Men’s shorts have become ridiculous parodies of themselves. They have been getting longer and roomier ever since in the late 80’s and early 90’s when Michael Jordan eschewed the Jerry West style shorts, and started wearing longer shorts . But lately, I have seen truly elephantine shorts that come down to mid-calf, with room for several guys in each leg.
Is there any limit to what can still be called shorts? Will the wearer’s grandkids revert to short-shorts, and mock the old men still wearing the big ole shorts even Richard Nixon would not be caught wearing?
I think there are enough overweight men (points at self) to assure that a slightly baggier cut will remain popular. As for length, any longer and they stop being shorts. All the shorts i own are cargo-type shorts, and they all stop below the knee. That’s fine with me.
I have seen fat guys wearing these new shorts, and they are way baggy, even on them. I am convinced it is a bizarre style, not a comfort issue.
That is my thought as well, but if they continue to get longer (already to mid calf), will there just be nothing sold that can reasonbly called shorts? Personally, anything below the knee are not shorts.
I’ve picked up pants and shorts that go straight down from the butt checks. I put them back on the rack. There are large normal styles and large awning styles.
I’ve noticed that the shorts around here on men have been holding steady or maybe even shrinking a little bit. (Especially on frat boys. Now it’s all Bermuda length regular shorts in plaid.) I haven’t seen a white guy in really, really huge shorts in a while. Perhaps the manpri is dying?
The guy in the Bowflex commercial is a good example. When he stands up to strut his stuff for the camera, his workout shorts are so long (knee length at least) and baggy they look like culottes.
Yeah, what’s up with those ugly-ass plaid shorts? Seriously, I don’t get fashion. Things that are actually, factually UGLY, are cool because some random celebrities wore them. Cases in point:
Aforementioned plaid shorts
‘Popped’ collars
Ugg boots
Those stupid dresses that I don’t know how to describe other than Lindsey Lohan wears them, and they have some stitching right below the breasts, which do emphasize the breasts nicely, but hang so horribly on every woman I’ve seen them on that it makes them look like they weigh 100 lbs more than they do. Someone has to know what I’m talking about.
Too big, baggy, saggy shorts – around here, I don’t see them on big and/or fat men, or on men over 25. I only see them on scrawny young guys. They make the scrawny guy look even scrawnier, especially at the gym.
Around here, you see guys with capri-length shorts that they’re usually wearing well below the waist, so much so that they’re contacting the shoes. And they’re as wide-legged as those old JNCO’s or raver pants or whatever kids used to wear were.
It will happen sooner than that. Long’n’baggy has been pushed about as far as it can be pushed, and once that happens, the only way to Make a Statement will be to shorten up.
We’ll then get over-reaction in the opposite direction. By 2015, men’s shorts will look like jockstraps. You read it here first.
I think rather than shortening up again that men will go to the ultimate extreme and start wearing hoop skirts and such. At least that would be entertaining.
Oy. I saw Kevin Smith on Craig Ferguson’s show the other night and he (Kevin) was wearing the most ridiculous long, wide denim “shorts” and they looked . . . ridiculous. Of course, that was partly because he chose to pull the outfit together with a print t-shirt and a suit jacket. It (the outfit) was butt.
I remember seeing a shot of several Lakers, after they had won the championship (remember when?) sort of half-standing up in the back of a convertible in their victory parade. With the jerseys and huge shorts, they looked like they were wearing yellow sundresses.
I wanted to bring this up in the BBQ thread about unfair things between the sexes. It seems that for many people, men are generally ugly per se and we shouldn’t expose our thighs at all. A naked or skimpily clad woman may be considered esthetically pleasing, but a man similarly attired or nonattired is seen as weird or a potential threat. Women complain about being over-objectified, but I think men are physically anti-objectivized, and I can’t say that’s any better.
Well I remember a time when many people idolized a man in (short) shorts, and saw nothing wrong with his esthetically pleasing thighs. I’m sure the tide will eventually turn again – and as a woman I, for one, am looking forward to it.
THANK GOD FOR LONG BAGGY SHORTS LONGER THAN KNEE-LENGTH BEING IN STYLE!
I have an exceptionally bad case of chicken-legs. They really do look funny, and they are genetically predisposed to never grow larger in size, no matter how hard I work out or eat (and I have 3 brothers that will attest to that . . . we all have the same legs). Now, I can wear stylish shorts that somewhat fool people and save myself the mockery that I had to endure during high school gym class.
I am also looking forward to the return of short shorts for men. And here’s another picture: http://www.bashof.org/images/jmcenroe.jpg.
Sorry I couldn’t find one of John Ritter as Jack Tripper. That’s what I was shooting for.
Here’s some Jack Tripper (with a little extra thown in); scroll down toward the bottom.
I think shorts will go the other way, as suggested. Right now pants are doing that. Kids are wearing tighter fitting pants, a far as the legs go, which still somehow manage to be saggy in the ass area. Since shorts have been huge and nearly ankle-length and long as pants have been sagging, I’ll wager shorts will follow the new, tighter, more streamlined and hiked-up trend.
Here’s an example, although the legs are getting straighter too.
