It’s a short-shorts summer, fellas. No, wait, sorry — actually, it’s a nu-metal shorts summer. You know what, forget about how long the shorts should be, are guys allowed to wear jorts at all these days? Or are only athletic shorts acceptable?
With so much mixed messaging on men’s summer clothing, it can seem overwhelming to know exactly what a guy is supposed to wear. But fear not — TikToker and Crown Table podcast host Ainsley Landry, aka @ladylbish, has been sharing her wisdom with the world to assess which fits qualify for the ultimate elite status: hoochie daddy shorts. And more than just the style of the shorts, what really defines hoochie daddy shorts is how you wear them.
Going viral last week with a video talking about how she likes men to look in shorts, Landry has since been receiving submissions from viewers hoping to get her approval on their bottoms. In her original video, she shows a man in some tiny-fitted red shorts and says, “I’m so ready to make somebody a single father. I’m just here to give y’all a few dos and don’ts.” “This energy right here will get the back of your kneecaps licked,” she continues, pointing to the guy’s photo. “Look at that thigh meat — they’re hoochie shorts.”
She then went on to show off other examples, saying denim and baggy shorts are a don’t, but visible thigh tattoos and moisturized legs are a do. Her TikTok now has more than three million views, and has spawned several other videos from her assessing people’s shorts on a case-by-case basis with the hashtag #hoochiedaddyseason.
“I don’t really consider myself to be an ‘expert,’ I was more so just giving out tips based off things that myself and other women speak on all the time,” Landry tells me. “The post was just to encourage men of all shapes and sizes to be comfortable and feel good this summer! I have always been a hoochie shorts fan — I love seeing all that thigh meat.”
With all the different shorts styles available, Landry says 4-inch inseams are definitely her favorite on men. Even so, she explains, “not everyone is ready to be a ‘platinum-level’ hoochie, so overall it’s about maintaining a level of comfort as well as confidence.” In her various rating videos, that element of comfort and confidence is apparent. While some guys might worry that they need to be particularly muscular to pull off short-shorts, she gives high marks to people with a wide variety of body types. She even makes videos addressing masculine-dressing lesbians, whom she has dubbed “stoochies,” short for “stud hoochies.” “No hoochie will be left behind,” Landry remarks in one TikTok.
Despite the fact that anyone has the chance to be a hoochie, there’s still one thing Landry can’t get on board with: the return of ultra-long shorts. “They’re absolutely not giving and need to stay right in the 1990s and 2000s,” she says. “Those super baggy and long shorts aren’t flattering, and if your shorts are past your knees, you should just wear pants.”
But again, more than anything else, hoochie daddy season is about embracing yourself and your body — provided, of course, you’re willing to show off some serious thigh meat along the way.
Magdalene Taylor
Magdalene Taylor is a staff writer at MEL. She covers internet culture, sex and the online adult industry. She lives in Brooklyn but is from God's Country, Western Massachusetts.
