February 11, 2018

The Daily Mail covers the story of a University of Wisconsin student walking outdoors in shorts and no jacket when the temperature is 17°.

It was on Twitter, tweeted by the university, which I follow. I considered retweeting or blogging it, but I didn't, because it's pretty normal around here. I see guys like this all the time, and I think they just want to be comfortable when they get where they're going, probably moving from one well-heated campus building to another. Even though I've been doing "men in shorts" posts on this blog for 14 years, this didn't cross my line for bloggable.

But others, less accustomed to Wisconsin ways, did retweet, and it was enough to pull in the grand internet monster that is The Daily Mail, which said things like:
A bold Wisconsin student shocked his campus when....
No, he did not shock the campus.
However the boy's unique fashion choice isn't uncommon when it comes to winters in the Midwest where boys and men alike have been spotted braving the cold in shorts, as noted by Twitter users....
Yes. Now, that's true. Come to Wisconsin in the winter and learn how not to fear it. Lean in.

78 comments:

rhhardin said...

They're telling everybody how to feel by telling everybody how everybody else feels.

deepelemblues said...

I've been wearing shorts in winter since I was a little boy. It's not uncomfortable at all when you're still young and full of more energy than you know what to do with.

Curious George said...

Every time I go to the grocery store I see a guy, usually young, in shorts.

Hari said...

It requires tremendous energy (calorie burning) to maintain body temperature in the cold.

Fredrick said...

I took one long look at my snow shovel yesterday and was quite happy it was 82 down here in Florida.

Kate said...

Same in AK. You'll see coats and shorts worn together, especially on the Pacific Islander guys.

MadisonMan said...

From the article:

Behind the boy in the image several women are seen in hefty winter boots and knee length puffer coats with their hoods raised to protect from the flurries

Men and women might be different.

I assume the guy is heading to get food from somewhere.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Pampered Americans going from heated home to heated car to heated stores. I'll be impressed when I see these guys walk 200 meters to the bus stop and wait 10 minutes for the next bus then walk more after they get off the bus.

David Aitken said...

I wore shorts to go contra-dancing last Friday in Denver. Temp was about 25. I'm 70 years old.

n.n said...

young and full of more energy than you know what to do with
...
energy (calorie burning) to maintain body temperature


Yes, context matters. Also, the supernatural happens in short bursts, but the immune system will not long suffer deprivation. The antigens of disease are omnipresent and awaiting an opportunity to overwhelm system defenses. The young, energetic, and superheroes, beware.

Original Mike said...

”Behind the boy in the image several women are seen in hefty winter boots and knee length puffer coats with their hoods raised to protect from the flurries”

What they don’t mention is that the hoods are steel-lined. Those flurries can give you a concussion.

roesch/voltaire said...

Scandinavian blood on display almost as sensible as old folks who wear Birkenstock sandals in the snow.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

“Unique” means one of a kind. Such poor writing from Daily Mail. A thing cannot by definition be unique and “not uncommon” at the same time. What a lazy double-negative phrase to employ! I expect more from the English.

Clyde said...

How about No. I wear shorts most days, but it's been in the mid-80s here lately. I dress for the climate. When it gets cold (below 60) I wear jeans to work.

Sebastian said...

The cold I could handle. But men in shorts? The horror.

Mr. Majestyk said...

"Lean in"? Really?

wwww said...



The Daily Mail covered this story? Well, I guess things don't get that cold in the UK.

Art in LA said...

Native Californian here, but lived in Chicago for 4 years back in the 90s. IIRC, my trips during winter were all about hustling between warm place to warm place. Nowadays, I joke about how homes in Chicago are warmer in winter than they are here in SoCal. The homes here have very little insulation, and nobody cranks the heat. On the other hand, the radiator heat in my little apartment in Evanston was on from October through May ... always had to crack a window, and wear shorts!

L Day said...

Even during sub-zero weather here in Montana there will always be a few boys in shorts waiting for the school bus.

Yancey Ward said...

I do this all the time when go to the gym since the trip is always from home to the gym and back again. It has to be below 10 F for me to actually dress up in pants and a coat for this. However, I always keep a coat and pants in the car in case I break down or get a flat.

rcocean said...

I've done the same thing. It makes no sense to get all dressed up, when you're just going to be outdoors for 5-10 minutes.

Art in LA said...

Also, fossil fuels for the win!

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Half or more of the boys at my son’s high school wear some form of basketball short 365 days a year, sleet or snow or dark of night. The lack of common sense this implies during bad weather irritates me, but they’ll figure it out eventually.

joeknows said...

I just read "THE WHITE DARKNESS A solitary journey across Antarctica. New Yorker Magazine.
(https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-white-darkness)

This is a spellbinding tale of Henry Worsley who made two trips to Antarctica, the second trip was done as a lone traveller. Worth reading on this cold snowy day.

Chris N said...

Say Scoops, I’m gonna show you a picture and I want ya write what the first thing that pops into that 60K a year Harvard noggin’ a yours.

Capiche?

And don’t forget to work that transgender MS-13 felony refugee angle and Trump’s Hitler Hamburger Platter At Mar A Lago.

Poolitzer!


Big Mike said...

@Cracker, wait until they discover what cold air rushing up the legs of baggy basketball shorts does to their penis and testicles. They’ll switch to something warmer.

gilbar said...

"A bold Wisconsin student shocked his campus when....
However the boy's unique fashion choice isn't uncommon"

So, Badgers are Shocked, by a fashion choice that Isn't Uncommon?

Chris N said...

Whoops, Daily Mail. it’s more like:

I fink you oughtta be clever enough to spin on this this here photo, right? Wot ever pops into ya ‘ed luv.

Keeps the lights on, innit? Then your on the paparazzo beat for the juicier bits.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Fake news.

tcrosse said...

In the early 1960's at Madison the fashion among the Langdon Street crowd was to wear a CPO shirt as a jacket in the coldest of weather. OTOH we Dormies dressed warm.

pacwest said...

"Same in AK. You'll see coats and shorts worn together, especially on the Pacific Islander guys."

Yep. I used to take the kids to outdoor hockey practice at -10F and see a Samoan in shorts and T-shirt for a full hour. Damn. Brrr! I'm not sure how they kept from getting frostbite, but they weren't shivering.

Howard said...

Is this the other end of the spectrum where men in shorts is not verboten by herr professor doktor?

Howard said...

OFF TOPIC ALTHOUSE CLICKBAIT ALERT

Science Fair Race v IQ California Hubub

iowan2 said...

1969 my older brother home on the weekend from the University of Iowa. December I think. We were doing chores, feeding and bedding the cattle, as was usual for a Saturday morning. My brother commented on the idiocy of current (1969) college kids, he even saw a guy walking down the snow covered sidewalk, wearing shorts and sandles. Dad with a smirk on his face, asked him what he was doing when he had witnessed such idiocy? Brother answered he was on his way to the girlfriends on his 750 Honda.

Fernandinande said...

Howard said..."Science Fair Race v IQ California Hubub"

That was pretty funny; for some reason they forgot to mention that the budding white supremacist is "Asian".

Hagar said...

The Daily Mail has American as well as Brit editors, but seemingly all recent high school graduates(?). Everything is always shocking and everybody is furious and the English, whether the American version or the Queen's, always atrocious. They just shovel the news in at the top as fast as it falls out the bottom. But it is often the first with something that happened, though you may wish to look elsewhere to find out exactly what, and there is also the odd item about an archeological find, or whatever, that is interesting to read.

Seeing Red said...

Now that it looks like the cooling dam is breaking for the next 50 years, let's see if the Thanes freezes over and they get their chance to wear shorts in the winter.

In short, welcome to global cooling. Told Ya! Suckers! We can't control the sun.

chuck said...

I did that sort of thing when I was in high school. These days? Not if I can avoid it; a hat, coat, and warm shoes are a must.

chuck said...

I talked to a veteran of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, he said some of the troops from Hawaii went barefoot, even in the winter.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

On the east coast (and probably elsewhere) the women very commonly do a nearly as ridiculous equivalent where they seem to like wearing cotton tights alone for leg-gear, no matter how how cold it is and how fancy/slutty/elaborate/attention-getting the rest of their dress is.

Jim at said...

When living in North Dakota, it wasn't uncommon to don a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and wash the car with temps in the mid-30s. Especially after a long spell of temps well below zero.

One adjusts.

Hagar said...

And as for what "women's lib" has really brought women, consider the Daily Mail On Line general treatment of women.
Vox populi, vox Dei

MayBee said...

See what happens when a reporter is unfamiliar with he local ways? Imagine if the opening ceremonies were in Wisconsin!

YoungHegelian said...

@Maybee,

Imagine if the opening ceremonies were in Wisconsin!

"Now, Katie, we see the Wisconsin delegation marching in wearing hats that look like wedges of cheese. Our sources tell us that the locals refer to this as 'head cheese'."

LA_Bob said...

It's the opposite dress style I don't get. Here in SoCal we have heat waves in the summer, and I see younger folks in thick hoodies and baggy pants riding bicycles or skateboarding on hot sidewalks in 95 degree weather.

Rick said...

No, he did not shock the campus.

My pet peeve of the DM's tabloidy excess is (1) describing every athlete including the backup punter as a "star", and (2) describing people with ordinary jobs as "executives" because the the job title includes something which in common English has a similar meaning. But the point is that all descriptions of impact should be discounted to zero.

It's not clear to me if the cause is ignorant staff or condescension to their readers.

n.n said...

heat waves in the summer, and I see younger folks in thick hoodies and baggy pants

Rebels with a cause and without a clue. We observed a similar phenomenon with the Feminists' "Slut Walk". Not to mention what preceded, coincided, and followed the so-called "Reckoning". Bad and Wicked Choices with progressive consequences (PC).

traditionalguy said...

Lean in , lean in. Sure. All you have to face is 4 months of bitter cold. Down south
it rains and rains and then it rains again. But one day the bright days return and flowers bloom everywhere at God's Masters.

walter said...

" I think they just want to be comfortable when they get where they're going,"
BS.
It's just dudes embracing a foolish route to look tough.
I've known guys who dare each other to stick with it..not to "pussy out".

langford peel said...

I wear shorts when I go ice fishing all the time.

We are men in Wisconsin.

Howard said...

Blogger Fernandistein said... Howard said..."Science Fair Race v IQ California Hubub" That was pretty funny; for some reason they forgot to mention that the budding white supremacist is "Asian".

Yeah. You would thunk that libturds would use this type of factual result to prove white/asian privilege and justify money for more union jobs paying dues directly into DNC slush funds to teach intensive afternoon homework tootering for Afro- and Meso-American students without regard to immigration status.

virgil xenophon said...

OT, but what happened to AA's blogroll on the side-bar?

Howard said...

Blogger langford peel said... We are men in Wisconsin.

...and the sheep are scared

Howard said...

Virgil: AFAIR, the blogroll went bye bye a while back.. maybe something to do with the work required to keep it updated and current?

Darkisland said...

What's the difference between this and women wearing skirts?

John Henry

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

What's the difference between this and women wearing skirts?

Well, other than how low the temperature is in this case, Ann doesn't have a fear of women's legs the way she does of men's.

Mountain Maven said...

Shorts miniskirts and flip-flops are standard in my snowy mountain town.

langford peel said...

Those sheep better be nervous those furry little minx.

langford peel said...

#BaaToo

Howard said...

John Henry, you should know this
Elaine explains the male body to Jerry

richard mcenroe said...

Hell, it's 2018. Just be happy he was wearing PANTS. Of course, he will "have been in the pool" until late June...

n.n said...

Elaine explains the male body to Jerry

With rare exception, she's so right. Women have the curves, and the wonderful plumage. Women: 1. Men: 1/2. Advantage: women. Incidentally, advantage: men.

Look away. I'm hideous.

Well, do what you can, when you can, if you can.

n.n said...

There must be something lost in translation. 62.6° is actually an optimum temperature.

Darkisland said...

No, I wasn't commenting on the look of legs. Men's legs don't bother me like they do ann.

I was commenting on the cold. I've never understood why women don't get cold running around in skirts in 20 degree weather.

Do they not feel the cold or is looking sexy important enoung to suffer?

And, thanks Howard. Did you really think I could just look at a single seinfeld clip? That's 30 minutes of my life down the crapper.

John Henry

n.n said...

290 in some parts. Yeah, 265 is frigid.

iowan2 said...

From the article:

Behind the boy in the image several women are seen in hefty winter boots and knee length puffer coats with their hoods raised to protect from the flurries


Women love the temperature swings, it allows them to fashion accessorize. Another layer, of coats, scarves, hats, and on, and on.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

Women love ... to fashion accessorize.

Well, women are the feminine gender, and all that it naturally entails. There is a minority of men who fantasize of being the peacocks of Homo sapiens, but they are few and far between.

Not every woman, and, in fact, most women, do not Walk like a Slut, which is probably why Feminists were forced to reimagine their qualification of progress (i.e. monotonic change).

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I was commenting on the cold. I've never understood why women don't get cold running around in skirts in 20 degree weather.

I presume they do but figure they must find it to be an easy, and - more importantly - relatively passive way to burn some calories off of their perpetually fattening asses.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Well, women are the feminine gender, and all that it naturally entails. There is a minority of men who fantasize of being the peacocks of Homo sapiens, but they are few and far between.

This comment is convoluted. Humans have highly developed cerebra and in that sense the males are the sex that excel at using their most advanced attributes to to attract sexual attention either through interesting or unusual or highly successful or admirable behavior. Even the most successful athletes among us are using their brains as well as their bodies. Female humans may not be content with being as physically dull as peahens, but they are still the gender that contributes less to evolution and that get to rely primarily on their fertility (or signifiers of it) to incite male testosterone to kick in and initiate breeding behavior with what are otherwise far less interesting specimens.

Ann Althouse said...

With a skirt in cold weather, you need to wear at least tights. You can also wear high boots and/or thick leggings with warm socks. The thing of leaving your legs bare with a skirt doesn’t even look good in winter.

Richard Dillman said...

Summer clothing in deep winter is very common in Minnesota. Being originally from Connecticut, i still find this behavior curious, however common it may be. I call it Minnesota macho. On the other hand, many Minnesotans really overdress for the cold.
I guess wind chill warnings and alerts really do frighten some people. Cold weather clothing can be stylish in its own Red Green sort of
way. Ultralight down coats have really made a difference, allowing us to be really warm in ultralight garb.

langford peel said...

Of course you should ever have sex with a shorn sheep.

They are just like Rose McGowen.

They just never stop yapping.

wildswan said...

Wisconsin Grilling

First brush off the snow.

bagoh20 said...

Further proof that fake news is not the exception.

What's that thing where you read an article about something that you know well and realize that the author doesn't actually know the subject they are writing about.

Well, that never happens to me, but I hear that it should impart some wisdom that's elusive.

Jeff Brokaw said...

This trend has been going on for years in high schools and to some extent middle schools too.

I always figured it was because very few kids walk anywhere any more, so why bother dressing for cold weather? Yet another unintended side effect of suburban mom minivan culture, sheltering and coddling kids far too long, IMHO.