memories of the ’70s – Hot pants

In the 1970s, freewheeling attitudes continued from the hippie era, and women explored wearing a range of clothing from the maxi dress and bell bottom jeans to the sexy shorts known as hot pants.

Technically described as shorts with an inseam of two inches or less, these wee shorts were meant to show off your assets, from your tiny waist and all the way down your legs. Although mainly worn by teens and 20 somethings, hot pants became a favourite for club wear for the girls heading to the disco.

Fledging airline Southwest, adorned its female flight attendants in 1973 in uniforms featuring hot pants suits with go go boots.The trend became so popular, but the Philadelphia Phillies had already decided to capitalize on the sexy fashion.

In the 1970s, the Philadelphia Phillies created The Hot Pants Patrol, a group of usherettes adorned in a one piece jumpsuit/hot pants combo in Phillie crimson and white go go boots, made to lure the male fan into Veterans ballpark.

In 1979, the Dukes of Hazzard debuted on tv, starring Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) sporting hot pants in denim. Ironically since the remake of the television series into a film in 2005 starring Jessica Simpson,  the short shorts were now renamed by the media as Daisy Dukes.

So as the decade faded, this trend officially faded too – girls embraced the luxury fashions of the 1980s and the Phillies under pressure by women, media and female fans, retired The Hot Pants Patrol. But the moniker hot pants will always conjure up the girl who wanted to show it off.