--- title: Leave Shorts-Wearing Men Alone! description: What if a man said that women should not be wearing miniskirts unless they’re models? canonical: https://time.com/3759573/men-wearing-shorts-fashion-fran-lebowitz/ author: Brian Moylan article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-26T14:23:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T05:27:36.638Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Leave Shorts-Wearing Men Alone! og:description: What if a man said women should not be wearing miniskirts unless they’re models? og:url: https://time.com/3759573/men-wearing-shorts-fashion-fran-lebowitz/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18af4d116abbb2f7/6987855d5f570f7a5db15f20/shorts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: man wearing shorts og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Leave Shorts-Wearing Men Alone! twitter:description: What if a man said women should not be wearing miniskirts unless they’re models? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18af4d116abbb2f7/6987855d5f570f7a5db15f20/shorts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Leave Shorts-Wearing Men Alone! > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=237a1f6c-e90e-4abe-bbd0-39458f4764ab&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=237a1f6c-e90e-4abe-bbd0-39458f4764ab&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=237a1f6c-e90e-4abe-bbd0-39458f4764ab&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Brian Moylan](https://time.com/author/brian-moylan/) ## Brian Moylan Mar 26, 2015 2:23 PM UTC  Man using a tablet at his studio Man using a tablet at his studio Getty Images by [Brian Moylan](https://time.com/author/brian-moylan/) ## Brian Moylan Mar 26, 2015 2:23 PM UTC There are always going to be old cranks going through life saying, “It was better in my day.” It’s sad, however, when that crank is Fran Lebowitz, the New York City wit known for her insightful barbs, her unique sartorial sense, and her urbane sophistication. It’s also unfortunate that her latest cause célèbre is one that comes around every spring and is as tired and small minded as the clichéd shouting at the kids to get off the lawn. Yes, Lebowitz is the latest to tell men that they shouldn’t be wearing shorts. In an [interview](http://www.elle.com/fashion/personal-style/interviews/a27447/fran-lebowitz-style-interview/) with _Elle_ magazine, Lebowitz says, “Men never wore shorts when I was young. There are few things I would rather see less, to tell you the truth. I’d just as soon see someone coming toward me with a hand grenade. This is one of the worst changes, by far. It’s disgusting.” As someone who wears shorts every day from May until September – yes, even to work – I would have to disagree. Lebowitz isn’t the only one griping. Last summer, Alan Tyers took to _The Telegraph_ to complain about [men wearing shorts](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fashion-and-style/10924901/Should-British-men-ever-wear-shorts.html), even with suits. In 2011, fashion designer Tom Ford issued his five fashion rules [in _AnOther_ magazine](http://www.anothermag.com/exclusives/tom-ford), and one was, “A man should never wear shorts in the city.” Lebowitz biggest complaint seems to be that she thinks these men look silly. “It’s repulsive. They look ridiculous, like children, and I can’t take them seriously,” she says. I have a few problems with this argument. First of all, no one is condoning all shorts, just like no one can condone all sandals or all raincoats. A main wearing a pair of tailored, knee-length shorts with business attire (or, heck, even a polo shirt) is completely acceptable. I’m not going to argue for those baggy khaki cargo shorts that are a scourge to fashion. But there are definitely pairs of shorts out there that are as fashionable and acceptable as a pair of pants. If Lebowitz doesn’t like an extra bit of skin, that’s her problem. Why shouldn’t men wear shorts? First of all, it is hot in the summer, especially on the New York City subway, one of the places where Lebowitz complains about men wearing shorts. Why shouldn’t men get to be as comfortable as women in the heat? Every day in the summer I wear a suit with shorts, a look [J Crew got some heat](http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-06-06/can-you-rock-a-short-suit-j-dot-crew-thinks-so) for introducing last summer. The main reason I like this is because I ride a bicycle around New York, and it’s a lot easier with no fabric below the knees. Lebowitz herself says that she liked New York back when George Plimpton used to ride his bike around wearing a suit. I do the same thing, just with my ankles in the breeze. You would think that Lebowitz, a woman who has been wearing men’s suits since the ‘70s, would prize such eccentricity. No, instead she’s slagging them off and becoming as conservative as everyone who grumbled behind her back 40 years ago. Lebowitz’s other problem is that she doesn’t like the caliber of men who are wearing shorts. “It’s like any other sort of revealing clothing, in that the people you’d most like to see them on aren’t wearing them,” she says. “And if they are, it’s probably their job to wear them. My fashion advice, particularly to men wearing shorts: Ask yourself, ‘Could I make a living modeling these shorts?’ If the answer is no, then change your clothes. Put on a pair of pants.” Now, I hate to give any ammunition to the awful and juvenile [men’s rights activists](http://time.com/134152/the-toxic-appeal-of-the-mens-rights-movement/) who lurk in the darker parts of Reddit, but could you imagine what would happen to a man saying these same things about a woman? What if a man said that women should not be wearing miniskirts unless they’re models? What if he said that they should cover up? What if said that they were disgusting for showing so much skin? He would be pilloried and buried under all the ample outrage that the Internet can muster. And rightfully so. There’s a reason that [Michelle Obama was celebrated](http://time.com/3685996/michelle-obama-saudi-arabia/) for baring her head in Saudi Arabia, a country that makes its women cover up. In the summer, women can wear skirts and shorts and be comfortable in the sweltering weather. They can even wear such attire to work if it’s tasteful and well-tailored. Shouldn’t men be offered the same relief? Shouldn’t we be able to catch a little bit of a draft on our lower extremities? There are more and more options for menswear these days (mostly because it’s the [fastest-growing segment](http://www.businessoffashion.com/2014/06/signs-slowing-global-menswear-market.html) of the garment industry), and something other than pants for the warmer months should be just as accepted in the subway cars and boardrooms of the country as women wearing garments that show off their calves. Sure, there is a time and a place for everything, and no one should show up rocking a pair of [brotastic Chubbies](http://www.chubbiesshorts.com/) to the White House or a pair of ‘70s basketball nuthuggers to a job interview, but a man in a pair of tasteful shorts can be just as fashionable and dressed up as a dandy in a three-piece suit. Just look how good fashion icon Nick Wooster looks [wearing shorts with blazers](http://www.theconfuseddasher.com/2013/04/17/style-inspiration-3-nick-wooster/). Oddly enough, one of [his fashion essentials](http://www.gq.com/style/ten-essentials/201105/nick-wooster#slide=8) is _Metropolitan Life_ by none other than Fran Lebowitz. I’m sure he’ll be sorry to learn what a crank she has become. In this interview, Lebowitz shows that she’s biased against progress and change by hewing to a conservatism that not only shames men and their bodies, but also shows just how behind the times she truly has become. That’s the long and short of it. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3759573/men-wearing-shorts-fashion-fran-lebowitz/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3759573/men-wearing-shorts-fashion-fran-lebowitz/"},"headline":"Leave Shorts-Wearing Men Alone!","datePublished":"2015-03-26T14:23:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:27:36.638Z","description":"What if a man said that women should not be wearing miniskirts unless they’re models?","url":"https://time.com/3759573/men-wearing-shorts-fashion-fran-lebowitz/","keywords":["Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18af4d116abbb2f7/6987855d5f570f7a5db15f20/shorts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Moylan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/brian-moylan/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18af4d116abbb2f7/6987855d5f570f7a5db15f20/shorts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"man wearing shorts","caption":"","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/culture/","name":"Culture"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3759573/men-wearing-shorts-fashion-fran-lebowitz/","name":"Leave Shorts-Wearing Men Alone!"}}]}] ```