For many teenage girls Tempo shorts are not considered “gym shorts” or “athletic shorts” they are just the default, everyday shorts. Also, OP could consider that she dodged a bullet in that the girl had Tempos and not the formerly ubiquitous “cheer shorts” which seem to have mostly fallen out of favor.
Maybe it’s just me - but if I were going to a movie or a restaurant, I’d want at least Bermuda-length shorts or skirt simply because so many places air-condition and freeze you to death. And I’m not a particularly “run hot” type of person. You’re just safer in longer pants and something other than a tank top, IMO.
Wow, what a hubbub.
Wake up - the US has become a “tourist destination”. Anyone not in their hometown can dress as they want to, shorts, T-shirt, whatever.
Frankly, I can’t see any difference between a sundress and a pair of Nike shorts and a T-shirt. But dirty clothes are never good, that’s the only place I draw the line. My father is terrible about that, he gets a spot and it stays forever, so he will go out in a $50 shirt with a yellow mustard stain on it and say “so?”.
If your friends are too casual for you, maybe you need more formal friends.
(and college classrooms are uncomfortable enough without trying to dress “nice”)
One point that hasn’t been brought up yet:
How much stuff was this young woman allowed to bring with her to Orientation? And how much did she need?
I had a kid go to a summer college orientation once, and he needed a lot of things that you don’t carry when you stay in hotels – like a sleeping bag, pillow, alarm clock, and towel. That’s because the kids were staying in a dorm, and dorms aren’t equipped the way hotels are. Also, the kids could only bring what they could carry themselves because there wasn’t anyone available to help them with their luggage. Given these circumstances, my kid would not have wanted to bring anything beyond the minimum stuff that was necessary – and he was arriving by car. A kid traveling by plane would have even more reason to travel light.
I mention this because the OP and many other people here seem to think that the young woman in question should have brought extra “just in case” clothing on her trip to Orientation. I think that it’s entirely possible that she does bring clothing of this sort on most occasions, but that Orientation might be an exception because of the special circumstances it involves.
Of course, if the family had really thought things through, the parents could have carried some extra clothing for the daughter in their luggage – for use before or after the actual Orientation program – but I suspect that this detail didn’t occur to them.
blinks
blinks again
Because of this thread, I went up to LL Bean’s flagship store last night at 11:30 pm (they’re open 24/7, year round) and bought a bunch of nice clothes - well, nicer than t-shirts and gym shorts, at least. Thanks for the kick in the pants, so to speak! Now I will look presentable on the flights to England and South Africa.
@Marian I have this overwhelming fear that as I start to have less day-to-day contact with my kids, I will start losing touch with current clothing styles and new technology. I too miss that “you’re not wearing that, are you?” comment since my very fashion-conscious youngest D has moved cross country. I occasionally text her a selfie of an outfit so that she can critique it and offer suggestions. As far as technology, I have always felt very current but am finding I have to work harder at it now that our youngest is at college and really not even home for summers now. Hopefully I can make the effort to attempt not to become that clueless little “old lady” that teenagers make fun of.
Agree, NE would be inappropriate but out here perfectly normal. I have had to adjust my expectations since leaving the NE. The couple in front of us recently at the Seattle Symphony were in a suit and an evening gown, the guy next to the wife was in cargo shorts, a tee shirt and sneakers, looked like he just finished pressure washing the driveway. These were the subscriber seats up near the front.
Before that, my wife and I had dinner in a fancy Italian place. The adjacent table had a mother and two young girls in soccer uniforms, complete with cleats and shin guards. It seems all bets are off from my old person notions of dress code.
With all of the furor about the gym shorts, nobody has brought up the actual standard default bopping around shorts of 18-yr old girls (and horrifyingly, middle school girls) here in the SF Bay Area - short-shorts with a tad of cheek hanging out. As has been noted, we are a bit more “chill” in CA with dress codes, and this transplanted NY-er has gotten comfortable with just about anything. However, I draw the line when I see underage cheek hanging out.
Yes, shorts (gym shorts or other shorts) chosen by females seem to be a lot shorter than those chosen by males.
Males usually choose gym shorts with around 7"-9" inseam, and other shorts typically with around 10"-11" inseam. It does seem that females commonly choose shorts (any kind) with inseams much shorter than 7".
agree @cameron121, but combine your issue with a muffin top and it is horrifying.
A year or two ago clothing manufacturers unilaterally hiked up male inseams. I was annoyed. Our family didn’t buy shorter shorts for the male members; it just made it harder to find shorts.
In my opinion, too-short shorts inseams are not flattering for men.
My jean shorts tend to be about 2" inseam; however, my dolphin shorts are about 3" to 4" inseam. Longer shorts cut awkwardly on my body and tend to ride up. I wear them short or I don’t wear them at all. 
OP here.
With the end of the story.
First of all, I love CC…you never know where these conversations will go…it’s like the old game of “telephone” in elementary school…it takes on a life of its own.
Just to clarify, the issue wasn’t that I had invited the family to meet us at a restaurant and they didn’t have the right clothing with them. The issue was that I was genuinely surprised that an 18-year-old would fly across the country…for a two-day college orientation…in a large city…without knowing what all might happen…and that her only clothes were two pairs of running shorts and 3 t-shirts. And before anyone asks, this is a wealthy kid.
The Thai restaurant dilemma was more of a hitchcock macguffin …it was just an event that came up that then illuminated the bigger thing. In any case, we ended up last night going to a great hamburger place that was more order at the counter and find a seat rather than a sit-down dinner with a couple of courses. Honestly, they were beat and completely worn-out from two days of meeting with professors and advisors and roommates, etc. and the last thing in the world they needed was a big to-do dinner. So it all worked out great.
But despite the good arguments here, I still think that putting on a pair of long pants or a casual sundress or just changing out of exercise wear into something is better than assuming that ALL events are best approached wearing shorts. LOL. And i’m still laughing about the letter upstream cocerning the dad who wore shorts to his daughter’s wedding because he refused to put on anything else.
Niquii77 makes a good point. Women runners wear shorter shorts due to riding up and chafing. It’s an issue.
Niquii- Can you still get Dolphin shorts? We used to run in those (no liners) in the 80s- red and white stripes! I loved them. I thought they were long gone.
From what I’ve seen, they’re definitely back in stores. They really took off in my area maybe a year or two ago. I’ve seen mainly the every day print shorts and those are the shorts I prefer to jean shorts. I love them. So many prints, styles, and cuts, plus the fabric of the ones I have are fast drying and cooling in the heat. 
An example of everyday dolphin shorts:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6e/49/93/6e499385524acf1722abb3f2767e3e89.jpg
https://img1.etsystatic.com/026/1/8661387/il_570xN.513989467_be09.jpg
https://cdnb.lystit.com/200/250/tr/photos/a940-2015/02/23/forever-21-rustblack-tribal-print-crepe-shorts-brown-product-2-105502969-normal.jpeg
I like those!
Here is what we wore. Dolphin was the brand.
http://www.inthe80s.com/clothes/dolfinshorts0.shtml
I think it’s strange to only pack Norts and t-shirts for a travel trip, Orientation, etc. Even if you think that’s all you’ll need to wear, it’s just a good idea to bring something nicer “just in case”.
“Just in case” what? Well, that’s the thing…you don’t know what…even a sudden cold front could mean that you needed to bring something else.
Perhaps that is a reason for very short shorts (of any kind) to be less common for men.
“I mention this because the OP and many other people here seem to think that the young woman in question should have brought extra “just in case” clothing on her trip to Orientation.”
You’ve COMPLETELY missed everything we’ve been saying if you are thinking we are saying that the young woman should have brought extra “just in case.” No one has said that. What we are saying is that she might have been advised to bring casual clothing that would have worked up and down the scale.
Let’s say that her carry-on could only handle two tops and two bottoms.
What makes more sense?
- I’ll bring 1 tank top, 1 sweatshirt, and 2 pairs of athletic shorts, none of which can “dress up” if needed?
or - I’ll bring 1 tank top, 1 “nicer” casual top, 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of jeans - because with the “nicer” casual top and the pair of jeans, I can go to most restaurants these days?