# What part of the "short" in shorts mystifies them? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 25, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313 "2003-05-25T00:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/21 "2003-05-25T13:35:51Z")
People of either gender can still obtain shorts the old-fashioned way: make cutoffs from your old jeans! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/22 "2003-05-25T14:22:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lel \* > **That highlights what I see as the problem here. Women are forced into buying stuff which cover practically nothing, highlighting their status as sex objects, while men can’t find shorts that don’t go past their knees.** I think we’ve stumbled onto the answer, here, **Otto** : shop in the women’s department! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/23 "2003-05-25T17:22:56Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m sure you could find the shorts you’re looking for in any major department store (J.C. Penney’s, Marks and Spencer, Sears, Rich’s…) I concur. I prefer longer shorts myself, but I’m pretty sure I’ve come accross some less-long ones at places like these. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/24 "2003-05-25T19:52:42Z")
Sporting good store should have shorts of all lengths, from Daisy Duke to thug. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/25 "2003-05-26T00:44:33Z")
I like longer shorts, too. I won’t let just anybody see my knees. ---
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/26 "2003-05-26T16:15:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\* I was really kind of looking forward to it, since over the last 18 months I’ve lost over 100 pounds and think that I might actually look good in shorts now. \*\* Congratulations on losing all that weight, Otto. You deserve to treat yourself to some nice new clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/27 "2003-05-26T16:46:49Z")
Thanks for the link to the Aussie rowing shorts, **Otto**. My, my, my. Those were some good-looking…shorts. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/28 "2003-05-26T17:00:35Z")
I work in a warehouse part of the day in Houston (no airconditioning!) and I started making the rounds a month or so ago to get a few pairs of shorts for the summer. I have the same problem as the other girls in this thread, no shorts that show less than the bottom of my butt cheeks hanging out. Our customers are almost exclusively male, and I just don’t need that kind of attention, I get enough wearing pants. ~J ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/29 "2003-05-26T18:08:33Z")
**Otto** –if yer not too proud and don’t mind…have you cruised your local thriftshops? I found a pair of Gap khaki shorts at ours one day whilst making a donation (ours is a Christian charity…we were donating our old kitchenette set–table and 4 chairs)for just a buck! And if I’d had more than 3 bucks on me,I woulda bought more…there were LOTS of shorts (and I don’t mean long shorts…I mean SHORTS…these hit me right above the knee by about an inch).🙂 Just a suggestion. IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/30 "2003-05-26T18:47:25Z")
I’ll second the thrift store idea. I picked up a couple pairs of shorts and there were a TON more in my size, and I can never find my “Pants For The Larger-Assed Man” on the rack. All kinds of really nice stuff for one to three bucks. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/31 "2004-06-11T21:15:16Z")
**[RAtM]** Now testify Testify It’s right outside your door. Now testify Testify It’s now in [MPSIMS too](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=260846) **[/RAtM]** ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/32 "2004-06-11T21:18:13Z")
The one in MPSIMS smells a little fresher, though. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/33 "2004-06-12T22:41:40Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > Kids these days… still, I will maintain that the horrible microscopic jogging shorts of the 70’s were even more soul-destroyingly awful. I disagree. I think as long as you’re covered, and you haven’t got your butt cheeks hanging out it should be OK…but it isn’t, I realize, these days! The old tennis shorts, before they got long, I think that was a comfortable length, as were the OP shorts of the 70s. Those were really short by today’s standards, hitting about mid thigh. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313/34 "2004-06-13T00:33:28Z")
> [@JuanitaTech](#): > > The one in MPSIMS smells a little fresher, though. The one in MPSIMS is someone else’s problem, but I’ll close this one down. Lynn For the Straight Dope [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-part-of-the-short-in-shorts-mystifies-them/177313.md?page=1)