Capri Pants, Worse than Mother-in-Laws?
By Glinda
I was watching Chris Titus and his Comedy Central special the other day. In it, he has some tips for women about things men really think, but are afraid to tell you.
It ranged from personal things you tell your relatives to the number one thing that bugs them.
Capri pants.
I was shocked.
Do men even really think about capri pants enough to name them the number one thing that bothers them? The comedian claimed that they were leg-stumpifying, cankle-showcasing monstrosities that are neither pants nor shorts. And that pairing them with cork wedges was the worst.
I asked my husband if he loathed capri pants as much as Chris Titus seems to. He tilted his head and thoughtfully responded that he honestly had no reaction to them one way or the other.
And that, my friends, was the right answer because Glinda tends to often find herself wearing capri pants. I’m home-free on the cork wedge front, though.
But what do you think? Are they fashion abominations? Or the perfect length for bridging those in-between weather days? Or maybe Chris Titus just goes out with women that have short legs and bad ankles?
February 18th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I think that some people can wear them and look good in them but those people are not me. I am short so they look like I am preparing for a flood when I wear them. I think that men have a lot worse things to complain about then the kind of pants some women wear. I would think that an over bearing MIL would be tons worse than a pair of capri pants.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
The gemdiva, being blessed with luxurious proportions, finds that capris are more aesthetically pleasing on her than shorts in the summer and therefore, make a nice warm weather compromise. She hastens to add that this is her own personal choice and should in no way be construed as a suggestion that her “Big” sisters refrain from wearing shorts.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I hate capri pants. I hate shorts. I hate that women regularly expose their legs, and I think it’s vulgar and distasteful. I haven’t shown my legs in years. When I was pregnant, I hated that all maternity dresses were knee-length, and was very self-conscious when I wore them. Does any pregnant woman have nice ankles? Why show them off? I always have my ankles covered. A bit victorian of me, but I don’t care.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Awesome Mom — trust me. You’d rather have the capri pants. I speak from experience. Heck, I’d even wear khakis, which make my butt look a mile wide, if I didn’t have to deal with my FIL, either.
At least my husband knows and acknowledges the problems — one of his Christmas presents to me this year was that I do not have to visit his parents at all in 2009.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I like capris even though I’m on the shorter side- but I only ever wear them with cute flats and a simple tee a la Audrey Hepburn, and they Must be the right length- anything that touches the top of your bobby socks is too long and looks like you bought floods. (I’m short enough that I’ve even been known to buy “tall” capris and wear them as regular pants- sometimes that’s the only way to find a pant with a 28 inch inseam)
February 18th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I’ve always hated capri pants, but it’s an entirely self-absorbed hatred. I am petite and pear-shaped, and capri pants always seem to hit me right at the fattest part of my calves, obliterating my shapely legs and making me look stumpy and boxy and three inches shorter. But if you can pull off the Audrey Hepburn capri look, I say more power to you!
And I’m really surprised capri pants made the #1 spot in “things that bug men.” My fiance didn’t even know what capri pants were!
February 18th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I’m fairly tall, and I have pretty nice ankles, if I say so myself.
But I’ll be honest, I’ve never looked at ANY woman wearing capri pants and thought she looked bad.
@ayla- You must live in a very cold climate. It gets to be 100F+ where I live in the summer. Unless you want to melt, you have to wear shorts.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
we watched that same show, and my husband agreed on the capri pants (i already knew that — he hates them). personally, i don’t like capri pants or shorts, it’s skirts for me when the weather is hot.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I’m with Melissa, but with an extra dash of hatred for the relentless ubiquity of the damn things. There was a time about four years ago when every single woman over the age of 30 and under the age of 60 was wearing them, with mules, and I resisted simply because of that. I didn’t wear Georgio in the ’80’s either. What can I say, I’m a rebel.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I can’t live without them. I’m shorter than the average short, and long pants are way too long for me. I need capris to survive. Sorry Chris Titus. I think he just said that to get a rise out of us.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I have nice ankles but my legs are kind of short. The only time I wear capris are at work (spandex, I’m a fitness instructor). I like wearing shorts because I have pretty nice legs, if I say so myself, but I don’t think I could pull off dress capris. By the way, my husband doesn’t mind capris at all!
February 18th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I’m not a fan of the capris, just because they don’t really do anything for my legs. Give me a nice slim, knee-length walking short instead, or a knee-length skirt or dress. My mom looks kickass in capris, though. She’s not tiny (a size 14), but she has absurdly tiny, dainty little ankles, and can rock the slim capri pants like nobody’s business.
And ayla, whatever floats your boat, darling. (As long as you don’t judge those of us who do show our ankles and legs.) One consolation is that you’re very unlikely to get any sort of melanoma on your legs, anyway. 🙂
February 19th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
My father hates it when my mother wears capris, and doesn’t bother to conceal the fact. Not that he really goes around shouting about it, but he does point out that she could “dress better” every few times she has them on.
Me, I don’t care one way or another. I wear them often enough; I find that as I am a bowlegged stick, capris help to give my legs the appearance of being a little wider than they are.
Do pregnant women really not have nice ankles? I wouldn’t think that pregancy had anything to do with ankles…
February 19th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
My husband hates capris. Which I always thought was really odd. Who knew that this was majority opinion? I don’t mind capris, but I don’t have very many pairs. I mostly wear shorts in warmer weather.
February 19th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
@Nariya- Some pregnant women experience fluid retention (official medical term edema), and that can puff out their ankles.
I didn’t have edema during pregnancy, but for the week immediately following my son’s birth, my ankles seemed like they were as wide as my calves.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Thank you, Chris Titus, for saying what I’ve been thinking for years. I don’t know exactly why, but capri pants really bug me. Even when someone can pull it off (and a few can, like Audrey Hepburn and Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie, and you, Glinda) they still bug me. I will say, however, that they bug me more with ballet flats or some other leg-stumpifying shoe, but not so much cork wedges.
It feels good to finally let that out.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:26 am
Capris are completely unflattering. I’ve seen perfect 10s wearing them and thought ‘what happened to her?’ Long pants create a long leg line as do shorts. No more capris!
May 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
My wife and I watched that last week. She just happened to be wearing capris AND cork wedge flip flops LOL!! I haven’t let her live it down yet!!
June 20th, 2009 at 11:58 am
My husband hates capris and had since the day I met him. He’ll be glad to know he’s not the only one. He calls them hobbit pants. His opinion has definitley curtailed my wearing of them but I still try every now and then but he’s right, in my case any way!
September 5th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Titus is right!!! It make a womens butt look big and legs look short. If that the look your after. More power to you