You may not always think so, but we really do appreciate getting feedback from our readers via online comments and letters to the editor.
Monday̢۪s most intriguing letter, by sophomore Nursing major Amanda Tang, brought up a valid point about the skinny jeans article which ran a few weeks ago.
Miss Tang took strong offense to the word “homoâ€Â being used in the slang sense because it’s degrading to homosexuals.
This is true, though I don̢۪t think words shouldn̢۪t run in a newspaper just because they aren̢۪t politically correct. But the fact is, many men refuse to wear skinny or even medium-sized jeans for the very reason that they are homophobic and see the jeans as a threat to their manhood.
Jay-Z gave a good example in last year’s hit song, “Swagga Like Us.â€Â In it he boasts, “Can’t wear skinny jeans cuz my knots don’t fit.â€Â How charming. Apparently our boy Hova is suffering from elephantiasis.
The article that Tang referenced had another semi-homophobic statement toward the end in what was called “The anatomy test.â€Â It states, “If we can see any of your frontal anatomy through your pants they’re too tight.â€Â
That̢۪s pretty disgusting, but not very realistic. It̢۪s not as if men are going out and buying jeans that don̢۪t fit them. Skinny jeans are the same waist size as regular ones, with the difference coming through the leg.
And do we apply this gold standard to pro football players, the epitome of manliness who just happen to wear pants tighter than the skinniest of skinny jeans? Is Tony Romo a homo? Does Big Ben like men? Was Jerry Kramer a flamer?
For years now I̢۪ve been one of the few brave enough to wear the summertime equivalent of skinny jeans: shorts that fall slightly above the knee. While the practice is more common where I̢۪m from than it is here, I̢۪ve still heard never-ending jokes about them.
Co-workers have called me a male stripper. Journalists have made wisecracks about my “nut graph.â€Â Uncreative people have called me “short shortsâ€Â, “daisyâ€Â and “a fag.â€Â Rednecks just go ahead and say it: “I bet his dick’s gonna start hangin’ out!â€Â
Again, none of these jokes were ever leveled at the basketball players who wore perilously short shorts until the late 1980s.
Truth is, if you’re a man, you could probably walk around campus waving a giant “I have swine fluâ€Â sign and get less attention than you would wearing shorts above the knee.
Is there really a connection between the way someone̢۪s clothes fit and their sexual preference? Should we be questioning the masculinity of every man who dares to not wear enormous clothes? Surely not.
These questions aside, there are real benefits to wearing pants that don̢۪t cover your shoes and shorts that end above your ankles. Namely, you won̢۪t look like a clown.
Tang is right. It’s time to overcome homophobia and the fear of being an individual. Have some confidence, step it up and wear what looks good. Or, in the immortal words of Andre 3000, “Your [clothes] look like a nightgown. Make your momma proud, take that thing two sizes down.â€Â
Mike • Sep 12, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I have been blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with a thin physique and told many times I have chicken legs. When I wear regular fitting pants they wear like gunny sacks, fitting loosely (and I’m not talking about relaxed fit clothing) and have even caused family to comment “Are you losing weight”. Those comments ended when I started wearing skinny jeans. The skinny jeans fit my frame well and compliment my physique. As far as shorts go, I have worn the cut-offs from the 70’s when people went as far as splitting them up the sides to the shorter shorts from the 80’s and have heard those comments from others who wouldn’t wear that. I am a non-conformist when it comes to fashion and to this day I wear my shorts hemmed from 2 to 3 inches above the knee to mid-thigh and won’t ever change. It is cooler and more comfortable. The baggy look is definitely not for me.
J.C. • May 12, 2009 at 6:13 pm
The NBA still wore their “short-shorts” into the early 90’s. It was the 1990 season they became longs. Look at the 1989 NBA finals, and the teams are still wearing shorts, not longs- I don’t call the “shorts” of today that, I call them what they are, longs. Plus, how did they go from being SOOOO common in the 1980’s to being “disgusting” today? Has this coutry gone into THAT much of self-consiousness?
J.C. • May 13, 2009 at 1:13 am
The NBA still wore their “short-shorts” into the early 90’s. It was the 1990 season they became longs. Look at the 1989 NBA finals, and the teams are still wearing shorts, not longs- I don’t call the “shorts” of today that, I call them what they are, longs. Plus, how did they go from being SOOOO common in the 1980’s to being “disgusting” today? Has this coutry gone into THAT much of self-consiousness?