Pinkie Boyfriend shorts in the sunshine
Fighter Girls has made a lot of changes to its online shop and catalogue over the past year or so. This includes both an increased offering of great women’s martial arts and fitness apparel, but also a clarification of the different cuts of its women’s MMA shorts; their board shorts are notorious as awesome and as particular in cut and fit. Fighter Girls are the premium purveyor of women’s fight wear and they do a great job of creating goods for women, however their stuff, while good value, isn’t cheap and they can be tough to wear for some body shapes. By categorising their women’s shorts as styles 301, 302, 304 and 305 it is easier to choose the right kind of cut for your needs.
I treated myself to a pair of the Pinkie Logo Hottie Boyfriend shorts and asked the readers of review of the All Around the World shorts. In all cases, I wear the US7/UK10 and the following table gives a break down of the size differentials between the shorts.(1) These measurements are post-washing on a warm 60°C cycle; the great synthetic, sweat-wicking, slightly stretchy fabric of the board shorts is very resistant to shrinkage or fading and my black shorts have held their colour well over the past year.
| Style | A (cm/in) | B (cm/in) | C (cm/in) | D (cm/in) | E (cm/in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | 43/16.9 | 30.5/12.0 | 39/15.4 | 20.5/8.1 | 28/11.0 |
| 302 | 45.5/17.9 | 31/12.2 | 40/15.7 | 20.5/8.1 | 29.5/11.6 |
| 304 | 45.5/17.9 | 29/11.4 | 40.5/15.9 | 20.5/8.1 | 28/11.0 |
Fighter Girls Long Board Short Fit
I enjoy wearing all of these shorts, but, for me, the Pinkie Boyfriend shorts hit the sweet spot in terms of cut and fit. For me, the 304s combine the advantages of the 302s and the 301s while avoiding their disadvantages. The Pinkie Boyfriend shorts (304) include the longer leg of the Punk Invasion (302) and have a slightly more generous cut, somewhere between the 301 and 302 measurements, which results in the more flatteringly tailored fit of the All Around the World (301) without that cut’s slightly restrictive construction. While the Around the World look great on, they are ever so slightly tight through the crotch and I’ve preferred the Punk Invasion for training (I rock the All Around the World on the beach more than the mats), the Pinkie Boyfriend cut is not quite so baggy and shapeless as the Punk Invasion and this ‘Goldilocks cut’ is my new fav. What makes the Fighter Girls shorts so great is, in part, the low rise cut which is much better for lady-shapes than the cut of men’s MMA shorts as it doesn’t create bulk around the middle and is made to sit better on a woman’s hips. However, these babies are very low rise and I’ve had several readers query about rash guards, compression shorts and other strategies to ensure the clothes are solidly on the bod so that a lady-grappler can get on with the job at hand! I find these shorts very easy to wear and do not feel distracted by what may or may not be on display during training. Here’s how I approach the low rise.
Wearing Fighter Girls Long Board Shorts (Rash Guards and Rashtards)
I’ve never had a need for compression shorts under my Fighter Girls board shorts and have found that long line rash guards or what I call the ‘rashtard’ (a lycra dance leotard worn under the shorts) works perfectly and doesn’t expose my fish-white belly during no gi training. I’ve had a great luck with Nike’s Pro range. This line of compression tops are very long long (well past my bum pulled all the way down) with a rubbery inner hem to help it ‘stick’, though without discomfort. The Pro tops are much cheaper than many ‘proper’ rash guards and take a serious beating in terms of wear and washing; mine have always been discarded due to age and emerging funk rather than being worn through. Under Armour’s range of compression gear is also very long line and performs well in training with these shorts (I’m wearing their compression tank in the pictures below). While I prefer the fit and feel and the UA top to the Nike Pro (and they are similar in price), the Under Armour top is showing early signs of pilling after only a few weeks’ wear, so the Nike tops may have the edge in toughing out grappling-training.(2) Between tightening up the shorts with Fighter Girls’ thick shoestring-like inner drawstring and a long line top, everything stays put as I would like. However, the absolutely most carefree combo is the rashtard + shorts. I’ve got a couple cheap [nggallery id=4]
Hi! Thanks for the great review on the fighter girls board shorts! I’m really dying for a pair… but I”m having problem getting the right size! I wonder if you can help me? I’m confused on how the measurements go.. as you mentioned in your review, your “C”is 39 inches… Where does that lie? right on where we usually wear our pants? low or high? I’m a 35 inches just at the hips… so I’m really lost onto what size i should get… Hope you can help! Thanks a lot!
Hi Adeline, thanks for your comment! Good questions. Let me see if I can help.
The inches measurement for dimension ‘C’ is 15.4 (or 39 centimetres). This measurement may be slightly misleading. Let me explain. You see how in the diagram, line ‘C’ is between two points and the shorts curve in a bow underneath? That’s a good representation of the shorts, they bow like this and it is tricky to get a clear measurement along that curve, so I measured from point to point. Perhaps this wasn’t wise. Indeed they bow lower in the front that at the back; very similar to the shape on a pair of hipster jeans.
At any rate, if I run the tape along the back curve I get a measurement of 16 inches and along the front curve of 16.5 inches, totally to 32.5, but again, there is a lowrise, tailoring to the waist so it isn’t a perfect circle and they fit absolutely fine round my hips.
The cut is hipster/lowrise and, on me, they sit above the widest part of my hips; I put them on and measured around where they sit and my hip measurement at this area is 33 inches. The widest area of my hips – where you would normally measure – is 34 inches, but these ride a little higher up than that, so measure perhaps 1-2 inches above the widest point on your hips.
You measurement is only a tiny bit larger than mine and these are generous around my hips (I have to shrink them in with the pull cord), so really I think you could go for the US7s. On me, the 7s are the right size to be secured with the drawstring, but without that they could be pulled off of me (which hasn’t been a prob the last year I’ve been training in FGs), so there is no ‘muffin top’ action. However, if you have very sturdy thighs you might want to go up a size. I guess I would recommend seeing how lowrise jeans fit you and getting the same size, but it is all very confusing as there’s so much variation in sizes and the FGs do run smaller. And, of course, everyone has different taste about how tight or lose they like their clothing, so, ultimately you may just have to get a size and go for an exchange if it isn’t quite right.
Does any of the above help, or just muddy the waters?!
Thanks so much for your clarification, meg! That helped a lot … Seriously been looking for so long for the perfect board shorts for my combat classes. I’ve decided to brave it and go for size US9, (usually like my shorts lying low at the hips -hopefully it’s not too lose!) Yea, its all a hit and miss i guess.. I’m sure different shorts have different cutting as well. Thanks so much again for your great help!
No worries, Adel. It is tough as it sounds like you are between sizes. They do have a nice hipster cut and the drawstring keeps them secure, so you should be fine. They are really efficient with exchanges if it doesn’t work out for you. Let us know how you get on!
In the full review of the Pinkie Boyfriend shorts, I’ll try to be more explicit about the cut and fit. Thanks for the feedback!
I get a lot of queries from frustrated ladies trying to find womens shorts so would like to make an effort to fulfil this need.
If you are interested in talking to me about your requirements maybe we can work together to get a good range in stock for all your lady fighters out there.
email me on john@radicalfightstore.co.uk
John, thanks for your interest. Sounds exciting! I’ll be in touch
Hi
Hopefully you still check this page! I am after a pair of Pinkie Logo Hottie Boyfriend shorts and I am 32″ around the widest part of my waist. I usually take UK size 8. Should I go for a US size 5 or 7 do you think?
Thanks
Emma
Sorry, I meant that my hips are 32″, not my waist. That is 27″. Thanks.
Hi Emma,
Sounds like you’re smaller than I am in the hips though similar in the waist, so the US5 might be the better option for you. As noted in the review I am 5’4.5″/163cm, 130lbs/60kgs and have bust, waist and hip measurements of 34″/86.4cm, 27″/68.6cm and 36″/91.4cm. I usually wear a 27″ jean, size 10UK trouser and extra small leggings. My thighs have a circumference of 51cm/20″ at their widest point. For me, the US7 translated pretty well as a UK10.
I believe that the sizing/fitting of FG shorts has as much to do with a woman’s dimensions and as with her proportions; I’ve got proportionally slimmer hips and thighs and I think the cut of these shorts work great for people built like that, but a little less so for women with proportionally thicker hips, bums and thighs. So, with that in mind, you are probably better off with the US5/UK8, but again it is as much about sizes as proportions. They do have a return/exchange policy (though I know postage is a bummer for overseas ordering) if you need to take advantage of that.
Good luck!