...I think. It's not something I think about when I'm doing it.

I don't think about it when I'm doing it, either. It's such an unconscious procedure that I had to check. Fortunately, I happened to read this post when I was wearing a calf-length dress, and about to change into a short nightshirt. I just checked, and now I know that I grab the fabric of any length skirt at about hand level and hike the skirt up from there (whether hand level is the hem, or more than a foot above it.)

Bend down, grab the hem and lift. Usually. There have been times when I've pulled the skirt down from the waist like pants. Not sure why.

When the skirt has an elastic waist, I pull it down like pants. If it is a zipper/button then I'll grab the hem and pull it up.

I wonder how the pioneers walking across the prairies (flat, no trees) managed.....

By going to the far side of the wagon.

Don't wear skirts or dresses, been contemplating a utilikilt, occasionally wear either tunics or hakama, Japanese somewhat trousers (see icon).

Tunics, lift the hem. Hakama... depends. Fluids only? Lift left leg hem. Solids? Drop the back.

I wear long skirts very seldom, so I'm not sure I remember, but I'm pretty sure I've never grabbed the hem.

It depends on the skirt, of course, but that's what I usually would do. (Then wrap all excess into a bundle in front of me that I can hold with my chin so I can have both hands to tear the toilet paper off the roll.)

How I get the skirt out of the way depends upon the skirt - the weight of the fabric, the fullness of the cut, etc. Both of the methods described in your poll have come into play in the past.

If I'm wearing my utilikilt, I'll probably remove it entirely. Especially if the toilet area in question is private or has a hook for me to hang the kilt on.

Lifting a long skirt by the hem seems...awkward. I'm not sure it would ever have occurred to me to even try that.

That said, I never wear skirts that long anymore. I have in the past. These days I prefer ones that hit just above the knee.

I pretty much only wear skirts. That said, there are slight variations - sometimes I lower from the waist, particularly if it's a time of year when I'm wearing leggings or light pants under the skirt for warmth, or if it's a very heavy or stiff fabric that I don't want bunched up around me while I sit. (My skirts are nearly all ankle length or longer. It can make for a lot of fabric.)

Back of skirt only, if the skirt is full enough to allow that that (mine usually are), and underwear is uncomplicated.

Why do you ask?

Because one of the times I went to the bathroom today, as I started gathering up my skirt (I wear skirts almost exclusively, and all my skirts are mid-calf or longer), I started wondering if I was doing it right.

I would venture to suggest that any method which leaves your clothing unsoiled is the correct method.

Need an agree button.

I clicked "Bend down", but what I actually mean is "Bend at the knees, grab the hem, lift".

I'm not sure I've ever thought about what I do, but now that I am ...

It appears to vary by the construction of the skirt -- softness/flexibility vs. stiffness of material, straightness vs. fullness in the line of skirt, mid-calf vs. ankle length, etc.

Most of my longer skirts are full, flowing skirts of slightly less than ankle length. For those, I believe I do a sort of scooping motion, bringing it up and around, so all that fabric is gathered up in front. I do have one or two dresses/skirts that are of stiffer material or cut in a more form-fitting line, and those seem to require something closer to the second option you've described.

There was no "both (a) and (b) choice, so:

Depends on

-how long the skirt/dress is
-how full the skirt is
-how icky the floor is
-how long I intend to be there

I wear knee-length skirts occasionally. When I do, I lift from the hem.

When I've worn ankle-length skirts, I've begun the lift from the natural length of my arm, then reached down with one arm to lift from the elevated bottom, then moved the other arm to do the same.

It rather does depend, but since most of the longer skirts I wear tend generally be full, grab from the back and bring forward as I lift, so I can hold the excess in front of me so it doesn't touch the surrounding objects.

pull it down like I would pants

So depends on the skirt. Straight skirts I deal with like pants - pull down from waist. Long skirts I ruche up on the sides - bad knees; I don't bend down to my toes if I can help it.