Why am I such a skirt-chaser?

The older I get, I seem to miss, even more than before, cultural practices that have practically become discontinued.  When I am in India, I miss seeing half-saris.  To quite an extent, I agree with Shashi Tharoor for his comments on women in India increasingly shunning the traditional sari in favor of other attires:

I have begun to notice fewer and fewer saris in our public places, and practically none in the workplace. The salwar kameez, the trouser and even the Western dress-suit have begun to supplant it everywhere.

Of course, it is crazy for me or Tharoor to wax nostalgia like this when we are so far removed from the traditional Indian outfits for men.  It is bizarre, as I noted in my Ecuador experiences, that we men quickly adopt clothes that are not traditional, while simultaneously missing a great deal of the tradition when women, too, quit wearing traditional clothes.  

Here in the US, as summer heat has picked up even in the Pacific Northwest, I miss the sight of women wearing summery skirts.  Young women and girls prefer to walk around in shorts, while the older ones seem to vote for full-length trousers and jeans, or capris.  Of course, capris always remind me of this wonderfully talented beauty!

I wonder why American females have abandoned skirts!

Earlier today, in the local mall, I saw a young woman in a summery pastel full-length dress skirt, arm in arm with, I suppose, her boyfriend, and they made a lovely couple.  

Women in skirts weren't rare in France or Italy or Germany.  I was in those countries in the summer months, and there were skirt-clad women of all ages.  Come to think of it, I would venture that more American girls walk around in shorty-shorts than did girls of comparable ages in those countries, when we would expect less display of naked legs in the supposedly puritanical society that the US is.

The travel guru, Rick Steves, suggests to women travelers:

Some women bring one or two skirts because they're as cool and breathable as shorts, but dressier. And skirts make life easier than pants when you're faced with a squat toilet! A lightweight skirt made with a blended fabric will pack compactly. Make sure it has a comfy waistband or drawstring. Tilley (listed above) makes expensive but great skirts (and other items) from blended fabric that feels like cotton. Skirts go with everything, and can easily be dressed up or down.

I wonder if the functionality of easily dressing up is why European women prefer skirts?  After all, my own experience is that most of us Americans--men and women--don't care enough to dress up, whether we are in the US or outside the country!

Too bad I am not a cross-dresser to keep alive the tradition of wearing skirts :)