Attached Link: http://start.earthlink.net/newsarticle?cat=3&aid=D7UJGNEO0_story

"NEW YORK - This is an era of gender equality. In some households, it's the women who wear the pants. Why, then, aren't more men showing off their gams in skirts? The problem is that in recent history there has been a feminine connotation linked to the skirt, even though men had worn them for centuries, according to Andrew Bolton, associate curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Men feel if they wear it (a skirt), their masculinity will be called into question. But if you've even seen a man in a skirt, the first thing you think of is male genitalia," he said. Roman gladiators, for example, proudly displayed their legs for all to see in short, skirted suits of armor as a sign of their virility. Bolton organized the newest exhibit at the Costume Institute, "Bravehearts: Men in Skirts," which opens Tuesday and runs through Feb. 8, 2004. French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who has been known to send a men's skirt or two down the runway, is the sponsor." ********************** The exhibit is going to feature papal robes, sarongs, grass skirts, kilts, caftans, Greek and Hungarian traditional clothing... as well as some of the modern protest stuff. It ought to be eye-opening as well as educational! Carolly