Who wears short shorts?

Summer officially began this week. But for most of us, temperatures have already been reaching into the mid 90s — often with high humidity.

On this blog, we frequently praise dresses and skirts as a stylish way to keep cool during the heat wave that is summer in the South, as well as up the Eastern seaboard. However, shorts are another (albeit, more casual) option.

Mainly reserved for weekends and vacations, shorts can be a blessing. For one, we women don’t have to make sure we’re always sitting in a ladylike manner.

However, done wrong, shorts have the potential to make us look shorter and rounder. And no one wants that!

Here are some things to keep in mind when making selections:

If you do not have long legs, stay away. Those of us who are a bit vertically challenged and/or have larger thighs than we might prefer should avoid these mid-leg foes.

Some find this type of short more forgiving for curvy gals simply because of coverage. But if you fall into the “short” category, there’s no way to avoid these cutting off your legs and making them appear shorter.

(I don’t wear these, can you tell?)

Maybe you’re fit and short — these can be a cute option for you. You get to show off your legs, and the shorter you go, the longer your legs look. Just please, for the rest of us, make sure you cover what needs to be covered.

Don’t want to show off so much leg? Fairly average height? Mid-length shorts are the best bet for most people. Casual or preppy, this length is generally cropped to be flattering.

If you see me wearing shorts, they will be of the mid-length variety.

Who decided capris were a good idea and should be mainstream? OK, OK, once again for the tall and thin — and even then they’re questionable. These can work on some people, usually with heels, but they have a tendency to make women look short and stumpy. My feeling is this: Shorts or pants, pick one please.

Summer is the perfect time to be creative and energetic with clothing selection, and shorts are no exception. They do not have to be plain and monotonous.

While outlet shopping on vacation, I snagged a pair of bright shorts from the Gap Outlet, and I’m smitten. I also have a pair of plaid shorts I enjoy.

One word of warning though: This is true for all shorts, but make especially sure plaid shorts aren’t too tight or the pattern will be distorted and they’ll look even tighter than they feel.

First, yes, it is a double standard that women are allowed to wear jean shorts (denim shorts), but when men wear them they are automatically jorts. Why? Because we can make them look good.

That does not mean we need to wear them. Not if you’re dressing to impress. Unless maybe you’re going for this:

Compliments of the Internet

As a University of Georgia alumna, I can’t help but mention Gators Wear Jean Shorts. So this is obviously something to be avoided.

I know the summer heat can be intense, but that doesn’t mean style has to suffer. Take this opportunity to be a little more casual while keeping cool — and show you can look put together even though it’s a million degrees with 11o percent humidity.