# Should City Mayors Be Allowed To Wear Shorts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049 "2020-07-22T21:32:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/21 "2020-07-23T06:07:13Z")
[https://www.thephotohouse.co.il/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small\_image/700x525/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/1/4/14227\_thumb.jpg](https://www.thephotohouse.co.il/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/700x525/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/1/4/14227_thumb.jpg) Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion doing yoga on the Tel Aviv beach, 1957. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/22 "2020-07-23T06:12:53Z")
Allowed? By whom? By statute? They should be able to wear whatever the hell they want to wear. If voters don’t like it for some reason, they will let them know. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/23 "2020-07-23T09:03:08Z")
Canada has a long tradition of mayors with minds of their own. Check out Charlotte Whitton of Ottawa and Dorothy Wyatt of St. John’s. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/24 "2020-07-23T09:05:44Z")
If the question is literally whether mayors should have their clothing dictated by law, I think the answer is no. At least not beyond the normal public decency law (if it exists). ~Max ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/25 "2020-07-23T09:28:25Z")
A lot of businesses have a dress code by which employees should abide, so perhaps this falls into the mayoral dress code 🙂 If it is a press conference then I think he should wear something that falls into at least “smart casual” so long trousers would be appropriate but a short-sleeved shirt without a tie would be perfectly acceptable. Did anyone ask the mayor what he thought about it? Maybe he’s wearing a suit because that is what is comfortable for him in that situation. What he wears on his own time, when he’s not working, that’s his business and I really don’t give a toss. Our PM (BoJo the Clown) could wear black tie for his press conferences and it wouldn’t make a job of difference to how I feel about him. He will always be a bumbling buffoon, just a slightly smarter-dressed one. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/26 "2020-07-23T20:26:47Z")
Since you are a former British colony, how about khaki shorts, a safari shirt, and a pith helmet? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/27 "2020-07-23T20:58:07Z")
Only very recently have we had that kind of weather. But I agree that could be a good look. The sort of guys who want to be mayor tend to be suits. We never get former wrestlers or comedians, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/28 "2020-07-23T21:02:36Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Members of the Israeli Knesset have been wearing open-collar short-sleeved shirts to official sessions since 1949 . That seems entirely reasonable. No need to wear shorts. Shorts are not noticeably cooler than lightweight pants and a short sleeved shirt, but wearing shorts is _much_ less formal. (Obviously, I’m not talking legal requirements, just what people should be comfortable with) (and, please, no kilts) ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/29 "2020-07-23T22:36:28Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > In my humble opinion, I would be slightly more ashamed of an incompetent mayor that projects an unprofessional image than an incompetent mayor who still projects a professional image. Why? . ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/30 "2020-07-24T00:55:17Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Since you are a former British colony, how about khaki shorts, a safari shirt, and a pith helmet? Do Canadian mayors have ceremonial regalia? ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/31 "2020-07-24T13:22:04Z")
We had at least one TV newscaster that often/always wore shorts. He was standing behind a podium the whole time, so the viewer only saw him from the chest and up. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/32 "2020-07-25T01:19:56Z")
In the latter case, I can say “at least he/she dresses like a mayor”. And in the former case, others can say “he/she doesn’t dress the part”, and I would be ashamed by association. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/33 "2020-07-25T07:24:48Z")
Formal shorts. On the one hand, they’re ridiculous looking. On the other, you can wear shorts and still call it “business attire.” According to google, they make these for men, too. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/34 "2020-07-25T09:14:06Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The paper implied it would be impossible for the mayor to wear shorts on his own time during the weekend if going out in public. That seemed a bit much to me. If short pants are good enough for [the Prime Minister (and the President of Mexico)](https://www.gq.com/story/justin-trudeau-and-enrique-pena-nieto-go-for-a-jog) or [the President of the United States](https://mashable.com/article/presidential-shorty-shorts/) under similar circumstances, I would think that the mayor of a major Canadian city could certainly wear shorts on his (or her) own time, even if they’re being seen in public. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/35 "2020-07-25T13:37:37Z")
You’d think so. But Canada’s biggest city is known for navel gazing and an odd obsession with being perceived as “world class”. It’s a pretty good place but tends to place too much importance on tchotchkes. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/36 "2020-07-25T15:14:32Z")
Here’s a suggestion: [![](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/fgbw6y/chicago-illinois-usa-17th-feb-2016-guitarist-angus-young-of-acdc-performs-fgbw6y.jpg) ](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/fgbw6y/chicago-illinois-usa-17th-feb-2016-guitarist-angus-young-of-acdc-performs-fgbw6y.jpg) Can your mayor play guitar? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/37 "2020-07-25T15:52:34Z")
A mayor is of sufficient standing, at least in his own community, that he can set the standard for what is and is not appropriate professional attire. It used to be completely unacceptable for a man’s business attire to not include a necktie. Then some Silicon Valley types said “No, I’m not going to wear one”. And because they were sufficiently influential, there are now forms of business attire that don’t include ties. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/38 "2020-07-26T02:14:04Z")
He should probably avoid a thong. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/39 "2020-07-26T02:44:23Z")
The thong and tie look is very confusing, but you did say “business casual”. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049/40 "2020-07-26T03:01:52Z")
How about just a longer tie? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-city-mayors-be-allowed-to-wear-shorts/916049.md?page=3)