Hot pants, or ‘short shorts’ describe extremely short shorts, which may be worn by women or to a lesser extent, by men. The term was first used by Women’s Wear Daily in 1970 to describe shorts made in luxury fabrics such as velvet and satin for fashionable wear, rather than their more practical equivalents that had been worn for sports or leisure since the 1930s. The term has since become a generic term for any pair of extremely short shorts.

While hot pants were briefly a very popular element of mainstream fashion in the early 1970s, by the mid-1970s, they had become associated with the sex industry, which contributed to their fall from fashion. However, hot pants continue to be popular as clubwear well into the 2010s and are often worn within the entertainment industry, particularly as part of cheerleader costumes or for dancers (especially backup dancers). Performers such as Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue have famously worn hot pants as part of their public performances and presentation.

While hot pants were principally marketed to women, men were also targeted, and the term can describe very short men’s shorts. These black and white photos that show sexy young women in hot pants in the 1970s.