I have a pair of them on right now (or facsimile thereof)
And of course there’s the AFL
I live at a tourist beach. We see lots of European & South American tourists every day. Many of whom wear beachwear & casual shorts that look pretty outré by current US standards. They don’t seem to feel out of place. They certainly don’t look self-conscious.
I think the process was a bit simpler. You’re right about liberation. Men were suddenly free to be overtly sexy in the Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck, John Travolta, disco style. Yes, most men don’t look as good as those three. OTOH, most women don’t look as good as the women in those movies either. Doesn’t stop them from trying to emulate the look.
What happened next was the gay guys, always better at grabbing the sexual gusto than the straight guys, grabbed it and ran with it. This was real early in *their *liberation. “Out and proud” as a slogan was 5-10 years in the future. But with the camouflage of the vastly more numerous straight guys wearing sexier shorts and flashier clothes all around, they could do so too without attracting attention which in those days often meant getting beaten.
Then the fashion tide gently reversed. Then somebody noticed that gay guys had really embraced the style. So suddenly we had massive “straight flight” away from the newly discovered gay ghetto of sexier clothes for men. And now we’re left with just the gay guys high and dry well away from the mainstream and occupying that niche.
The current ascendency of loudmouth guys in flag-draped pickup trucks with NRA stickers says this trend will probably last awhile yet. OTOH, if they suddenly decided that long baggy shorts are a black gangsta thing I could see fashion lurching off in some other direction.
I just measured. From the bottom of the pocket material to the top of the factory hem is 2-1/2". So that much could be taken up with no real changes. The hem itself is 1" tall, so by using just a minimal hem I could take 3-1/4" off the length without touching the pockets.
Which was the point I was making in my earlier post: shorter cargo shorts don’t have to lose functionality. In contrast to the other guy who was saying they had to be that long because of the pockets.
I think the problem is that certain items within a category are, um, not very, um, well, you know.
Take swimsuits. Banana hammocks on certain bodies aren’t a good idea. That doesn’t mean they should be banned for all men nor should swimsuits in general be banned. (Note: Speedo makes a wide range of men’s swimsuits. I’ve worn some that are quite standard looking. Don’t rag on Speedos in general.)
Same thing with shorts Some styles on some men are …, well, you know. But that doesn’t mean anything in general.
Ditto all types of clothing.
Hmm, I think I may be the “other guy” referenced here. I would like to go on the record saying that I don’t care how long the shorts are, as long as they’ve got the pockets and are baggy enough to let some airflow through the jungle. The shorty shorts that were common issue in the 70’s had neither.
Plus, I’ve got the torso of a 6’ tall man coupled with the legs of a 5’ tall woman. An inch of material isn’t going to matter too much. All cargo shorts cover my knees.
The same people who decided men don’t have to wear hats anymore.
Come to mention it, I’ve decided I need to wear a hat more often. Baldness is a recipe for sunburn. Problem is, I only feel “right” in a cowboy hat. I look and feel like I should be forever pumping gas in a baseball cap, when I wear a sombrero everyone thinks I’m joking, it’s too hot here to wear a stocking cap 9 months of the year, and a fedora is right out.
So, from top to bottom: Cowboy hat, some sort of potentially offensive band t-shirt, cargo shorts, and Doc Martens without socks. Practical for the environment, but visually strange to anyone who would try to assemble a look. I’ve been married for almost two decades, so my ensemble has very little to do whether I’m getting laid again. She’s seen all of my moves, and my mojo just don’t work on her anymore. The only way I’m not achieving the dream we all dream of by merely lucking into the right moment is through careful strategy. Plus, the woman originally let me romance her in flannel shorts that always seemed to earn “Those look like pajamas.” comments from the few who bothered to comment. So, surely the clothes don’t really make the man when it comes to the push and the shove.
Seriously, I’ll consider any hat suggestions, but it’s gotta have a brim to shade the ears.
Me, the longer shorts (but still, not past the knees!)! were my preference from day one for out on the street. The shorties always felt to me like I should be racing in some track.
I’ll make sure to credit you when I outfit my band this way.
(How about a safari/boonie hat as alternative to the cowboy hat?)
I have little legs, and a body that’s shaped to shove pants downward, with a Hank Hill butt. They start above the knees.
Heheh, you’d probably be the first to enforce it as a uniform. 
I’ve actually got one of those that I wore off and on for awhile. It seems to get largely the same reaction as the cowboy hat, but I don’t have to take it off in the car.
I think the cowboy hat looks better on stage, though. 
I’ve got sorta the opposite problem.
I’d like to add a hat to reduce the tropical sun’s heat on my head. But I’ve still got almost all my hair. Wearing a hat around here is pretty much shouting “I’m old and bald!!!”. Which is not a message I’m wanting to send. That time may come, but I’m in no hurry to get there.
Though I agree that baseball caps are low-rent and are not a solution to any problem I’ll ever have.
Hmm, well you can always periodically doff your hat and run your hand through your luscious, full locks for effect.
Really, if you’re worried about being perceived as a chrome dome, just grow that stuff long. Then they might be suspicious of you pulling a Dwight Yokam, but there are worse crimes. I’d go full Riff Raff myself if my wife could stand the homeless vibe it gives off when I’m not wearing a hat.
first, i dont think anyone is against dudes wearing shorts, i dont really give a fuck, but mainstream, stylish clothing (in my opinion) isn’t generally made in shorts (unless they’re booty shorts for girls). men don’t particularly look that good in shorts anyway, (also my opinion) and pants are just way better than shorts anyway.
second, i don’t see why you feel so bullied or care why other people think your fashion sense is wack as fuck when you wanna be rocking some above the knee cargoes my man. do what you want for you. do you remember when you used to do things for you instead of other people? if not, make memories now.
Thanks for all the links folks. I totally dig that old-school '70s look, short-shorts and all.
But I’m pretty sure I’m permanently scarred from having seen Angus Young in a banana hammock.
(I deliberately did not quote the link for your protection.)
I think short-shorts on men look pretty silly in this day and age, but if you’ve got legs like Diego Maradona…
I went bald so early in life that this thought never crossed my mind, but that doesn’t make what you say untrue. Regardless, though, I’ll wear a hat if the weather seems cool enough to warrant it–which doesn’t happen often in North County, anyway.
In the 1970s at UCSD, I recall that the varsity soccer team uniform shorts were only just long enough to have the the letters “UCSD” emblazoned vertically down either side. They were large letters, but still. Come to think of it, those shorts were about the same length as the blue gym shorts we all had to wear in high school physical education classes. Nobody seemed to like changing for P.E., but as best I can recall the shortness of the shorts was rarely if ever the issue. It was just having to change, on principle. When you got to gym class and the announcement for the day was “NO STRIP” or “T-SHIRTS AND TENNIS SHOES”, it was a good day!
For many, it’s not about being bullied, but consideration for wives and kids. Generally, they don’t like seeing their husbands or dads in such unfashionable clothing, at least in public. The long shants thing has become fully entrenched, and perpetuates itself over the years through the understandable desire of toddler boys to emulate their male elders as soon as they are out of diapers. I doubt there exists a male under fifty who fully appreciates the value of leg freedom, that is, not only shorter shorts being available in a wide variety of brands and styles, but also completely accepted and without the assumption of implicit “messages” being sent.