Are cargo shorts truly outdated? The Wall Street Journal reports that leading fashion authorities consider them obsolete—and even humiliating—for today's men.
Cargo shorts trace their origins to the 1940s U.S. military. Air Force pilots worked in cramped cockpits, requiring shorts with large pockets sewn onto the thighs for quick access to essential flight gear.
“Men don’t evolve”
The prestigious Wall Street Journal examined this menswear staple, popular especially in the U.S., yet dismissed as passé by experts. Joseph Hancock, a design professor whose doctoral thesis focused on cargo shorts, notes: “These teenagers [who wore cargo shorts] are now married but refuse to ditch their youthful clothes. They’re not evolving.” Fashion authority Tim Gunn calls his own cargo shorts the least stylish item in his closet, while the Daily Express labels them “a humiliation for any man over 21.”
That said, fashion cycles unpredictably—cargo shorts could stage a comeback sooner than expected.
