• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

How do you style shorts?

BPL Esq

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2013
Messages
299
Reaction score
384
Like Adam Sandler, Smith seems to look bad all the time on purpose.
 

ValidusLA

Distinguished Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2019
Messages
4,063
Reaction score
5,922
It can be argued that the length of a man's shorts may be an expression of his sexual orientation. Athletic attire aside, a man prominently displaying his thighs and buttocks in short, form-fitting shorts is assumed to be doing so in order to attract the attention of other men.

As a former rugby player, this statement has vast implications for the homosexuality of the sport apparently.
 

rjc149

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
861
Reaction score
649
As a former rugby player, this statement has vast implications for the homosexuality of the sport apparently.
Athletic attire aside, a man prominently displaying his thighs and buttocks in short, form-fitting shorts is assumed to be doing so in order to attract the attention of other men.
 

Phileas Fogg

Distinguished Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
4,712
Reaction score
4,467
Most men I see with tight fitting short shorts are of a particular orientation.

on the other hand, one not need to wear knee length cargo shorts with an Anthony Rizzzo jersey to scream “I’m hetero!”

there is a happy medium.
 

rjc149

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
861
Reaction score
649
duke5.jpg


I feel that unless it was explicitly noted otherwise, the gentlemen in this photo can safely be assumed to identify with gay subculture, or are lampooning it. The fit of their shorts is likely one of a few indicators, and the indicator most readily observable in a still-frame image.

I am assuming that such attire has been informally adopted not only to advertise one's figure to potential partners and increase the likelihood of a sexual encounter, but also to advertise one's membership of this subculture, as an affirmation of pride in gay identity and the affinity with others of the same identity. This was once the case with the earring on the right ear and the wallet chain.

Plenty of straight men have their right ear pierced, and the wallet chain has been largely appropriated by youth skater subculture, so neither are sure-fire signals of one's homosexual orientation. But it was once known, among older people I know who were familiar with mid-late 20th century Greenwich Village society, that walking around with a wallet chain meant you were gay and cruising. Those not intending to be mistaken as such would therefore not wear a wallet chain. Adopting this accessory as an adolescent emulating skater culture in the 1990's, my father sternly advised me accordingly "you know that's gay, right?"

One of the trademark indicators of one's emulation of gangsta subculture is the wearing of his pants in a near-fallen state, below the buttocks, thus fully exposing the seat of his underwear beneath. This originated in prison, where the wearing of pants in such a manner meant you were "turned out" -- available for ********. Little doubt exists that the poisonous hyper-masculinity of gangsta subculture would cease this practice if the knowledge of its origins were more universal.

And the flip side, men of all orientations wore very short jean "daisy duke" shorts throughout the mid-late 20th century, very commonly in the 1970's and 1980's, up until it was appropriated by gay subculture. So again, none of this is absolute truth. Short shorts don't mean you're gay, wallet chains don't mean you're gay, wearing your pants around your thighs don't mean you're gay. Our social perceptions of dress evolve with the evolution of human society.

Today, a heterosexual man not intending to appear as a member of LGBT subculture would therefore mind the length and fit of his shorts to something more currently accepted as "not gay." There's a pretty large margin for error here. Tapered chino shorts with a 7-10 inch inseam (or that fall up to 3 inches above the top of the kneecap) are the ideal "happy medium," in my opinion, to not potentially be advertising any subtext about one's proclivities or be mistaken for someone they may not care to be mistaken for.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
View attachment 1627276

I feel that unless it was explicitly noted otherwise, the gentlemen in this photo can safely be assumed to identify with gay subculture, or are lampooning it. The fit of their shorts is likely one of a few indicators, and the indicator most readily observable in a still-frame image.

I am assuming that such attire has been informally adopted not only to advertise one's figure to potential partners and increase the likelihood of a sexual encounter, but also to advertise one's membership of this subculture, as an affirmation of pride in gay identity and the affinity with others of the same identity. This was once the case with the earring on the right ear and the wallet chain.

Plenty of straight men have their right ear pierced, and the wallet chain has been largely appropriated by youth skater subculture, so neither are sure-fire signals of one's homosexual orientation. But it was once known, among older people I know who were familiar with mid-late 20th century Greenwich Village society, that walking around with a wallet chain meant you were gay and cruising. Those not intending to be mistaken as such would therefore not wear a wallet chain. Adopting this accessory as an adolescent emulating skater culture in the 1990's, my father sternly advised me accordingly "you know that's gay, right?"

One of the trademark indicators of one's emulation of gangsta subculture is the wearing of his pants in a near-fallen state, below the buttocks, thus fully exposing the seat of his underwear beneath. This originated in prison, where the wearing of pants in such a manner meant you were "turned out" -- available for ********. Little doubt exists that the poisonous hyper-masculinity of gangsta subculture would cease this practice if the knowledge of its origins were more universal.

And the flip side, men of all orientations wore very short jean "daisy duke" shorts throughout the mid-late 20th century, very commonly in the 1970's and 1980's, up until it was appropriated by gay subculture. So again, none of this is absolute truth. Short shorts don't mean you're gay, wallet chains don't mean you're gay, wearing your pants around your thighs don't mean you're gay. Our social perceptions of dress evolve with the evolution of human society.

Today, a heterosexual man not intending to appear as a member of LGBT subculture would therefore mind the length and fit of his shorts to something more currently accepted as "not gay." There's a pretty large margin for error here. Tapered chino shorts with a 7-10 inch inseam (or that fall up to 3 inches above the top of the kneecap) are the ideal "happy medium," in my opinion, to not potentially be advertising any subtext about one's proclivities or be mistaken for someone they may not care to be mistaken for.

I understand why you might believe these stereotypes, but it seems like you're culturally out of touch. People haven't sagged their pants in a long time, but for a while, and still to some degree today, that style is just a cultural marker for music and skateboarding. Some people wear short shorts because they like the look.
 

rjc149

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
861
Reaction score
649
I understand why you might believe these stereotypes, but it seems like you're culturally out of touch. People haven't sagged their pants in a long time, but for a while, and still to some degree today, that style is just a cultural marker for music and skateboarding. Some people wear short shorts because they like the look.
I'm not arguing the validity of these stereotypes, I'm arguing that they exist.

"People haven't sagged their pants in a long time" is a statement relative to your frame of observation. I very frequently observe young ethnic minorities in NYC and North Jersey, where my life takes place, emulating gangsta culture wear their pants in this manner.

I won't argue that I'm culturally out of touch -- it's something I'm defiantly proud of, actually -- or that some people wear short shorts because they like the look. I'm merely stating that there is a social perception that the length and fit of a man's shorts may correlate with his sexual orientation.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
I'm not arguing the validity of these stereotypes, I'm arguing that they exist.

"People haven't sagged their pants in a long time" is a statement relative to your frame of observation. I very frequently observe young ethnic minorities in NYC and North Jersey, where my life takes place, emulating gangsta culture wear their pants in this manner.

I won't argue that I'm culturally out of touch -- it's something I'm defiantly proud of, actually -- or that some people wear short shorts because they like the look. I'm merely stating that there is a social perception that the length and fit of a man's shorts may correlate with his sexual orientation.

If you're culturally out of touch, then the majority doesn't agree with you. So presumably most people won't view these things as you do.

I personally wouldn't wear a 10" tapered chino short because it doesn't jive with my personality and self-identity. It just looks really uptight to me.
 

rjc149

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
861
Reaction score
649
If you're culturally out of touch, then the majority doesn't agree with you. So presumably most people won't view these things as you do.

I personally wouldn't wear a 10" tapered chino short because it doesn't jive with my personality and self-identity. It just looks really uptight to me.
That's totally fine. But you're not going to reasonably argue that I'm culturally out of touch because I believe the men in the above image to be gay. I think the majority would indeed agree with me. And I don't need to overstate what the consensus would be among my heterosexual male peers.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
That's totally fine. But you're not going to reasonably argue that I'm culturally out of touch because I believe the men in the above image to be gay. I think the majority would indeed agree with me. And I don't need to overstate what the consensus would be among my heterosexual male peers.

I mean, yes, those people are posing as some stereotypical gay personality (stereotypical here being the very active word, as not all gay men dress or act like that). But wearing five-inch shorts doesn't automatically result in that look.

I'm a straight man, but wouldn't care if someone thought that I'm gay. I don't even know why we're having this conversation. But in any case, most people won't view someone in 5" shorts and think "he's gay" unless they're culturally out of touch.
 

rjc149

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
861
Reaction score
649
I mean, yes, those people are posing as some stereotypical gay personality (stereotypical here being the very active word, as not all gay men dress or act like that). But wearing five-inch shorts doesn't automatically result in that look.

I'm a straight man, but wouldn't care if someone thought I way gay. I don't even know why we're having this conversation. But in any case, most people won't view someone in 5" shorts and think "he's gay" unless they're culturally out of touch.
I want to emphasize again that I am not speaking in absolutes. Social perceptions evolve with shifts in culture, and are ultimately individually subjective. But I don’t believe individual subjectivity somehow invalidates the existence of cultural consensus on men wearing tight short shorts, and likewise, that consensus doesn’t determine one’s individual identity or necessarily dictate his individual perceptions. But the consensus does exist.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
I want to emphasize again that I am not speaking in absolutes. Social perceptions evolve with shifts in culture, and are ultimately individually subjective. But I don’t believe individual subjectivity somehow invalidates the existence of cultural consensus on men wearing tight short shorts, and likewise, that consensus doesn’t determine one’s individual identity or necessarily dictate his individual perceptions. But the consensus does exist.

I'm going to blow your mind.

If you sag 5" shorts by 5", they become 10" shorts.
 

TheChihuahua

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2020
Messages
937
Reaction score
923
People haven’t sagged their pants in a while? DWW taking his limited viewpoint and stating it as a generality. He must not have cruised down Flatbush Avenue in a while.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,179
Messages
10,579,203
Members
223,894
Latest member
cliftonnwalker
Top