🩳 Shorts Style that Doesn't Suck + 3 Ways to Look & Live Better

Hey Reader,

Welcome to Gent Within's weekend newsletter – like your favorite wingman, but for clothes, confidence, and compound interest.

Here's what I've got for you this week.

In today's 'Sletter:

• Style: Shorts that Don't Suck (a no-BS guide)
• Relationships: Kindness = Safety
• Life: 40 Questions to Ask Yourself
• Spend: Money Reveals You, Not Reinvents You
• Save: Deal of the Week
• ICYMI: Reading for the Road

STYLE

🩳 Shorts that Don’t Suck: A No-BS Guide

Let’s talk about shorts – maybe the most misunderstood piece in a man’s summer wardrobe.

Most guys either wear them too long, too loose, or too loaded with cargo. And when they do try to upgrade, they swing too far into short-shorts territory and end up looking like a retired tennis pro.

Let’s fix that.

📏 The Right Inseam (and Why It Matters)

• 5" inseam: For shorter guys (under 5'8") or those who skip leg day. Shows off more thigh, which elongates the legs.
• 7" inseam: The sweet spot for most men. Just above the knee, flattering without trying too hard.
• 9"+ inseam: Tread carefully. These cut off your leg line and can make you look shorter or bulkier than you are.

🧵 Fabric & Structure

Avoid gym shorts unless you’re actually headed to the gym.

Opt for:

• Cotton twill – sturdy, structured, timeless
• Linen blends – breezy, breathable, elevated
• Tech fabrics – moisture-wicking but still sharp (not shiny)

Bonus points for side tabs or elastic waists with drawstrings, for casual comfort.

🎨 Keep It Clean

Loud prints? Fun at the beach, but a tough sell anywhere else. Go for:

• Neutrals: navy, olive, khaki, stone
• Pastels: dusty pink, pale blue, sage
• Earth tones: rust, sand, terracotta (great with tanned skin)

TL;DR

📏 Inseam matters
🧵 Fabric counts
🎨 Keep it clean
👟 Dress them up or down smartly

If your summer shorts make you feel like a middle schooler or a bro on spring break – it’s time to upgrade. Get a grown-man fit that shows you’ve got style without saying a word.

THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR

RELATIONSHIPS

👫 Kindness Guarantees Safety

Some men perceive kindness as a weakness. They resolve to be cold, uncaring, and live a life free of attachments.

The very same men fall far behind you in the dating game if you choose to do one simple thing – be kind.

​Based on research, women ideally look for at least 4 different traits in the man they choose to be with:

1. Good genes indicators (e.g., healthy immune system, physical attractiveness)
2. Good resource acquisition indicators (e.g., a good economic standing)
3. Good parenting indicators (e.g., you won’t run away and will be a loving father to her children)
4. Good partner indicators (e.g., you take care of her, are kind to her, offer her a sense of safety)

The matter of the fact is, women don’t just go for bad boys. Nice guys can and often do get the girl – as long as you’re genuinely kind and aren’t viewing your relationship as a transaction or a way to boost your ego.

What makes a man sexually attractive to a woman isn’t just his strength or intelligence. It’s his kindness, too. It’s all the nurturing ways in which he shows love. It’s his potential to be a loving father who doesn’t stray.

​Scientists back this up. Altruism has been proven to be a signal of desirable qualities, and altruists have higher mating success than those who don’t engage in kind, good-hearted activities such as giving to charity.

As Roy T. Bennett, author of The Light in the Heart, said:

When kindness becomes a constant in your daily life, when you treat everyone around you with respect, when you nurture a sense of altruism in your heart, you will prove yourself to be her safe place.

Her shelter in a storm. Someone she can fully open herself up to.

And that, my friend, is sexy.

LIFE

🤔 40 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Year

Here's a list of 40 questions worth asking yourself each year.

A half hour or so of deep focus and introspection in answering these Q's can open up all kinds of insights and provide infinitely more value than doomscrolling social media.

1. What did you do this year that you’d never done before?
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions?
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
4. Did anyone close to you die?
5. What cities/states/countries did you visit?
6. What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?
7. What date(s) from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
9. What was your biggest failure?
10. What other hardships did you face?
11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
12. What was the best thing you bought?
13. Whose behavior merited celebration?
14. Whose behavior made you appalled?
15. Where did most of your money go?
16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
17. What song will always remind you of this year?
18. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
19. What do you wish you’d done more of?
20. What do you wish you’d done less of?
21. How are you spending the holidays?
22. Did you fall in love this year?
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
24. What was your favorite show?
25. What was the best book you read?
26. What was your greatest musical discovery of the year?
27. What was your favorite film?
28. What was your favorite meal?
29. What did you want and get?
30. What did you want and not get?
31. What did you do on your birthday?
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
33. How would you describe your personal style this year?
34. What kept you sane?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you admire the most?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
37. Who did you miss?
38. Who was the best new person you met?
39. What valuable life lesson did you learn this year?
40. What is a quote that sums up your year?

SPEND (WISELY)

💸 Money Reveals You, Not Reinvents You

They say money changes people. But here’s the truth:

If you’re generous, more money gives you more ways to give.

If you’re reckless, more money gives you more ways to wreck.

If you’re disciplined? Now you’re dangerous, in the best way.

So the real flex isn’t waiting until you're rich to figure it out – it’s learning to act like a wealthy man before your bank account catches up.

💡 Money Habit of the Week

Track just one thing this week: Emotional Spending.

Every time you buy something (online, in-person, even a coffee), ask:

• Was I bored?
• Was I anxious?
• Was it for validation or comfort?
• Or was it intentional and aligned with my values?

You don’t need a budgeting app. Just open your Notes app and jot it down.

You’ll be surprised how many of your purchases are emotional reflexes – not actual needs.

🤑 Deal of the Week

Spier & Mackay

Get an additional 30% off their dress shirts. I like this one with the Italian button-down collar in navy. Casual, cool & comfortable. They've also got brown if you prefer something more earthy.

​Navy wide-stripe linen dress shirt - $78 $49.99

📖 Reading for the road

• How to Wear White Sneakers 5 Stylish Ways​

• Men's Summer Fashion: 20 menswear essentials)​

• ​​​How to Attract Women (Without even trying)​

• ​​​The Best Summer Color Combinations​

• 5 Types of T-shirts & How to Wear Them with Style​

• Best Minimalist Sneakers (Step into style & comfort)​​​

I hope this email made your day 1% better. If you like this dispatch please do "add to address book" or reply and let me know what you're thinking. These are "positive signals" that help my newsletter land in your inbox.