When I was younger, I thought it was Hot. Nothing screamed rough and tough more than a handsome young man with a little sag to his swag. But as I’ve gotten older, I can’t help but to shake my head at the trend that sprouted from the confines of the jailhouse and transplanted with liberty to the streets. I now understand why old-timers twist up their faces and grit their teeth at the sight of a young man (or manly woman) with pants hanging below their bottoms. They roll their eyes and toot up their noses, barking about how lost and misguided this generation is, never hesitating to yell “Boy, you better pull up them pants!”

And I couldn’t agree more. Plain and simple, it’s not cute. I mean, what’s the point of wearing a belt if you’re going to show your business to every passerby anyhow? Oh yeah, I forgot, it’s the wave right? It’s cool and fashionable to have your underwear hanging out. Yet anytime a woman walks outside with a thong gripping her hips, everyone’s quick to think that she’s dressed inappropriately. And you’re not?

Don’t you all see how ridiculous you look with your a** half out and your britches hanging to your knees? Especially the ones who can’t walk straight because they’re too busy trying to keep their pants from falling to the ground. Seriously? You’re a grown man and don’t know what size jeans you wear? You spend hundreds of dollars on clothes and don’t own a decent belt? And not a belt just for fashion and flashing, but one that will hold your trousers up so the world’s not staring at your behind.

As outrageous as it is, this sagging thing is a true epidemic. When I walk the streets, it’s all I see. Whether I’m in the middle of the ‘hood or chilling in the ‘burbs, I’m met with the sight of boxer drawers and butt cracks. Even the skinny jeans some young men wear are somehow sticking to the leg but stopping way under the butt. Why do you want to get on public transportation with your underwear touching seats covered in germs?? People upload flicks on Facebook and post pics on Instagram, posing with their pants so low you wonder why they even bother to put any on. It’s to a point where parents—ratchet ones anyway—are dressing their kids in oversized jeans that showcase everything from the roota to the toota and proudly flaunt them to their friends like they’re trophies in a case. Sad.
What kills me most is that half the saggers out there are—or pretend to be—homophobic. Really? Funny how you’re advertising all your goods, exposing the very thing men in prison prize the most. The same thing that many of you would damn near go ballistic over if a woman even thinks about touching. How ironic.

Although you may not think it’s a big deal, there’s an army of onlookers who strongly disagree. Call me crazy, but the only people who need to know if your boxers read Calvin Klein or Fruit of the Loom are you and the ones you screw (and whoever funds the underwear you wear). Do the rest of us a favor and pull your pants up on your behind and save the sagging for when you’re at home–alone. Please.

essence.com

New York will join Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in the fight to ban the sight of men’s underwear showing on the street. NY State Senator Eric Adams is pushing for the ban  and he doesn’t have to look far for supporters. Adams says his Brooklyn district is “ground zero” for the sagging epidemic and has heard from many who are tired of seeing the style.

In an effort to curb the free showing style, campaigns such as “Stop The Sagging” were created to encourage  young men to not show their behinds on the streets. Now the effort is willing to take it to the next level with a legal ban. Read more…

What are your thoughts on this style?

DeShon Marman

I travel pretty frequently and I must admit that most of the time, I sit as far away as possible from the “baggy pants” crowd or just strange people in general because I do not want to be guilty by association of the potential hooliganism that will undoubtedly ensue. Sorry, that’s just how I feel.

In the case of DeShon Marman (a black college football player), I probably would have given him half a side-eye because of his baggy pants or pajama pants as KTVU reported.  I would have just shaken my head and prayed silently that someday, he would realize that it’s just not worth it. Perhaps, that day has come, albeit under unfortunate and unfair circumstances.

I initially read this story in passing, shook my head, and kept it moving until it came out that the man pictured below was allowed to board a US Airways flight six days later, no questions asked, and in spite of complaints from other passengers.

Read the rest of this entry »

They say you can’t legislate morality, but you can surely legislate against stupidity.  Florida governor  Rick Scott is poised to sign a bill which would ban sagging pants in the state’s public schools.  The measure, which precludes students from exposing any “body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner” has already been passed by both houses of the state legislature.  For some, it is a welcome attempt to bring back sense and sensibility to the public school system.  To others, it reeks of racially-tinged politics, ultimately to profile and harass Black men.

I would fall in the former group and nowhere near the latter.  What concerns me is that I may be in the minority, no pun intended.  Meaning, our community eschews common sense far too often, avoiding what is easily the right thing to do.  Opponents of this legislation I would argue fall into this second group.

The infractions and punishments are clear:

First infraction – Verbal warning and call to parent from principal’s office.
Second infraction -  Results in suspension from extracurricular activities for a period of up to five days. The parent must also meet with the principal.
Third infraction -  3-day suspension.

On the other hand, there’s always the alternative of having the child his/her damn pants up.

And if/when you do, this discussion (and law) are moot.  It takes serious and considerable indifference to get suspended from school under this law.  I would argue, it’s an indifference related to how we arrived at this point in the first place.

Suspending young Black males for wearing their pants below their butts with their underwear in plain view is not racist, it’s good sense.  We have had uniforms and dress codes in private schools and many public schools for generations.  We have dress codes in our places of employment, our restaurants and evening establishments.  Let’s embrace basic standards, common sense and stop making excuses for unacceptable behavior.  We could do far worse than expecting of our young people exactly what the world will expect of them when they become adults.

No shirt, no shoes…no service.  Pull up your pants or get suspended (on the third infraction no less).

Choose the path of least resistance and have your child pull his/her damn pants up.  When you do, this discussion (and law) are moot.

By B. Hutson

The sight of teenagers bearing their underwear in low-slung jeans has become so off-putting that the state of Florida recently passed a new law banning the wardrobe trend.

Senate Bill 228, also known as the “Pull Your Pants Up” Bill, was approved by the state legislature earlier this month. The measure prohibits students from wearing clothing that “exposes their undergarments” or “indecently exposes their body parts” while they are at school.

State Senator Gary Siplin, a Democrat of Orlando and a longstanding advocate of a ban, told the Telegraph, “It is necessary to put the focus back on learning in the classroom. We can eliminate inappropriate dress as one of the many distractions in public schools today,” he said.

Students who are caught with sagging pants would receive a verbal warning. If caught a second time, the student would be banned from extracurricular activities for up to a week and his or her parents would be called in for a meeting. If a student receives a third strike, they would be suspended from classes for three days and be banned from extracurricular activities for up to a month.

A number of states have initiated campaigns and regulations in an effort to get young people to raise their pants. Though there are valid arguments that the act makes one look unprofessional and has potential health effects, some are questioning if there is even a need for the law.

“The authors of this bill clearly have not seen a hip-hop or neosoul music video or visited a Miami, Tampa, or Orlando high school in at least decade. If they did, they would know sagging pants fell out of fashion a long time ago,” Giovanni “G. la Belles-Lettre” Turner, Soul Model Recording artist and University of Miami professor, told the Grio.

Additionally, those who disagree with the law argue that it impedes on a young person’s sense of identity and self-expression. According to David A. Love of the Grio, some believe the passing of the bill is a form of racial profiling since young men of color are associated with the practice of wearing saggy jeans.

We get that states want to promote a conductive learning environment by eliminating any distractions that may come from clothing that exposes body parts , but in the same breathe, where do we draw the line between free expression and state governments trying to violate that?

When you were younger, you really didn’t think past 21. Now that you’ve crossed that threshold, all this “getting old stuff” is pretty new. Why does a bottle of wine and your couch sound a lot more appealing than a night at the club?  Are those laugh lines? Why didn’t that bouncer ask you for your driver’s license?

You have questions. We have answers.

We have here 10 sure signs that you are getting old.  Can you relate to any of this?

by Charing Ball

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking my dog through the neighborhood and witnessed a man, maybe in his 20s, mowing the lawn with his pants hanging below his waistline.  I watched with a surprising wonderment at how he was able to successfully maneuver the lawn mower up the steep incline in the turf with his pants loosely fastened around his thighs.

As I walked passed, chuckling at the absurdity of it all, I questioned if his fashion sense was a matter of comfort or some sort of public, political statement about his rebellious nature for society’s rules, particularly his disdain for yard work?
Whatever the answer, it’s definitely a trend in which I think its safe to say, we all could do without.

Apparently I am not alone in my feeling about the fashion – or lack thereof – trend as a couple of lawmakers recently made headlines with their legislation, which would make it illegal to hang the pants under or in the middle of the position where the sun don’t normally shine.

In Louisiana, Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman Denise Marcelle is asking the parish to support a public awareness campaign called “Low pants, no chance,” which is aimed at men who wear their pants so low that their boxer shorts show.  And in Georgia, Dublin Mayor Phil Best will amend that town’s indecent exposure ordinance to include a provision that prohibits the wearing of pants or skirts more than three inches below the top of the hips.

Of course, none of this is new news, as towns and cities across the country have either passed laws or attempted to do so, making criminal offenses of saggy pants. Many of these laws even come with fines and prison time for repeat offenses.  But while the saggy pants may be a fashion faux pas for some, it does raise a valid question as to whether or not the government should be in the business of legislating good fashion sense.

Grown-ups and those of the most prudent nature alike have always taken issue with what the younger generation has worn. Some of these trends, including mini-skirts, piercings, long hair and political t-shirts, have resulted in clothing banned in schools districts as well as at private businesses and clubs.  But as distasteful as a style may have been, rarely have they garnered as much disapproval as the saggy jean trend.

The only other comparable trend in history that comes to mind is the Zoot Suit, which was a suit with outrageously padded shoulders and tapered ankle trousers made popular by young Black and Hispanic men in the 1940s.  Much like the saggy jeans trend, the Zoot Suit trend was associated with delinquents and mostly frowned upon for being anti-establishment.  Often times, the wearers were harassed and targeted by police and angry mobs alike.  The ending result of that trend was a series of Zoot Suit riots in major cities across America.

With that kind of history, it is hard not to consider the potential racial undertones of many of these sagging prohibition laws. Saggy pants are most associated with hip-hop culture and of course, hip-hop is mostly associated with young African-American men.  Yet by passing laws criminalizing a singular style choice we encourage the profiling and potential harassment of individuals, particularly inner city black men, based solely on appearance.

Lucky for us, we have the first amendment, which clearly allows for Americans to exercise their Freedom of Expression, which includes the wearing of clothing that may seemed offensive to the rest of us.  Besides, if you ban saggy jeans, the youth will find another fashionable way to rebel – like skinny jeans.

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