I'm a girl, and I personally think that AE, Aero, and Hollister are great stores for guys. Nothing gay about them at all. I don't think Hollister would fit the skater style you mentioned you like though. Tilly's seems to fit your style better, as they carry brands such as Volcom, Hurley, Vans. Check out Macy's! They have an amazing selection of various styles for good prices too. As for shorts, you can wear cargo pants, printed shorts, coloured ones, basketball shorts, whatever. Make sure they're the correct length though. Too short can look overly feminine and too long is just tacky.