Who Wears Short Shorts?

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Dem Daisy Dukes

Hot pants, mini shorts, daisy dukes? Whatever you call them, it can be a great way to Show Some Leg without having to worry about a Panty Shot. This is mostly a female trope, but there have been a few males to slip in. This trope became popular in real life around the mid-1950s, and even though it has never been at the height of fashion it's never really gone away either; in the 21st century, a new variation, the cheeky shorts (which always show off the outermost part of the buttocks, and may also optionally show off the topmost part of the butt crack) took the short shorts to the next level of sex appeal.

Usually divided into two types:

  • The Daisy Dukes, named after Daisy Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. Usually made of denim and are a looser fit (though not by much than the other type). Can be either pre-sewn or shorn off; pre-sewn ones retain functional backside pockets while shorn off ones, obviously, have all the signs of shear cutting. They're the usual kind of short shorts in Western works.
  • The Bloomers, inspired by women's workout clothes (particularly women's volleyball uniforms), which are generally of a very tight fit, are made of spandex or alternatively breathing material like cotton, and usually have no pockets on the backside. Always pre-sewn. More commonly seen in Japanese works, particularly anime - the bloomers arose out of the massive success of the Japanese women's volleyball team at the 1964 Olympics, which in turn made them become an integral part of the girls' school sports uniform.

For added sexiness, combine with Zettai Ryouiki, She's Got Legs. If you don't want anyone seeing your legs, just add tights. And compare with Modesty Shorts, which are just as short but have a different purpose.

No real life examples, please; we'd be here all day.

Examples of Who Wears Short Shorts? include:


Advertising

Anime and Manga

Comic Books

Fan Works

Film

  • Alice in the first Resident Evil film, though the shorts are partly concealed by the red dress she's wearing.
  • Trillian the first time we see her in the main story, in The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
  • Kristofferson in Fantastic Mr. Fox wears short-shorts. Though it is most certainly not for sex appeal. At least we assume.
  • Worn by Candice during her fatal gymnastics practice session in Final Destination 5. Justified as most other gymnasts were wearing this as well during the same scene, including the gymnast that got Candice killed accidentally by sheer carelessness.
  • The title character of Tamara Drewe. As a disapproving older woman notes, "She poured herself into those shorts. She'll give herself thrush."
  • Felicity Shagwell in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Live Action TV

Music

California girls, we're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top

Mythology

Professional Wrestling

Video Games

Web Original

  • Homestar Runner's "creepy pants" are a pair of hot pink/purple shorts of the 'Daisy Duke' variety (an American form of shorts made by cutting the legs of snug jeans, sometimes so much so that the white pocket liners can be seen). It is later revealed that he was out of his mind on Strong Sad's anti-depressants at the time.
  • Part of Taylor-Ruth of Hanging Rock Comics fame's iconic outfit.

Western Animation

Brian: It looks like a walrus flossing!

  • In The Movie Joe's wife dies and he gets her legs. Leading him to proclaim "Who wears short shorts? I wear short shorts!"
  • On Total Drama Island, Heather, Katie, and Sadie all wear very short shorts
  • Sym-Bionic Titan's Ilana wears these on occasion as part of her Unlimited Wardrobe.
  • Lola Bunny wears a pair of short gym shorts as part of her original Memetic Outfit.
  • On Mission Hill, Jim returns from Japan with the latest thing there, brightly colored short shorts with Hello Kitty style decorations. Andy thinks they're ridiculous, but is soon the butt of scorn from the hip crowd because he isn't wearing them. When he finally comes around, he finds they're no longer hip, as they've gone mainstream and worn by the middle-aged.
  • In Harley Quinn, the title character's costume includes booty-shorts, but she draws the line at thongs.