A brief history of the pop star micro short

Micro shorts, hot pants, Daisy Dukes. Whatever name you know them by, they all subscribe to the same rule: they must be tiny. They might be denim, corduroy, leather or latex – with waists high and low – but almost all are ass-grazingly short and beloved by pop stars everywhere. At Coachella this year, some of the biggest artists of the moment took pop’s relationship with short shorts to a new level. Charli xcx, for instance, made her hot pants part of her performance, making a point of picking out her wedgie on camera during “Von Dutch”. Elsewhere at the festival, Tyla accidentally started a feud with Britney fans and began an online debate about fashion referencing, all in the name of micro shorts.

When the 23-year-old South African artist emerged on stage this weekend wearing a lime green bralette, body chain and tasselled denim shorts, X users were quick to point out the resemblance to Britney Spears’ 2001 VMA performance look. Rather than let the internet believe she was paying homage to Britney, Tyla shut down the discourse, writing, “Love her but I just thought the outfit was fly… no inspo.”

As we well know, Britney fans are fiercely protective of their pop princess, and Tyla insinuating that the look was a simple coincidence was never going to land well. Soon after, posts had evolved from “tribute” to “copycat”, with Tyla responding by saying, “Personally, I think you should stfu” to one user on X. Coincidence or not, the debate is certainly proof of one thing: micro shorts are a pop star’s best friend.

In 2000, Kylie Minogue made an epic return to pop music in a pair of gold lamé hot pants. The “Spinning Around” music video made headlines around the world, not only for her comeback, but for Kylie’s now-legendary teeny tiny shorts (that were initially bought for 50p at a flea market). Today, the shorts live at Melbourne’s art museum, where they are reportedly kept behind bulletproof glass and rumoured to be worth $10 million. 

Then in 2003, Beyoncé uttered the first words of her solo career – “You ready?” – wearing a pair of denim Daisy Dukes in the “Crazy In Love” music video. Perhaps uncoincidentally, she wore an almost identical outfit (short shorts and a white vest) last week for her most recent Levi’s campaign. The original Prada tank and J Brand denim shorts were deliberately pared back (“We wanted to do something that the kids could emulate and copy,” stylist Ty Hunter told British Vogue in 2023). Beyoncé has been a micro short devotee ever since, wearing them to headline Coachella in 2018, plus many other occasions on tour. Famously, the singer wears them with undetectable nude fishnets because they aren’t visible on camera and create an airbrushed look.

Then there’s Miley Cyrus, who delivered one of the most memorable – and controversial – performances of the 2010s in 2013, emerging from a giant teddy bear at the VMAs. The singer wore a silver bear-printed leotard, which she whipped off to reveal a nude latex crop top and hot pant combo. 

A year later, at the 2014 VMAs, Nicki Minaj performed her latest hit, “Anaconda”, wearing a pair of sparkling emerald hot pants and matching bra. Then at the 2017 Grammys, Lady Gaga wore a pair of black leather hot pants during her performance with Metallica, while at this year’s ceremony, Doechii’s viral performance saw dancers tear off her clothes to reveal a Thom Browne underwear set. Since launching into the public eye last year, Doechii and her stylist Sam Woolf have frequently opted for the micro short look, perhaps most notably in Miu Miu at Camp Flog Gnaw 2024. 

For the biggest performance of Dua Lipa’s career, her Glastonbury 2024 headline set, the pop star wanted short everything: short skirts, short dresses and multiple pairs of short shorts. She wore red and black chainmail shorts by Michael Schmidt, paired with a Shakespears Sister band t-shirt. The punky aesthetic of this particular look paid tribute to Blondie’s Debbie Harry, who was one of the earliest pioneers of micro shorts, famously photographed wearing them at Coney Island in 1977. During her encore, Dua wore a Loewe body suit, which gave the illusion of studded high-waisted hot pants. 

Fast forward to the present day, besides Tyla’s accidental Britney costume and Charli’s wedgie to camera, Coachella 2025 was full of micro short moments. Megan thee Stallion alternated between leather biker and denim hot pants, Jennie wore a custom pair by Cotton Candy LA for weekend one and a red vinyl pair for weekend two, whilst Lisa wore multicoloured jewelled briefs – designed by Dua’s favourite, Michael Schmidt. 

Micro shorts have been an integral part of pop’s DNA since the turn of the century, and it’s easy to see why: they have accompanied some of the most iconic moments of the past 25 years, from Kylie’s “Spinning Around” and Beyoncé’s solo debut, to Miley’s VMA twerkfest and Doechii’s viral Grammy performance. Could hot pants be the secret ingredient to some of music’s most memorable moments? Maybe. Or maybe they’re just easy to move in. Either way, in 2025, microphones come with micro shorts too.