“Things my boyfriend would look good in,” reads the screen of a TikTok video by user @GabrielleKraus. As a viewer, I expected the usual handsome-guy garments: a tuxedo, perhaps, or a muscle tank. No.

When the dog days of summer roll in, shorts are an absolute essential. Forget all the hand-wringing about when and where to wear them—you’ll know. It might be a backyard barbecue. Or a particularly ...