Why the enforced parading of Frenchmen’s bulges? “Hygiene,” says Emmanuel Dormois, a head pool attendant in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. "Small, tight trunks can only be used for swimming. Bermudas or bigger swimming shorts can be worn elsewhere all day, so could bring in sand, dust or other matter, disturbing the water quality.
More here: Why Speedos are still huge in France | Men's swimwear | The Guardian
That title, “Why Speedos are still huge …” can be misconstrued….
But I suspect their Speedos are the same size as American ones!
See also post #28.
Another reason for banning the baggy trunks at pools is that they hold on to a lot more detergent and/or fabric softener, which clouds up the water and clogs filters sooner. This is especially so if they’re “everyday” shorts that are likely laundered with normal clothes. The chlorine in the water can also release dyes from the clothes that further mucks up the water.
And yeah, kids these days are wearing short shorts. Not like Richard Simmons or early 1980s basketball shorts with the slit up the side, but mid-thigh shorts that are actually getting some boys in trouble with their school dress codes that were drafted with girls’ skirts in mind.
Have you noticed that the amount of leg shown hasn’t changed? When Dr. J & Magic wore those short shorts, they wore over-the-calf socks, then the knee-length shorts were paired with ankle socks. It seems that as shorts have gotten a bit shorter, the socks have gotten longer again. While the part of the leg shown, more thigh vs. more calf, has gone up & down the # of inches of leg shown has remained the same. 
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I had a pair of Speedo board shorts, said “Speedo” (turned sideways in about 1-2" high letters) all the way down the leg. It was fun when we’d go swimming to say, “Let me change into my Speedos & I’ll be out in a sec.” & watch the squicked-out looks as I walked into the bathroom/locker room only to come out in board shorts instead of a banana hammock.
Yes indeed, I was just mentioning that to some coworkers at lunch today when talking about the 1990s and baggy shorts.
I still have a pair, and I tried something like that once too. It was more along the lines of “how do I look in my Speedos?” and they totally didn’t get it. They said something like “those aren’t speedos” (lower case S, referring to any brand swim brief). Sigh.
My shorts are all knee length and it’s practically all I wear all summer. At least around here, men didn’t wear shorts very much for casual wear other than for athletic use or going to the beach. That’s more of a trend in the last 35ish years or so.
My sons, son in law, and near adult grandsons wear their shorts perhaps a tiny bit shorter than mine but then I think a 70 year old man (like me) in shorts that are too short look a little silly.
Some new shorts came the other day. Checking my Amazon orders, the Carhartt shorts I bought three years ago have a 10-inch inseam. They come down to about the middle of my knees. I two other pair of Carhartt shorts. The blue ones, I bought from Amazon in 2018, is no longer available, and the page doesn’t state the inseam. Since these shorts are shorter than the newer ones, I assume the inseam is seven inches. They stop just above my knees. The other (khaki) pair of the same vintage, which I bought at a local Fred Meyer before I got the blue ones. They are the same length.
So anyway, I bought some khaki shorts with a 5.5-inch inseam. They end a couple of inches above my knees. They’re short and comfortable, but not Tom Sellick short! (That would look weird. I don’t have the thighs for that.) Odd thing about the sizing: The tag says 38, which is what I ordered. But the waist is elastic. I mean, what’s the point? If it’s a fixed waist, state the size in inches. If it’s an elastic waist, then size it as S, M, L, XL.
I think that makes them “longs” not “shorts”
YT commemorating UDT (navy seal) shorts
Best comment “The Daisy Dukes of Freedom”
And those Daisy Dukes will happily beat you to a pulp, rip out your heart, and eat it while it’s still beating.
Short shorts FTW.
I don’t find those Chris Pine shorts to be unusually short. I do find it a bit odd when people appear to be freezing cold from the waist up but uncomfortably warm from the waist down (not uncommon to see in Canada during shoulder seasons).
I wear shorts with sweatshirts quite often, as my legs don’t get cold.
Also, what is shoulder season?
A generic term for spring and fall, where the temps are between the extremes of summer and winter.
I don’t wear shorts that won’t cover my boxers. Not that I don’t have the legs for short shorts, mind you.
Just go commando and you won’t have that problem with boxers hanging out of your short shorts. 
I’m getting horrible flashbacks to the late 70’s, when it was not uncommon for guys to go commando in short cut-off jeans. I learned to be really careful about where my eyeline would be when sitting around with them. Ugh.
I saw some things. 
Wouldn’t be boxers hanging out, that’s for sure.