Why Male Swedish Train Drivers Are Wearing Skirts

A small cadre of train drivers in Sweden is protesting the job's strict policy against shorts in the summertime by wearing skirts. The BBC is reporting that the workers were informed of a new dress code banning shorts when employer Arriva took over the Roslagsbanan line back in January, but sweltering heat has inspired about a dozen enterprising male drivers to employ the creative workaround. A company spokesman says that the men wearing skirts is permitted, as to ban them would be considered discrimination. Progressive.

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While the wearing of skirts by men isn't exactly Esquire-approved, comfort and industriousness are, so we applaud these Swedes for sticking it to the man in such a fashion. Plus, there's been an uptick in skirt-wearing men of late, with Kanye West leading the charge. Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci often shows skirts at his seasonal shows (with some even selling out online). And that's not to mention Marc Jacbos's predilection for kilts. Are man-skirts reaching a tipping point? Probably not. But maybe. The Swedish are known for their forward-thinking sense of style, after all. Only time will tell if this is a trend that has, well, legs.

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