# Men - what is your problem when it comes to shorts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113 "2009-09-30T16:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/61 "2009-10-01T13:27:31Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I’ve been with my wife almost 20 years, and never once given a crap what she wears, nor would I presume to try to tell her. I also can’t see why I SHOULD care. It’s completely inconsequential and unimportant. We have real concerns to worry about, like kids and a mortgage. we don’t have time to care about clothes. Yep, what he said. If I were in your SO’s shoes (running variety) I would run from someone who had the time/energy/desire to harangue me over my wardrobe. But that’s just me. I love my gf. She may ask me if I need help finding suitable attire, but if I say “no thanks” that is cool with her. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/62 "2009-10-01T13:36:37Z")
So, you know, we can’t _talk_ about what the hell happened to men’s shorts because it might hurt the precious feelings of somebody’s delicate knees? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/63 "2009-10-01T14:05:53Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I want my wife to wear really short skirts. Short skirts are hot, but she won’t wear anything above the knee. How can I get her to wear normal sized skirts? Finally something we agree on. I want your wife to wear really short skirts too…uh, I mean I want my wife to wear short skirts. But this: > [@DtC](#): > > Anything above the knee makes you gay. This is guy logic. Don’t try to reason with it. I’ll assume this is hyperbole (sometimes hard to tell with you). > [@Procrustus](#): > > for us old guys (over 40) everything the “kids” wear now is ridiculous. If they hit the knee or lower, they’re not shorts, they’re just stupid. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/64 "2009-10-01T14:25:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > So, you know, we can’t _talk_ about what the hell happened to men’s shorts because it might hurt the precious feelings of somebody’s delicate knees? IMHO, there are far more consequential topics for conversation. Again, that is just me. For me, “harangue” is an issue. Maybe I need to work on it, thankfully in my current relationship I have no need. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/65 "2009-10-01T14:57:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > IMHO, there are far more consequential topics for conversation. Again, that is just me. For me, “harangue” is an issue. Maybe I need to work on it, thankfully in my current relationship I have no need. There are so many important things to talk about that there’s no time for something as insignificant as shorts? Being in a relationship with you sounds unremittingly dour. [QUOTE=A kayaker relationship in my imagination] “So I heard about a new restaurant that has a live jazz band playing on Friday evenings. Maybe we should…” “DARFUR!!!” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/66 "2009-10-01T15:00:22Z")
Yeah, being in a relationship with someone who tries to control what kind of shorts you wear would be so much more rewarding. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/67 "2009-10-01T15:07:56Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > BB shorts are way longer now too. > > 1969: [http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si\_online/covers/images/1969/1208\_large.jpg](http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/1969/1208_large.jpg) > > Now: [http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/sierra/files/2009/02/kobe\_bryant\_\_lebron\_james08.jpg](http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/sierra/files/2009/02/kobe_bryant__lebron_james08.jpg) That reminds me: WTF is with baseball uniforms? I don’t what TV much, but I was in a sports bar. Baseball uniforms used to have rather [form-fitting pants](http://www.rollingweb.com/habla/mcgwire7.jpg) that kind of tapered down to the ankle. It looked like the guys were running around in women’s yoga pants. When the hell did that happen? Anyway, the shorts I jog in are just a bit above my knee. Probably no shorter than a [soccer player’s](http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/03/british_soccer_player_david_beckham_in_action_duri_8484138049.jpg) shorts at the very shortest. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/68 "2009-10-01T15:12:52Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yeah, being in a relationship with someone who tries to control what kind of shorts you wear would be so much more rewarding. exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/69 "2009-10-01T15:15:13Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Dude, I was paying for the ugly-ass shorts. And I certainly do have a right to bitch about the ugly-ass shorts my man wears - that’s what we do here, right? And loose baggy shorts just don’t seem like they _work_ for running - they have a liner, yeah, but I’d think all that fabric is going to crawl up and wrap around his leg and do all sorts of undignified things. They don’t crawl up and wrap around anything, assuming they’re synthetic fiber. They just hang. Unless he’s running an ultramarathon with you he’s not going to have chafing problems. Let him wear long shorts. If they’re good enough for Michael Jordan… ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/70 "2009-10-01T15:15:55Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > There are so many important things to talk about that there’s no time for something as insignificant as shorts? Being in a relationship with you sounds unremittingly dour. > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by A kayaker relationship in my imagination > > “So I heard about a new restaurant that has a live jazz band playing on Friday evenings. Maybe we should…” > > > > “DARFUR!!!” No, no, **F.D.** You forgot that amidst all their very serious concerns, **DtC** and **kayaker** can include hectoring **Zsofia** for posting about her exasperation with her partner’s choice of shorts. And not just once, but rather six times. Because they really hate it when other people tell you how to live your life. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/71 "2009-10-01T15:22:39Z")
Exactly **Kimmy** , because suggesting someone try something new and different equals, as we all know, haranguing and trying to control what someone wears. There’s a whole lotta projectin’ goin’ on here. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/72 "2009-10-01T15:31:48Z")
If it was a man trying to control what his wife wore, I don’t think he’d be finding a lot of defenders. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/73 "2009-10-01T15:38:22Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If it was a man trying to control what his wife wore, I don’t think he’d be finding a lot of defenders. She’s just asking why men are afraid of their knees. She tried to convince him they’d be better for running and he reacted strangely so she came to ask why men act that way. It’d be like a man asking why women have such a hard time finding jeans that fit when men can do it so easily. There wasn`t any plea to help her control her man in the post that I noticed. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/74 "2009-10-01T15:38:51Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > There’s a whole lotta projectin’ goin’ on here. Maybe. Just trying to add my pov. I (and, I think, many of my cohorts) would walk/run from a woman who tried to control my taste in clothing. But I’ll leave the thread if that (honest) opinion is a hijack. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/75 "2009-10-01T15:39:43Z")
Going back to your earlier point, **DtC** , I often suggest that my wife wear skirts, and when she is wearing a skirt, shorter skirts, when she asks my opinion. I also suggest that she be a little more daring in her choices. However, I don’t control what she wears, and she’ll do what she wants regardless of my opinion. But because of all the projecting, if I started a thread _Women, what is your problem when it comes to skirts?_, everyone would jump on the ‘controlling’ bandwagon. Youz guyz watch too many sitcoms. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/76 "2009-10-01T15:44:05Z")
I just don’t consider my wife’s wardrobe choices any of my business. I think it’s a stupid thing to care about. The “normal sized shorts” refrain kind of annoyed me too . That carries a built in implication that only her preference is “normal.” It would be like I said that only mini-skirts are "normal sized’ skirts. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/77 "2009-10-01T15:49:32Z")
A future we can all hope for. Well, men, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/78 "2009-10-01T15:55:45Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I just don’t consider my wife’s wardrobe choices any of my business. Your wife never asks your opinion, nor vice versa? Heck, everytime we go out anyplace where she has to dress other than jeans, I get a parade of 2-4 outfits to opine on. Sometimes, I’ll try to get her to switch to a skirt (unsuccessfully 98% of the time); most of the time I’ll suggest for her to wear whatever she likes best (at which point she’ll ask my mother-in-law and daughter). ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/79 "2009-10-01T16:01:27Z")
This isn’t about wearing shorts in general, it’s about wearing appropriate clothing for a specific activity. The OP doesn’t expect him to wear running shorts all day long. I can’t speak about running gear, but I do ride and occasionally race bicycles. Having the right clothing really makes it more enjoyable. As an example, I find the Pearl Izumi clothing is fairly expensive (but Assos and Castelli make PI stuff look cheap). Yet every single Pearl Izumi thing I own just works perfectly for cycling. Of course, many casual cyclists never get serious enough to invest in decent clothing so they don’t know what they are missing. The OP’s boyfriend is a casual runner. Maybe she needs to get him decent gear that he will wear, like some runnning tights. If he becomes more serious about running, he’ll probably see the value of running shorts over non-running shorts. Get him serious about running, the shorts will follow. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113/80 "2009-10-01T16:05:23Z")
No, she never asks my opinion. She might ask if she has any lint on her, or if something fits, but she has no interest in my wardrobe opinions…not that I really even _have_ any opinions. To be honest, I don’t even notice what she’s wearing most of the time. Hell…put a hand over my eyes and ask my what _I’m_ wearing, and there’s a good chance I won’t know. Maybe I’m just unusually indifferent to clothing issues, but it’s a subject that honestly just doesn’t come up with us. As for going out…we haven’t gone out by ourselves in ten years. Too many kids. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-what-is-your-problem-when-it-comes-to-shorts/512113.md?page=5)