Scottish Barmen Ditch Kilt For Trousers To Avoid Sexual Harassment By Female Customers

It is not only females in short skirts who are victims of sexual harassment. Men in kilts also have the same problem.

The Telegraph reports that male Scottish employees at the Hootanny pub in Inverness ditched the tartan skirt in favour of trousers after a number of them experienced having their kilts raised by female customers while carrying trays of drinks or food. The reason behind the kilt-peeping is to check if they have any underwear which is what Scottish tradition dictates.

Prince Charles, the future king of Britain, follows the Scottish tradition and suffered embarrassing moments in 2008 while attending the Mey Highland Games. The wind was too strong and the heir to the throne had to hold his kilt to prevent exposure of the royal “family jewels.” Proof of that is a photo published by The Telegraph on Aug 9, 2008, showing the Duchess of Cornwall bursting in laughter at the situation, while the Duke of Wales was red faced and holding his kilt with his left hand.

Iain Howie, assistant manager of the Scottish pub, said that most incidents of kilt-lifting happened on weekends which are busy days for the bar. Usually, large groups of female customers circle a barman who is collecting glasses. They ask the employee if he is a true Scotsman and do not wait for the reply by finding out for themselves the answer.

“The first few times, it is funny. But when it is really busy and everyone has to work fast and hard, and your hands are full of glasses, you feel quite vulnerable,” Howie explains. Kit Fraser, the pub owner, said that while the situation is funny, it is serious too.

Fraser points out that if the situation was reversed and he went to a restaurant and sticks his hand up a woman’s skirt, he would be in trouble with the law. Ramsay McGhee of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association said that the decision of the barmen to wear trousers is a “pragmatic and common-sense solution to an irritating problem,” although he acknowledges that wearing the kilt in Hootanny adds to the pub’s character and atmosphere.

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