4 Reasons Men Should Not Tuck in a Shirt

November 17, 2010, By 566 comments

4 Reasons Men Should Not Tuck in a Shirt

I have a friend named Pete. Great guy. Two kids, career on the rise, single (recently divorced and thrilled about it) and generally a man about the town. And no, Pete is not my first name, or is it a euphemism for me. Pete is real. And Pete may be you…

Like I said, Pete has everything going for him. Including all of his aforementioned attributes, he’s a funny, gregarious, likeable guy. Pete’s makin’ it happen. Except for one thing. Pete tucks his shirt in too tight.

So what?... you say. Big deal. So Pete’s neat. He wants to be presentable. Look his best. Clean cut. Professional. An upstanding citizen. He should tuck his shirt in, and as tight as the lug nuts on his truck too. Right? Wrong.

And let me make this clear, I’m focusing on the social aspect of shirt tucking, at work, tuck to your hearts content. I’m not the boss. Maybe he likes it that way. They’re usually ‘tight tuckers’ too.

Socially, it never fails. I’ll step out with my buddies – and one of them (sometimes more… unfortunately) has their shirt jacked in so tight it looks as if it was painted on. It also never fails that when they make their approach (some are better than others) the first thing a woman notices is the ultra tight tuck. It’s never good, regardless of shirt type. Here’s why…

1. The button down. Unless you’re 6’3” and 200 lbs. or less -- let the panels loose. The way button down shirts are cut; they simply do not flatter most male physiques. Especially those of the average American male in his 30’s. Yes, this means you. You have to be a lean, mean fighting machine to get away with the ultra tight tuck. And even then it rarely looks great.

2. The T-shirt. T-shirts should never be tucked in. Ever. And I mean never. I don’t care if it’s a thousand dollar, golden threaded, Ralph Lauren Purple label, or one of those disastrous Ed Hardy numbers… If you are tucking in your T-shirts then you’re so far gone help might not be available to you. Stop. End of story.

Page 1 of 2

Comments (566):

Sean D. For button ups, please tuck them in unless they barely fall bellow the belt line, otherwise you look like youre swimming in a table cloth. - 02/12/2012
Lisa L. Shirt tucking looks ridiculous. My ex husband tucked in every shirt from button downs to polo shirts. And quite frankly it was a HUGE turn off. The worst looking aspect of the shirt tucking is when the waist of the pants are higher than his belly button. Oh, and lose the suspenders.... Gross. There are very few men who can pull of a shirt tuck, the CEO with a six pack and perfectly tailored slacks. Otherwise, wearing it tucked in looks as fugly as jeans that sag to your knees. - 11/03/2011
Annie B. OH NO! I know what is worse than ultra tight tucks- a huge BEER GUT with a shirt barely hanging over it untucked like a pregnant woman with a mini skirt! EW! So SOME times, it looks better to tuck! - 11/02/2011
Ed B. Tucked-in short makes it harder to hide your conceal piece:-) - 10/22/2011
Ex G. I dated my ex boyfriend for 3 years and he went up to about 250 lbs, which is fine, but not when he is still tucking everything (t-shirts, worn out long sleeved work shirts) tucked into his uber-tight narrow leg jeans. He didn't know why I never wanted to leave the apartment: it was because he is mortifying to be seen with! I tried talking to him and letting him know he dresses just like his 50-something year old father, who is a nice man, but there is no excuse for a fat 25 year old to be squeezing into George Strait's outfits. One of the other commenters insinuated that this heinous trend is sexy because it shows off your bulge? Why don't you try being a member of the human race instead of an uncivilized beast one step away from sniffing each other's crotches? That's gross. I don't want to be confronted with your damn dick unless I REALLY like you. I mean if that is your excuse for tucking then that is very pathetic. And guys don't pretend that because you are tucking your t-shirt into your tight, walmart, farmboy jeans that you are elevated in some way, or neat, or not a slob. You're all slobs. - 10/09/2011
Shanon B. Tucking makes a man look like he cares how he looks and it's sexy as hell when a man looks groomed vs a man who looks "over laid back". - 10/08/2011
Mandy . What I am concluding from Mr. Lassiter, is you have a "hipper" approach to life if you just look like a slob. Tuck in your shirt and you're sure to be ridiculed by the slobs and slouches. Looking at his jawline and jowls, I'm going to make a guess that his waist band doesn't support a good looking tuck in. He's bitter about the neat and tidy look provided by a tucked in shirt, because his belly is made obvious by the tuck in. - 09/28/2011
Chaz R. When a man tucks in his shirt its so you can take a look at his crotch, The more confident he is of his bulge the tighter and tucked in look is great. I for one am a crotch watcher and I want to at least see what may be down there......lol - 09/24/2011
Anthony S. Wow… You should always tuck in your shirt unless your wearing a sweater or a Jersey. And then again unless you are going to a game you shouldn't be wearing a Jersey if your over 20. - 09/20/2011
Dave A. Never take fashion advice from a man who doesn't know what a button-down shirt is. Look it up. - 09/20/2011
Joe B. So all my situps are a waste of time? You lazy-bone-dogs. I have ultra-flat six-pack abs. I only agree with 3 and 4. I tuck in all my dress shirts and nice tees. My casual dress shirts (like Charlie Harper's) never get tucked in, -- and who really cares about ratty old tees when I am mowing the lawn or shopping at home depot? - 09/13/2011
Bruce R. I guess it probably takes a divorced guy to list being divorced as somehow being a positive character attribute about "Pete." Nice try, P.K. - 09/11/2011
Frank M. It's all of the fatties with big guts, who want to get everyone to think untucking is in style. This way they can hide the area above their belt that looks like chewed bubble gum. Hit the gym and lay off the donuts, then tuck your shirt in like a man. - 09/08/2011
Erika W. Oh, if only these guys would read the article and take it to heart! He's not talking about business wear and job interviews, he's talking about that t-shirt you wear tucked into your jeans, showing off your gut (or if you don't have a gut, your lack of fashion sense) when you go to the grocery store. No, it doesn't make you look polished and put together - it's the male equivalent of mom jeans. Note re: "girls" and "women" - I'm 32. But hey, I'm sure my 90-year-old grandmother will appreciate your style! - 09/05/2011
Lee Roy Y. My boss called me and told to me tuck in my shirt after walking by his office. I'm thinking "WTF?". In my review I told him I shouldn't have to tuck in my shirt because of the style of clothing that I wear doesn't require it. He told me to do it anyway. Sorry but I'm a rebel. I'm going untucked! - 08/25/2011
Mr. Bob O. So you have joined all the rest of the lemmings, and follow your leader. You certainly have a right to your opinion, and that's all it is. If you insist on leaving your shirt untucked, then go ahead and look like everyone else, ie. unkept, unironed, and unflattering. Just my opinion, but women, not girls, prefer a man to look well kept, always have, and most likely always will. Certainly employers do, especially when interviewing for a position. I understand your thought process; you want to belong, and be different. So you excercise your individuality by doing the same thing eveyone else does? Keep flapping, you falling behind your leader. - 08/13/2011

© 2012 Man of the House, Barefoot Proximity, P&G Productions