I caught that it was a silly joke and got a little kick out of it. I’m not sure why other people reacted the way they did. Maybe they thought you were mocking or making fun? I dunno.

My eyes and I are very upset with you for causing me to see such horror

Wear a long enough dress and you’ll be fine. You could also wear a skort (which is a skirt/dress with shorts built in underneath, but from the outside it just looks like a regular skirt/dress) or just wear shorts or leggings underneath. You’ve got lots of options!