The long and shorts of it

I don't wear shorts.

It's a thing. As much of a thing as the fact that I don't like eggs or that I love Lady Gaga. These are the truths that I find to be self-evident.

Sure, I wear shorts to sleep and to play volleyball, but that's only because a) it gets hot and b) you can't really wear knee pads with pants. The last time I wore real shorts was probably in high school.

A few months ago, when we were still in the middle of winter, I noticed a few girls wearing shorts with tights under them at the bar. Genius! It looked cute and was a fun alternative to jeans. Not too long later, I went to Target and bought a pair of black shorts. While getting ready for a night out in London, I put on my cute new shorts and a pair of patterned tights...and then immediately exchanged them for a dress.

A week later, back in New York and getting ready to go out yet again, I gave the tights and shorts situation another shot. My friend walked into my apartment to pregame, took one look at me and said, "Ooh, I like."

After a few more nights out and a few more compliments on my outfit, I've become a total convert to the shorts and tights look to the point where you will probably see me wearing these same black Target shorts every winter weekend from now until...I don't know when. I would say whenever this look goes out of style but I don't think anything I wear is ever in style to begin with.

Fast forward a month or 2, and I decided to do something totally crazy: I was going to buy another pair of shorts. One that I would wear...without tights underneath. This might not seem like a big deal to you, but if it doesn't then I assure you that you are not one of the many women who refuse to wear shorts because BLARG MY LEGS ARE TERRIBLE AND SHORTS RIDE UP AND ARE UNCOMFORTABLE AND A;ALSKDFASLKFJ and so on and so forth. Trust me on this. If you're a woman whose thighs don't touch when you stand with your feet together then YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

So anyway, I bought 2 pairs of shorts - some regular denim ones and some pink ones. I was planning on wearing the pink ones to Electric Daisy Carnival, which I did, but I panicked at the last minute and yet again put some tights on. Whoops.

HOWEVER.

Last week I went to Governor's Island with some friends for a picnic, and I wore my denim shorts. Without tights or anything on underneath them. We sat down at our picnic and I didn't have to sit with my legs awkwardly to the side or fear that I was flashing everyone the goods because SHORTS, YOU GUYS. I survived. I even kind of liked it.

After years and years of being a non-shorts person, it feels almost weird to have this whole new category of summer clothes open up to me, and I feel like I now need to invest in lots of cute tanks and t-shirts because after many many summers of only wearing dresses, I don't have much else. But it's kind of incredible to think that sometimes, the things we think are the core facets of who we are or what we like can just...change. Maybe not in the time it takes to flip a switch, but it only took me a few months from even entertaining the idea of wearing shorts to actually doing it. I still don't really like my legs, but...who cares?

I'm like a whole new person now. Bring it on, summer!