# Tucking in T-shirts **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266 "2012-11-27T14:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/41 "2012-11-28T03:43:34Z")
I’m old enough to remember when everyone tucked their t-shirt in. Then, it became uncool. I saw more tees tucked in in Europe than over here last summer. Maybe it is coming back. I hope not; I’ll look like a stuffed sausage. Amanset, I agree on the tucking in when it is cold out. I actually wear a tank under my long-sleeve tees that I tuck in instead. That blast of cold air can be quite a wake-up call. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/42 "2012-11-28T04:10:47Z")
Definitely an outie regarding T-shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/43 "2012-11-28T04:11:42Z")
I generally tuck them in. It keeps them from rucking up or getting caught on stuff if I have to dive through underbrush or something. (This scenario comes up more often in my life than you might reasonably expect.) I wear t-shirts to be comfortable, and that’s how I’m comfortable wearing them. Having established my t-shirtitude by walking around on the polar ice cap in my chosen style, I say fashion can damn well follow me, if it cares so much. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/44 "2012-11-28T04:35:49Z")
Yes they look stupid but the tucks that really look horrendous are the guys who tuck shirts into pants with no belt. I don’t know how or why they would tuck a shirt into jeans and not wear a belt. If the pants don’t have belt loops and you are male they are not appropriate for you to tuck your shirt into. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/45 "2012-11-28T04:48:44Z")
For me, the difference between a tucked-in T-shirt and an untucked one may well be the difference between my pants being loose enough at the waist that they fall down, and being tight enough at the waist that they don’t fall down. This is also equally true of any other shirt. Also, if the weather is anything other than toasty warm, an untucked shirt (of any type) may flap in the breeze, allowing cold air under, and that can get just chilly, as someone else above has already commented. ETA: As for any fashion statement that may be thus entailed: It helps if you really really don’t give a f\*ing rat’s ass what anybody else thinks. Try it sometime, you’ll find it profoundly liberating! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/46 "2012-11-28T04:58:32Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > He says tucked in looks geeky, I said it looked neater. I was dating a woman that was a bit older than me for a few years back around 2001 - one of the most awkward things that annoyed me was that she would always complain if I wore a t-shirt untucked. “It looks so\* sloppy!\*” Me: “Look around, and tell me how many tucked-in t-shirts you see.” “Well, they’re all slobs.” (This in high summer in a high-rent district. Fttt.) ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/47 "2012-11-28T05:35:11Z")
Untucked. If you’re in a situation where having an untucked T-shirt is considered “too casual,” then the situation calls for attire that is less casual than a T-shirt. If you need to tuck in your T-shirt to keep your pants from falling down, you need to invest in some new pants. Or a new belt. Or wear an undershirt beneath the T and tuck that in. Tucking in a T-shirt is like wearing wingtips with a pair of cargo shorts. It’s a mixture of casual and formal that just doesn’t go together. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I thought maybe I’d be clever and suggest we look at how Mitt Romney wears a t-shirt and then do the opposite, but there seems to only be one photo in the world of Mitt in a t-shirt and it’s from last week and he’s [un-tucked](http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1207313.1353763989!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/alg-mitt-romney.jpg). So now I don’t know what to believe. Was that pic taken in his house? My God, you’d think with all that money they’d be able to afford a kitchen with some decent cabinetry. Seriously, that reminds me of the shared kitchen in my freshman dorm. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/48 "2012-11-28T05:38:00Z")
Well, MrTao is likely bigger than anyone here, and he tucks his professional shirts in, and it looks good. T-shirts are untucked, though. Despite the fact that I can see this 400-pound man non-the-less looking professional every day with his shirts tucked in, I cannot bring myself to accentuate my waist in ANY way, and I’m only about 20 pounds overweight. Hell, today was the first time in, literally, DECADES, that I wore a belt. It came with the skirt and I am lacking in options for interview-wear at the moment, due to most of my clothing being in another state. Luckily, the fancy cardigan I got to go with it covers the waist except at the front, so it looked good. But yeah, even though I _know_ that tucking in looks better than tucking out if you’re trying to hide weight, I still can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/49 "2012-11-28T05:49:17Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > If you insist on tucking in a tshirt and belting up, choose a casual belt. (Canvas, webbing, distressed leather) I can’t post the picture of my nephew, but I’m looking at a professionally employed overweight 24 year old man sporting a faded red Angry Birds tee tucked into pleated khakis cinched with a shiny alligator belt with a dressy brass buckle. And Vans. It’s not a flattering ensemble. “What was he wearing? Well, uh, let’s see, he was wearing a red argyle sweater, and tan trousers, and red shoes… Hmm?[No, he’s not retarded.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-g7fhNlGdY)” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/50 "2012-11-28T06:22:34Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Well, back in the 90’s when I was slim and fit; I tucked them in. That way I could show off my awesome ass to the ladies. (My best feature back in those days. so I’ve been told.) > [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > I was dating a woman that was a bit older than me for a few years back around 2001 - one of the most awkward things that annoyed me was that she would always complain if I wore a t-shirt untucked. “It looks so\* sloppy!\*” > > Me: “Look around, and tell me how many tucked-in t-shirts you see.” “Well, they’re all slobs.” (This in high summer in a high-rent district. Fttt.) [quote=kayaker] I haven’t tucked a shirt (any shirt) into my pants in over a decade. QUOTE] In the 90s that was a style - tucking you big oversized t-shirt into your baggy jeans with the leather web belt. It’s also now a style that looks very dated. Modern t-shirts are cut slimmer and more tapered. And they are generally short enough to not flow around you. So tucking them in does look sort of silly. If you are excessively overweight, you really aren’t going to look “good”. And the more you try to hide a massive gut, the more you bring attention to it. > [@Senegoid](#): > > ETA: As for any fashion statement that may be thus entailed: It helps if you really really don’t give a f\*ing rat’s ass what anybody else thinks. Try it sometime, you’ll find it profoundly liberating! It takes a lot of time and effort to pull off the “I don’t give a fucking rats ass what anybody else thinks” look. Otherwise you just look like a dork who can’t dress himself. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/51 "2012-11-28T08:59:08Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > If you don’t have love handles, why untuck like all the guys who are trying to hide theirs? Why do you assume that? I routinely leave mine untucked but also routinely wear something over it so at the very most someone can see a little bit of colour peeking out under my shirt. Right now I am wearing an untucked (white) T-Shirt under an untucked (green stripes on white) short sleeved shirt under a (green) v-neck pullover. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/52 "2012-11-28T13:37:50Z")
I tuck in collarless T-shirts that are too big and/or too long. I don’t like wearing shirts that ripple and billow around me in the wind. “One size fits all” or “everybody gets a free XL” shirts typically fall into this category, which is a fair proportion of my t-shirts (freebie swag). If I can select trimmer cut or more fitted t-shirts that don’t cover up my pockets, I wear them untucked. Any collared shirt, even a polo t-shirt, gets tucked into full length pants, including khakis. With jeans I’d say it’s about 50/50, it depends on the shirt. A “trim fit” polo t-shirt that drops to a few inches past my hips I will wear untucked with jeans or shorts. That’s assuming the collared shirt is also buttoned closed. I used to wear untucked, unbuttoned dress shirts over an untucked t-shirt and full length jeans in high school. That was in the 1980s, and I’m not in HS any more. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/53 "2012-11-28T13:46:53Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Why do you assume that? I routinely leave mine untucked but also routinely wear something over it so at the very most someone can see a little bit of colour \*\*peeking out under \*\*my shirt. Right now I am wearing an untucked (white) T-Shirt under an untucked (green stripes on white) short sleeved shirt under a (green) v-neck pullover. Wearing layers that stick out _under_ a pullover sweater or another upper layer (rather than on the top, through the collar, neck or sleeve) is something I’ve never liked the look of. It looks sloppy to me. It bothered me even when I did it myself back in HS, by wearing a waist-length denim jacket over aforesaid untucked and unbuttoned dress shirt (which did go well past my waist) over an untucked t-shirt (which would go to around my pockets). I preferred colder weather so I could wear an even longer outer layer in the form of a 3/4 or full length wool overcoat. After all, if the “peeking” effect of layered clothing is meant to catch attention, don’t you want to draw it up toward your head and shoulders, rather than have it be around your waist and butt? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/54 "2012-11-28T13:56:45Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Wearing layers that stick out _under_ a pullover sweater or another upper layer (rather than on the top, through the collar, neck or sleeve) is something I’ve never liked the look of. It looks sloppy to me. It bothered me even when I did it myself back in HS, by wearing a waist-length denim jacket over aforesaid untucked and unbuttoned dress shirt (which did go well past my waist) over an untucked t-shirt (which would go to around my pockets). I preferred colder weather so I could wear an even longer outer layer in the form of a 3/4 or full length wool overcoat. > > After all, if the “peeking” effect of layered clothing is meant to catch attention, don’t you want to draw it up toward your head and shoulders, rather than have it be around your waist and butt? Why thank you for your completely unrequested critique of my clothing style and apparent sloppiness. For what it’s worth, who says I am trying to draw attention to it? Am I trying to draw attention to my black socks if they have a tiny bit of colour around the end? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/55 "2012-11-28T14:23:11Z")
For those of us who have a belly, tucking the t-shirt in accentuates the belly. It’s almost like being naked. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/56 "2012-11-28T15:30:48Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > That’s assuming the collared shirt is also buttoned closed. I used to wear untucked, unbuttoned dress shirts over an untucked t-shirt and full length jeans in high school. That was in the 1980s, and I’m not in HS any more. 🙂 Men need an alternative to the “going out shirt”. Usually a vertical striped or garish patterned collared long sleeve shirt mean in their 20s and 30s wear untucked to go bar-hopping in. Especially if they are wearing an actual dress shirt with long shirt tails that were never designed to be worn untucked. Then they just look like a drunken businessman or a college intern who can’t make the transition to cool adult dress. > [@robardin](#): > > Wearing layers that stick out under a pullover sweater or another upper layer (rather than on the top, through the collar, neck or sleeve) is something I’ve never liked the look of. It looks sloppy to me. I think it’s fine as part of a casual look. Like if you are wearing layers of plaid LL Bean and North Face clothing and are going shoveling snow or something. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/57 "2012-12-02T01:21:43Z")
Wearing a t-shirt by itself is a declaration that you are dressing casually. Tucking in your shirt is a declaration that you dressing less casually. It looks really weird when you do both, like wearing socks with sandals. There are a few exceptions–baseball uniforms are tucked in, although they consist of a t-shirt. And occasionally you’ll see places that give out t-shirts as uniforms, and thus they get tucked into the khaki pants you’re also required to wear. But, for general use, it’s really weird. And, I know that, even when it was required, most of us would just barely tuck in our shirt so that you would have a folded up tail showing. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/58 "2012-12-02T01:28:40Z")
A proper baseball uniform jersey isn’t a T-shirt. It has buttons down the front. (And those pullover jerseys from the 1970s are not true Scotsmen.) ---
**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:** [December 2, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/59 "2012-12-02T01:36:33Z")
How about Aloha shirts? When we lived in Hawaii, tucked or untucked was a big debate for those. As with T-shirts though, you can really only pull it off if you’re not carrying a gut. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266/60 "2012-12-02T02:24:26Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Ugh, untucked please. Your dad tucks his t-shirts in. Into his dad jeans. With his dad sneakers. What are dad sneakers? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tucking-in-t-shirts/642266.md?page=4)