should be beaten soundly, or that homosexuals should all be imprisoned. I could expand on that kind of list of what some people think or believe. We as a free society find that this kind of thinking is ridiculous and barbaric. It is time to recognize the HUMAN RACE has a physical identity and that it is unfair to mandate by law that it should be always covered up. Stop Segregation now! If you agree with this or even support change, join the yahoo e-group Stop Segregation Or subscribe to the e-group here: stopsegregation-subscribe@yahoogroups.com