Hot pants are actually not pants, but are shorts. Hot pants are, in fact, characterized by being short. They are about as short as possible, and are sometimes known as short shorts. Hot pants are thought to have been inspired by the miniskirt. Having two separate holes for the legs, the hot pant could achieve even shorter lengths than the miniskirt, while still staying in place.

Hot pants first became a popular fashion during the 1970’s and were often worn to disco clubs during these years. They are considered a disco fashion, but hot pants were not only worn while grooving under the mirrored disco ball — they were also a popular fashion item for everyday street clothes.

During the heyday of hot pants, the office place held mixed reviews. For example, while many companies forbade their employees to wear the shorts to work, others embraced the fashion. Southwest Airlines, for example, proudly incorporated hot pants into the company uniform. 1970’s television commercials and print ads for the airlines show stewardesses wearing hot pants, along with tall, heeled boots, which were a popular accompaniment for hot pants.

Hot pants were sometimes worn very tight to the hips, waist and bottom. It was common to see these super-tight hot pants on pin-up posters, often worn with a short top that showed the midriff. Hot pants were often worn with stockings or tights underneath, but many ladies were brave enough to wear the leg revealing shorts alone.

Another common way to wear hot pants was with a long top that came down and covered the hips. These tops were so long, and hot pants were so short, that the hot pants might be almost completely hidden by the top. Tops could also be tucked into the hot pants, a slightly more body revealing style. Whether the top worn with hot pants was tucked in or worn over the shorts, it was very common to wear a low-slung wide belt, and tall boots that reached almost to the knee.