The BMJL 2.5-inch athletic short is the kind of item you add to a cart at midnight because the photos look right and the price is low. It is a pull-on running short with a very high elastic waistband, an inner liner, a split outer layer and one zipped pocket on the left hip. It sells at $19.99, carries 4.3 stars from 13,944 Amazon ratings, and the listing says 500+ bought it in the past month. That is a lot of people agreeing about something.
Who is shopping for it? Mostly women who want one short that covers the treadmill, a tennis lesson, a walk with the dog and a hot afternoon at a theme park, and who would rather not pay brand-name money for it. Buyers mention all of those. One compares it to "my Abercrombie shorts" at half the price. Another wore hers to Disney.
The one thing that decides it is size. Amazon's own detail table for this listing carries a field called "Fit to Size Sentiment", and its value is "Poor". That is unusual to see printed so plainly, and the buyer text explains it: some people find the waistband tight and tell you to size up, while others find the seat baggy and size down. Before you pick a color, you need to work out which of those two buyers you are.
BMJL 2.5-Inch High-Waisted Athletic Shorts
$19.99at our last price check
A short built around its waistband
Start with the top of the garment, because that is where BMJL spent its effort. The brand's own size note calls it "Super HIghWaisted", and the photos back that up: on the model, the elastic band climbs well above the navel and sits close to the bottom of the ribcage. The band is wide and flat, not a thin drawcord channel. The listing calls it "Elasticated High Waist" and says it is "strong enough to hold at your waist but not too tight." There is no drawcord mentioned anywhere in the listing, so the elastic alone has to do the holding.
Below the band you get two layers. The outer short is loose and has split sides, which the bullets say "offer breathability and wider range of motion." Underneath is an inner layer that the brand describes as a stretchy lining made of "supersoft and smooth fabric". Amazon's detail table lists the form type as "Biker Shorts", which is misleading if you picture a single-layer compression short. What the photos show is a loose running short with a fitted brief or short liner inside it. The liner is the part that keeps the outer layer from becoming a problem when you bend over, and it is why a 2.5-inch short is wearable for squats at all.
The fabric is 90% polyester and 10% spandex, according to the first bullet. That ratio tells you a few useful things. Polyester at that share is a synthetic that does not soak up water the way cotton does, which is why the brand can call it quick-dry. Ten percent spandex gives the fabric enough stretch to move with a stride, but it is not a compression blend. The brand story also lists "Four way stretch", "Durable and anti-wrinkle" and "Super Lightweight". Keep "anti-wrinkle" in mind, because a buyer disagrees with it later.
The curved hem
The detail most shoppers miss sits in the size chart note on the brand story: "The length of front of each size is 3.9" shorter than the back." In plain terms, the hem dips at the back. The front is cut short and the rear panel drops nearly four inches lower. You can see it in the side-view photo, where the hem slopes down from the front pocket toward the seat.
That curve is a real design choice with two effects. From the front, the short reads very short, which is the look the photos sell. From behind, you get more coverage than the 2.5-inch figure suggests. One buyer singled this out: "I especially like the slightly longer length in the back - and the zipper pocket." Another buyer, smaller in frame, read the same curve as a fault. More on that under fit.
One pocket, whatever the table says
The pocket story is a small mess on the listing, and it matters if you run with your phone. Here is what each part of the page says, side by side.
| Source on the listing | What it says about pockets |
|---|---|
| Third bullet | One zipper phone pocket on the left that "can hold plus phone well" |
| Brand story | "One Side Zipper Pocket" |
| Detail table, Number Of Pockets | 3 |
| Detail table, Pocket Description | Slash Pocket |
| Buyers | Repeatedly surprised there is only one pocket, on the left |
The bullets and the brand story agree with each other and with the photos: one zipped pocket, on the left side of the outer short. The "3" and "Slash Pocket" in the detail table look like filler and we would not count on them. Buyers confirm the single pocket again and again. One writes that the zipped pocket "holds an iPhone pro max". Another was "surprised the pocket is only on the left though."
If you carry a phone and keys, you have one secure place and nothing else. For a short run that is enough. For a long day at a park, where a card, a phone and a lip balm all need a home, it is tight. You should plan to carry a small belt bag or keep a card in a phone case.
Fit and sizing: the part to read twice
Amazon groups 423 buyer mentions under "size", and 243 of them are negative. That is the only topic on this listing where complaints outnumber praise. Under the broader "fit" heading there are 2,292 mentions, and 474 of those are negative. So most people end up happy with the fit, but a sizeable minority land in the wrong size, and the size question is where they get stuck.
The difficulty is that the complaints point in opposite directions. Some buyers find the band too snug and tell you to go up. Others find the seat and crotch roomy and tell you to go down. Neither camp is wrong. A short with a firm, high elastic waist and a loose outer layer can be tight in one place and baggy in another on the same body. Here is what buyers who gave numbers reported.
| Buyer's stated body | Size ordered | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 5'9", 145 lb | Medium | "it fits perfect" and long enough for the gym |
| 5'5", 165 lb | Large | Happy with the large, praised the colors |
| 5'6", 170 lb, curvy | Large (the suggested size) | "Runs small", and the white was see-through |
| 160 lb, hips about 30 in | Not stated | Not too short, not too long, liked the band |
| Usually a medium | Small | Sized down because "the mediums were pretty baggy in the back" |
| Around a size 2 | Not stated | Not flattering, back longer than the front |
| Not stated | Large | "I got a large and they fit great" |
| Not stated | Exchanged to small | "it fits perfectly" after the exchange |
Read across the rows and a pattern appears. Buyers with fuller hips or a curvier lower body tend to find the short small, and they tell you to size up. One puts it bluntly: "Warning: size up." Buyers who are slimmer through the seat tend to find the outer layer roomy and size down. The 5'9" buyer at 145 pounds in a medium, and the 5'5" buyer at 165 pounds in a large, are your two clearest reference points if your build is close to either.
So how do you choose? If your waist and hips sit at the top of your usual size, go up. The elastic band is the part that cannot stretch further, and a tight band on a high-rise short rolls and digs. If you are slim through the seat and your usual size always has room behind, consider going down, as the buyer who switched from medium to small did. If you sit squarely in the middle of a size, order your normal size and keep the packaging until you have tried it.
What 2.5 inches means on your legs
The detail table lists the leg as 2.5 inches, and the brand calls the style "2.5'' High waisted". An inseam that short ends high on the thigh for almost everyone. On a frame around 5'4", a 2.5-inch inseam usually finishes a hand's width below the hip crease. On a taller frame the same measurement looks shorter still, because the leg is longer below it.
What saves the length is that dropped back panel. The front is cut to the 2.5-inch look, and the rear covers more. Taller buyers who gave their height mostly report comfort, not exposure. "As a girl with long legs, these are the perfect length. I’m 5’6 chasing a toddler and didn’t feel like I was flaunting it." The 5'9" buyer called it long enough to feel comfortable at the gym. The length topic on Amazon has 482 mentions with 356 positive, which supports that.
A smaller frame can read the curve differently. "I wear around a size 2 and these were not flattering. The front is cute but the back is longer than the front." If you dislike a dropped hem, this is the wrong short for you, and no size change fixes it.
Rise and torso length
The waistband is genuinely high, and on a short torso it gets very high. One buyer who otherwise loved the short warned: "If you are someone with a short torso, these might be right under your bust." That is the clearest single reason to skip this short. If your high-waisted leggings already reach your ribs, this band will go further.
If you are someone with a short torso, these might be right under your bust.Amazon buyer
On a longer torso, the same height becomes a selling point. Buyers who like it talk about coverage and hold. "The high rise band is sooo good for us girls with a little extra fluff," one writes, though she also found the crotch "a little baggy". Another praises the "nice thick waist band." Those are the two halves of the same garment: a firm band on top and a relaxed short below.
Riding up
One complaint concerns movement rather than size. "My only complaint is that they definitely ride up when I walk, which is honestly a huge pain." That buyer says the short runs true to size, so this is not a sizing error. Loose outer shorts over a liner can creep up the thigh when the liner grips skin and the outer layer moves with it. If you have had this problem with other lined running shorts, expect it here too.
Fabric, care and how it holds up
The listing gives no care instructions. There is no wash temperature, no line on drying and no warning about fabric softener. That is a gap, and you should know it before you buy. What we can tell you comes from the fabric content and from buyers.
Buyers who report good results describe a gentle routine. One writes that the shorts "hold up well to almost daily wear and washing" and adds: "I always hang them to dry so I’m not sure if shrinkage would occur in the dryer." Another, after exchanging for a smaller size, reports: "I love the color and it has washed well. Did not shrink." So you have two reports of no shrinkage, both from people who seem to treat them gently, and no reports here of what a hot dryer does.
Two fabric complaints are worth your attention. The first is wrinkling, which contradicts the brand's "anti-wrinkle" line: "My only complaint is that the material wrinkles easily." A lightweight polyester woven into a loose outer short can crease in a gym bag. It will not matter on a run, but it shows if you wear the shorts out to lunch. The second is sheerness in the lightest color. The 5'6" buyer who found her large too small also wrote: "Runs small and white color is a see through." If you want white, you will rely on the liner for coverage, and you may want to pick a darker shade instead.
On the positive side, buyers describe the fabric as light and fast to dry. "They’ll dry quick and are very lightweight, definitely a great buy." Another says: "The material is lightweight, breathable, and doesn’t cling." For a hot-weather short, that is what you want.
What 13,944 buyers say
The star distribution is 66% five stars, 15% four, 9% three, 5% two and 5% one. Add the bottom two and you get 10% of ratings at one or two stars. On a listing this large, that is roughly 1,400 unhappy buyers, which is too many to wave away. The topic counts show where they come from.
| Topic Amazon groups | Mentions | Negative | Share negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 423 | 243 | 57% |
| Pockets | 413 | 148 | 36% |
| Length | 482 | 126 | 26% |
| Fit | 2,292 | 474 | 21% |
| Color | 359 | 60 | 17% |
| Value for money | 262 | 32 | 12% |
| Suitable for exercise | 264 | 24 | 9% |
| Comfort | 907 | 42 | 5% |
Comfort is almost uncontested: 865 positive mentions against 42 negative. People like how these shorts feel once they are on. The fights are about size, then about the single pocket, then about length. Color complaints are smaller and seem tied to particular shades, including the see-through white. In short, the low ratings come mostly from a wrong size and from one pocket where buyers expected two, not from fabric that falls apart.
Great shorts, flattering but long enough to feel comfortable at the gym (hum hum). I'm 5'9 and 145 pounds, I got a medium and it fits perfect.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The praise has a consistent shape. Buyers buy one, like it, and come back for more colors. "Definitely planning to buy more colors," one writes, and "I bought a few extra because they are so cute," says another who found them true to size. That repeat-purchase habit is one of the more reliable signs in a review pile, since people rarely reorder a short that wore badly.
They are nice, but not a true fit. Warning: size up. These fit a size smaller than all my other shorts of various brands.Amazon buyer
The complaints are just as consistent. You will see the same three problems in different words: the size was off, the pocket count disappointed, or the curve of the hem did not suit. Very few buyers in the excerpts say the short tore, pilled or lost its stretch. One buyer reports that a short arrived both "Too small and too short", while also noting that "the quality was nice". That pairing comes up again and again: a disappointing size, but no complaint about how it was made.
How it compares
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
The competitor rows come from an Amazon search for women's 2.5-inch high-waisted athletic shorts. They show how unusual BMJL's numbers are. The nearest by volume is Blooming Jelly at 4.3 stars from 2,294 ratings, about a sixth of BMJL's count at the same star level. CRZ YOGA has the best rating on the table, 4.6 from 1,137 ratings with 50+ bought last month, and a second CRZ YOGA listing sits at 4.2 from 577 with 100+ bought. MCEDAR shows 4.4 from 226 (the search returned it twice), Runhit 4.4 from 57, GAYHAY 4.2 from 494, UNISSU 4.3 from 50, and NEXSONIC trails at 3.4 from 48.
What does that tell you? BMJL is not the highest-rated short in its search, but it is by far the most reviewed, and a 4.3 held across nearly 14,000 ratings is harder to earn than a 4.6 across a thousand. If you value a large, settled crowd over a slightly higher score, BMJL wins. If you would rather pay more for the listing with the best star average, CRZ YOGA's 4.6 is the row to look at. We can say nothing about its fabric or fit beyond those numbers.
If you want a looser, longer short from the same brand, our BMJL activewear review covers the polka dot flowy ruffle running shorts along with BMJL's palazzo pants and joggers. You can see the rest of what we have covered in activewear and base layers. BMJL lists this exact short on its own site as well, on the BMJL 2.5-inch athletic shorts page.
Who should buy it, and who should skip it
You should buy it if you have a medium to long torso, want a lined running short with a firm high waistband, and are happy with one zipped pocket that buyers say fits a large phone. It suits treadmill runs, gym sessions, tennis, walks and hot days of errands, which is the range buyers report wearing it for. It also suits you if you like a bit more coverage at the back than a straight-hemmed 2.5-inch short gives.
Be careful if your hips run full for your waist size, because the curvy buyers in the excerpts mostly say it runs small. Size up, and measure first. Be careful too if you are slim through the seat, because the opposite camp found the back baggy and sized down. In either case, order from a seller where you can exchange easily, because a meaningful share of buyers had to.
Skip it if you have a short torso and dislike a band that climbs toward your ribs, if you need two pockets, or if a hem that dips at the back looks wrong on you. Skip the white if you do not want to rely on the liner. And if you put everything in a hot dryer, know that the listing gives no care instructions and no buyer here vouches for dryer use.
Verdict
We recommend the BMJL 2.5-inch athletic short for runners and gym-goers who have checked the size chart and know which way their body pulls. The waistband, the liner and the zip pocket are the reasons 66% of nearly 14,000 buyers gave it five stars, and comfort complaints barely register. We don't recommend it if you hate exchanging clothes or have a short torso: the size topic is the only one where complaints beat praise, and Amazon itself labels the fit sentiment "Poor". At $19.99, it is worth one careful order. Just don't treat your usual size as a sure thing.
A good short if you get the size right
The waistband, liner and zip pocket earn the 13,944 ratings. The fit does not agree with every body: buyers split between sizing up for the waist and sizing down for the seat, so read the size notes before you order.
- Very high, wide elastic waistband that buyers like for coverage
- Built-in liner under a split outer short
- Zip pocket that buyers say holds a large phone
- Back hem sits longer than the front, which several buyers appreciate
- Sizing pulls two ways: tight waistband for some, baggy seat for others
- One pocket, although the detail table claims three
- Fabric wrinkles, and a buyer calls the white see-through
- No care instructions on the listing
Best for: Runners and gym-goers with a longer torso who want a lined short with a real waistband and a place for a phone.
Skip it if: You have a short torso, want two pockets, or hate the gamble of exchanging for another size.
Where the numbers come from. Prices, star ratings, rating counts and monthly purchase badges were read from the product pages on November 14, 2026; they move daily. Fabric, sizing and dimensions come from the product specifications. Buyer quotes are Amazon reviews as the product page shows them, linked to the full review where Amazon gives one. See how we review.
