American culture: males and pants

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I have noticed that US culture has a peculiar attitude to short pants, particularly males wearing them. Being mid-summer in the northern half of our sphere, this seems a good time as any to sit down with some iced tea and pontificate on the topic.

#1: They aren't worn much in American sports. In American Football and Baseball the players wear long pants. This seems very odd, considering how much they would sweat and considering that almost every other sport in the world the players wear short shorts.
#2: In US movies and TV you always see people jogging in sweat pants (Rocky movies, Dirty Harry), which seems like it would be really uncomfortable in the heat. On the other hand you always see children wearing shorts, along with surfers and aging tourists or retirees. It's almost like a sign of lower status or something. Even in summer flicks where all the girls are wearing cut-off jeans and bikinis, the men are standing around in jeans.
#3: Games. When I play Tomb Raider I'm forced to stare for 20 hours at tiny shorts on a young woman. Drake in Uncharted or Indiana Jones? Pants. These are just a few examples.
#4: Women's fashion is somewhat characterized by the exposure of flesh. Skirts, dresses and low-cut tops are female-specific clothing. I'm not qualified to suggest why this is the case, but it only serves to highlight the lack of such flesh-exposing clothes for the males. The scots have kilts and they have a cold climate. Most Aussies wear shorts all year round. If I were an alien I would say there seems to be something going on in the gender dynamics I'm unaware of.

So, what's up with shorts in the US? Is it somehow considered a social faux pas for a male to show flesh in public? Is it a fashion thing? I have no idea why this subject interests me, it just does. Thank you all.

 

[False Messiah]

Not from the US but in the world of gymrats there is a simple explanation. A lot of men put a lot of work in working out their arms, shoulders, chest and back. The legs don't get the same treatment up to the point that "Skipping legday" is becoming a meme. If you put a lot of effort into your body and you have a part of your body that is obviously behind the rest aesthetically most people will try to cover it up.
And to be honest, calves are very hard to train

 

[shootthebandit]

The scots have kilts and they have a cold climate

Im scottish and the only people (apart from weddings etc) that wear kilts are the overly scottish arseholes or tourists trying to "blend in". Do you have this illusion that we wear kilts on a daily basis?

Also a kilt is a very heavy material thats worn with long thick socks. Despite not wearing any underwear its actually pretty warm

So, what's up with shorts in the US? Is it somehow considered a social faux pas for a male to show flesh in public? Is it a fashion thing? I have no idea why this subject interests me, it just does. Thank you all.

In the UK we have weather (usually 20[sup]o[/sup]C) thats "tops off" weather. You'll see everyone out shirtless with shorts. You can be a skinny little guy to a big fat guy and it just accepted

 

[Mr Fixit]

I wear shorts as often as I can, it has to be really cold before I put pants on.

I couldn't say much about fashion because I just wear shorts & a t-shirt & almost everything that is fashionable looks amazingly uncomfortable.

Probably has something to do with shorts being seen as "lazy" clothes.

 

[Kricketz]

I have noticed that US culture has a peculiar attitude to short pants, particularly males wearing them. Being mid-summer in the northern half of our sphere, this seems a good time as any to sit down with some iced tea and pontificate on the topic.

#1: They aren't worn much in American sports. In American Football and Baseball the players wear long pants. This seems very odd, considering how much they would sweat and considering that almost every other sport in the world the players wear short shorts.
#2: In US movies and TV you always see people jogging in sweat pants (Rocky movies, Dirty Harry), which seems like it would be really uncomfortable in the heat. On the other hand you always see children wearing shorts, along with surfers and aging tourists or retirees. It's almost like a sign of lower status or something. Even in summer flicks where all the girls are wearing cut-off jeans and bikinis, the men are standing around in jeans.
#3: Games. When I play Tomb Raider I'm forced to stare for 20 hours at tiny shorts on a young woman. Drake in Uncharted or Indiana Jones? Pants. These are just a few examples.
#4: Women's fashion is somewhat characterized by the exposure of flesh. Skirts, dresses and low-cut tops are female-specific clothing. I'm not qualified to suggest why this is the case, but it only serves to highlight the lack of such flesh-exposing clothes for the males. The scots have kilts and they have a cold climate. Most Aussies wear shorts all year round. If I were an alien I would say there seems to be something going on in the gender dynamics I'm unaware of.

So, what's up with shorts in the US? Is it somehow considered a social faux pas for a male to show flesh in public? Is it a fashion thing? I have no idea why this subject interests me, it just does. Thank you all.

Ok, I'll bite since I live in the US in a state where it's generally hot most of the time.

#1: I'm assuming since both American Football and Baseball were both invented during a time (1800's) when wearing pants or short trousers were more popular than wearing shorts. Actually, most pants would end around the shin area or just below the knee. In particular, Baseball player used to wear trousers that would end just below the knee,and wear knee high socks.Recently, baseball players have been wearing longer pants, but some teams still base their style and preference on the earlier, traditional look. American Football pants actually end right below the knee as well, players just wear high socks.

#2: Geez, Dirty harry came out in 1972? 1971? One of those. Rocky movies are old as hell too. This one is a stretch, especially when you only list two films. Rocky wore sweats when he jogged, which was usually early morning, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is in the northern area of the country. It makes since to wear sweats if you're cold right? I think so. Also, I'm positive that In the Rocky movie where he is training with Apollo that at one point they were training on the beach, both wearing shorts and tank tops. Boxers wear shorts as well.

#3: The original Lara Croft was a busty female, wearing skimpy clothing (tank top, short shorts) for sex appeal in order to generate sales with horny teenagers. She kept this image through multiple sequels, because her sex appeal became apart of who she was, until the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. Now she's wears pants....because explorers where pants. I would assume that's why Nathan Drake wears them, and probably why Indy wore them as well. To protect against brush and shrubbery. And also to protect against any unpredicted changes in weather. Is it not safer to wear pants than shorts?

#4: Just because Scots have kilts, it doesn't mean they don't wear pants. I wouldn't consider a dress a flesh exposing article of clothing. Dresses tend to go below the knees, some go farther. Anything above that is considered a skirt. Women have low cut tops and skirts while men have tank-tops, V-neck shirts, and Shorts. Yes, men in the US wear shorts too. When I go to work, I see women wearing pant suits, Trousers and blouses, because not all female clothing is skirts and low cut tops.

About 85% of the time I'm wearing Basketball shorts, and a t-shirt or tank top. If I'm going out with friends, I might switch to cargo shorts or jeans and I'll switch to a nicer shirt. When I was in college (2012) most guys I would see walking around campus were wearing Shorts and tanks/t-shirts, unless it was cold.

Is it somehow considered a social faux pas for a male to show flesh in public? Maybe, considering what flesh you decide to show. However Shorts are far from being one.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Maybe it is just the fact that I live in Florida, but I see people wearing shorts a lot. Even when I lived in Michigan, I normally saw men wearing shorts at least during the summer. And as someone who wears jeans year round, I've been asked more than a few times why I don't wear shorts more often.

 

[JoJo]

Funnily enough, here in the UK it's a stereotype that Americans wear shorts. Maybe that's just your tourists though

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

#1: They aren't worn much in American sports. In American Football and Baseball the players wear long pants. This seems very odd, considering how much they would sweat and considering that almost every other sport in the world the players wear short shorts.

Football is a full contact sport and the athletes wear pads in their pants. Baseball includes a lot of diving and sliding, which is why they wear pants. There are plenty of sports where shorts are worn, basketball for example.

#2: In US movies and TV you always see people jogging in sweat pants (Rocky movies, Dirty Harry), which seems like it would be really uncomfortable in the heat. On the other hand you always see children wearing shorts, along with surfers and aging tourists or retirees. It's almost like a sign of lower status or something. Even in summer flicks where all the girls are wearing cut-off jeans and bikinis, the men are standing around in jeans.

Rocky wears pants for 2 reasons. 1, he's training when it's cold, and 2 he's trying to lose weight by sweating. People in action movies just tend to wear pants in general because pants just offer better protection, which moves us to #3...

#3: Games. When I play Tomb Raider I'm forced to stare for 20 hours at tiny shorts on a young woman. Drake in Uncharted or Indiana Jones? Pants. These are just a few examples.

The new Tomb Raider games have Laura Croft wearing pants, because it just makes sense for a game where you're exploring treacherous terrain.

#4: Women's fashion is somewhat characterized by the exposure of flesh. Skirts, dresses and low-cut tops are female-specific clothing. I'm not qualified to suggest why this is the case, but it only serves to highlight the lack of such flesh-exposing clothes for the males. The scots have kilts and they have a cold climate. Most Aussies wear shorts all year round. If I were an alien I would say there seems to be something going on in the gender dynamics I'm unaware of.

Males have flesh exposing clothing, it just exposes different flesh. The parts of a woman which are generally considered attractive and the parts of a man which are generally considered attractive are different. Women get low cut tops to show off their cleavage, men get sleeveless shirts that show off their arms and shoulders, doesn't mean that men aren't showing off the same amount of skin.

 

[Ratty]

Spoiler

http://www.smbc-comics.com/

I think you're right with at least one point. Khaki shorts are part of the visual shorthand we've developed for "tourist" along with sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt. Part of it is probably to help show how old/out of shape the person is, part of it is probably just from ubiquity of that kind of dress in the past. If a person is on vacation they'll wear what's comfortable, not what's required for work. I think it also helps that most male-focused fanservice in media is devoted to rippling abs/pecs rather than on the legs.

 

[Aramis Night]

Probably because men are disgusting to look at especially as more flesh is exposed. Legs are especially unattractive on men, so some of us have the decency to not subject others to having to view them. If I could I would replace mine with tank treads. Of course if we had the tech to do that, I would opt to just going full conversion so I wouldn't have to look down and be horrified every time I shower or catch myself in a mirror.

 

[LobsterFeng]

I'm an American and I'm currently wearing shorts that go well below my knees. It's just the current style I guess. Shorts did used to be super short on men though just look up pictures of early basketball.

Maybe it is just the fact that I live in Florida, but I see people wearing shorts a lot. Even when I lived in Michigan, I normally saw men wearing shorts at least during the summer. And as someone who wears jeans year round, I've been asked more than a few times why I don't wear shorts more often.

My brother hates wearing shorts and always wears jeans and when we went on a trip to Florida he was getting the weirdest looks for wearing jeans.

 

[Daverson]

Personally speaking, I find the knee disconcerting.

It's like a hinge in your leg. A meat hinge. A hinge, made of meat.

Yuk.

 

[Godhead]

I haven't worn pants since I wore a suit, and I can't fully remember the last time I wore a suit. In fact I don't think I own any pants at all.

 

[zhoominator]

The scots have kilts and they have a cold climate

Im scottish and the only people (apart from weddings etc) that wear kilts are the overly scottish arseholes or tourists trying to "blend in". Do you have this illusion that we wear kilts on a daily basis?

Also a kilt is a very heavy material thats worn with long thick socks. Despite not wearing any underwear its actually pretty warm

Do you not wear underwear when wearing a kilt? I always have. Not only is the "true scotsman" thing a bit of a myth, it's impractical and totally yuck. Those things can be expensive or time consuming to get cleaned properly (massive heavy thing made of wool with plaits that may need to be redone if you cock it up, I've seen this happen). You want that thing cleaned as little as you can get away with. I usually go for once or twice a year, and I get a lot of use out of my kilt compared to most people. If I had my sweaty nutsack in direct contact with that all the time I'd need it cleaned a LOT more.

Just wear black briefs/trunks, fellas.

 

[lacktheknack]

Well, I'm wearing shorts right now... it's pretty common this time of year here in Canada.

And to be honest, calves are very hard to train

Heh. I'm so heavy that they're by far the most ripped part of me just because they have to hold up a 300 pound stander all the time.

So if you wanna train your calves, just get really fat for a couple years.

 

[the doom cannon]

yea good luck sliding on dirt or astroturf with athletic shorts. feels really good. This is why baseball players wear pants and long socks, because that shit hurts even with them on and sliding shorts underneath. I still have scars on my knees and one big one just below my left buttocks from sliding.

EDIT
adding more to the topic, I will give my take on clothing choices

Shorts are perfectly acceptable in semi-casual situations, eg. golfing. Usually these shorts are black or khaki and are knee length. I wore these style of shorts on a regular basis through college, and are my preferred choice of leg-wear, especially in the 95 F heat in southern california. When I was in Cleveland for school, I wore jeans between october and april because to do otherwise would be silly with the cold.

For business casual events, khaki pants and a colored button-down shirt are the norm. Women's business casual is usually a skirt just above knee length and not very revealing top, so not particularly in the camp of more skin.

Once you get to formal events, men always wear suits. For events such as business meetings and conferences, women tend to wear suits. For dinner events, women tend to wear dresses that are at least knee length, usually longer, but sometimes show more skin up top.

So when it comes down to it, shorts are casual wear. If you're hanging out with friends, chilling out at home, or that sort of thing, then shorts are perfectly acceptable and indeed pretty normal. Once you move out of the casual clothing, shorts become inappropriate.

 

[Lilani]

I have noticed that US culture has a peculiar attitude to short pants, particularly males wearing them. Being mid-summer in the northern half of our sphere, this seems a good time as any to sit down with some iced tea and pontificate on the topic.

#1: They aren't worn much in American sports. In American Football and Baseball the players wear long pants. This seems very odd, considering how much they would sweat and considering that almost every other sport in the world the players wear short shorts.

There is an incredible fear of femininity in America when it comes to everything male. If you look at photos of basketball teams in the 60s and 70s you'll see some short shorts, but starting in the 80s short shorts became associated with women. And now short shorts on men is seen either as crossdressing or exhibitionism.

If you're referring to just regular shorts and not "short shorts," then you'll see them in basketball and golf. Long pants have basically always been the style in baseball--first knickers with knee high socks, and eventually the long pants. Baseball started as a "gentleman's sport" and was almost sort of a formal affair, so shorts or other such casual wear would have been considered uncouth. Nowadays I assume they keep them around both for tradition's sake, and because the players often dive and slide on the grass and dirt, which would really scrape their legs up if they didn't have something to serve as a barrier between the skin and the ground. And the same with football--lots of tackling and ground slamming going on there. Plus it's cold as fuck a good portion of the football season so they want something to keep the wind and snow from their bodies as well.

#2: In US movies and TV you always see people jogging in sweat pants (Rocky movies, Dirty Harry), which seems like it would be really uncomfortable in the heat. On the other hand you always see children wearing shorts, along with surfers and aging tourists or retirees. It's almost like a sign of lower status or something. Even in summer flicks where all the girls are wearing cut-off jeans and bikinis, the men are standing around in jeans.

The sweat pants thing has always been an exercise thing, though as you said it doesn't really make sense. I believe Rocky boxes in nothing but a pair of...well, boxer shorts so I don't think it's fair to chalk that up to prudishness. I think the sweatpants have to do with making them sweat more and thus make the training more rigerous, or if it's very cold outside when you're running.

#3: Games. When I play Tomb Raider I'm forced to stare for 20 hours at tiny shorts on a young woman. Drake in Uncharted or Indiana Jones? Pants. These are just a few examples.

This goes back to that femininity thing I mentioned in #1. Plus, Lara Croft was specifically designed to be eye candy for straight men. Drake and Indy, while they certainly are attractive, are not meant to be the same brand of action stripper that Lara is.

#4: Women's fashion is somewhat characterized by the exposure of flesh. Skirts, dresses and low-cut tops are female-specific clothing. I'm not qualified to suggest why this is the case, but it only serves to highlight the lack of such flesh-exposing clothes for the males. The scots have kilts and they have a cold climate. Most Aussies wear shorts all year round. If I were an alien I would say there seems to be something going on in the gender dynamics I'm unaware of.

Again, this has to do with the male view of what female sexiness is--or at least the male view of what female sexiness is that the media takes advantage of. Now, that's not to say the same kind of strategy is never employed against men for marketing purposes. A place you WILL find plenty of men dressed and posed like strippers is romance novels:

Spoiler

That "Scotty Mcmullet" one has had its title changed for the purpose of satire, but the image was kept the same.

So, what's up with shorts in the US? Is it somehow considered a social faux pas for a male to show flesh in public? Is it a fashion thing? I have no idea why this subject interests me, it just does. Thank you all.

I wouldn't say it's a foux pas for men to show flesh in public per se, in these hot summer days I see plenty of men with their shirts unbuttoned or completely off, walking the streets and mowing their lawns, or just hanging out with friends. And plenty of men wear "shorts," that is the ones that go down to about the knees. However it is considered odd for men to wear clothes that are feminine. V-neck shirts are often seen as shirts that gay men wear, and short shorts are seen as camp. The length of shorts is at least in part a fashion thing since, as I said, only 40 years ago shorts that don't cover most of the upper leg were normal on men. But I don't think it's a fashion that will be coming back because now short shorts are associated with women's fashion.

America is definitely more prudish than the rest of the world, but at this point my biggest worry isn't about our prudishness with the male physique. It's our prudishness with the female physique that bothers me, specifically the breasts. There are seriously places that don't allow BREASTFEEDING because they are so against females bearing their breasts in public. There are people who would rather see women breastfeed in public restrooms than out in the open. They're fine with bikinis and Victoria's Secret ads and five miles of sideboob hanging out of celebrity's dresses, but the moment even part of a nipple is visible suddenly it's x-rated and completely inappropriate for children. There is absolutely nothing more sexual about the female breasts than the male breasts. There is no reason for female toplessness to be a problem. Yet in America a single nip slip on national television can cost millions in damages.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I feel you can tell how much a runner enjoys running by how short their shorts are. Folk who wear short shorts love running. Or haven't purchased running gear since the 1970s.

Or they're just really proud to show off how small their penis is.

I kid, I kid.

No but seriously, I used to run track and cross country in high school and part of the uniform was really short running shorts, and 90% of the guys would wear spandex underneath because there was a good chance of your dick just popping out of them otherwise.