I copied this from facebook. Interesting article about the origins of the pants below the waist.
Sagging is it a "A Way to Display Homosexuality in Prison"?
He's coming down the street with a sparkling earring in his ear, pretty white teeth, maybe a doorag under his sports cap, a fresh shirt maybe overlapping a wifebeater or t-shirt, his shoes are bright white and brand new, and his pants look like they're fresh out of a retail store. He's in popular hip hop gear and wears it proudly. Sometimes he may wear his jeans or khakis with a button-down shirt. He may not wear a cap; maybe his hair is freshly tapered with a Caesar haircut or dreadlocks falling on his shoulders. To me, he represents hip hop and the casual wear of someone who wants to express himself by wearing gear he's most comfortable in. I love hip hop and brothas who can wear hip hop gear neatly; this includes everything from Phat Farm to Ecko to Akademiks. But then he turns around and the outfit and style go down the drain. I look down to see this boy/man's pants hanging under or in the middle of his butt. He pulls his pants up repeatedly because they start to drift down as he walks, and he's perfected that slow dip walk so they don't fall down altogether. I can see the designs and name brand of his underwear and sometimes where the elastic on his boxers or boxer briefs are tucked over his shirt. Suddenly he's not so attractive to me and I walk away with a vicious eye roll.
Sagging pants was never meant to be fashionable. Prisoners wear their pants this low because belts are a popular way to commit suicide by hanging oneself, to hang others, or to use as a weapon in fights. Prisoners are also not allowed to have shoestrings for the same reasons. But there is an even more obvious reason why pants are sagging in prison. If the pants are below a man's bottom, it is to introduce to other men that he is homosexual. As Eazy E once said about women in skirts, "For easy access, baby."
Pastor Dianne Robinson, 64, from Jackson, Florida is the founder of Nanas and Papas Raising Grands Organization and she is helping to start a fight against sagging. She feels it's disrespectful and sometimes the underwear isn't clean. So far, I haven't seen any underwear with stains or unclean, but regardless of it being clean or not, it's disgustingly sloppy. A Dallas school trustee contacted the City Council to see if there could be a ban on this trend and in 2004, a Louisiana lawmaker proposed House Bill 1626, also known as the Baggy Pants Bill. Offenders would be fined up to $175 or given community service. The Virginia Senate suggested a $50 fine on people who reveal their underwear. Although I don't think sagging is serious enough for a fine, I think self-respect itself should be the reason why the "fashion trend" is cut out.
I can understand a person wanting to show off their jewelry. Fiancees have been doing it for centuries. I can understand someone wanting to show off their new outfits. Fashion shows take care of that. I can even vibe with showing off fresh new hairdos, shoes, and accessories. But for the life of me, I don't understand why the under part of underwear does not send a sign to saggers everywhere that these garments should be beneath their clothes. At a pool party, it is normal for people to see swim trunks. In the privacy of your own home, feel free to wear or not wear whatever you want. I think loose and baggy pants are attractive, especially on a man who wears it well. I've never been attracted to tight pants with the appearance of a sock in the groin area. That's just corny. But when did wearing baggy pants have to be so exaggerated? Can't they just be loose fitting but still on the waist? How is it attractive for a woman to see some man's pants sagging so far down under his butt that it looks like there's a private party going on around in his knees?
This trend increased when new citizens came out of prison and were so used to wearing their pants this way that they continued on. You know America loves a bad guy; we can see that in movies and music everyday. So, many young boys and men emulated this seemingly hardcore status. But in the process, they degrade the culture of hip hop (because it has become so common with rappers, and even worse, rappers who don't know a thing about prison or are terrified of going back) and themselves. The irony is that some rappers who really did time, such as TI, are dressing more dapper as they get out. Now how is it that the actual prisoners who were used to wearing their clothes this way are now wearing suits but the boys and men who'd never make it out of jail and would cry at the thought of going are so hell bent on representing this crew? Do women a favor, guys. Pull your pants up. Sometimes your outward appearance can represent something positive or tell a lot about you, such as the attractive man I spoke of in the first paragraph, but other times it can represent something that'll turn women away regardless of how attractive you may be. However, it might turn more men to you, specifically the ones that think they can get in your pants easy, literally. If that is your preference, by no means do I have the right to judge. But if it's not, you're sending out the wrong signals to women.
Sagging pants was never meant to be fashionable. Prisoners wear their pants this low because belts are a popular way to commit suicide by hanging oneself, to hang others, or to use as a weapon in fights. Prisoners are also not allowed to have shoestrings for the same reasons. But there is an even more obvious reason why pants are sagging in prison. If the pants are below a man's bottom, it is to introduce to other men that he is homosexual. As Eazy E once said about women in skirts, "For easy access, baby."
Pastor Dianne Robinson, 64, from Jackson, Florida is the founder of Nanas and Papas Raising Grands Organization and she is helping to start a fight against sagging. She feels it's disrespectful and sometimes the underwear isn't clean. So far, I haven't seen any underwear with stains or unclean, but regardless of it being clean or not, it's disgustingly sloppy. A Dallas school trustee contacted the City Council to see if there could be a ban on this trend and in 2004, a Louisiana lawmaker proposed House Bill 1626, also known as the Baggy Pants Bill. Offenders would be fined up to $175 or given community service. The Virginia Senate suggested a $50 fine on people who reveal their underwear. Although I don't think sagging is serious enough for a fine, I think self-respect itself should be the reason why the "fashion trend" is cut out.
I can understand a person wanting to show off their jewelry. Fiancees have been doing it for centuries. I can understand someone wanting to show off their new outfits. Fashion shows take care of that. I can even vibe with showing off fresh new hairdos, shoes, and accessories. But for the life of me, I don't understand why the under part of underwear does not send a sign to saggers everywhere that these garments should be beneath their clothes. At a pool party, it is normal for people to see swim trunks. In the privacy of your own home, feel free to wear or not wear whatever you want. I think loose and baggy pants are attractive, especially on a man who wears it well. I've never been attracted to tight pants with the appearance of a sock in the groin area. That's just corny. But when did wearing baggy pants have to be so exaggerated? Can't they just be loose fitting but still on the waist? How is it attractive for a woman to see some man's pants sagging so far down under his butt that it looks like there's a private party going on around in his knees?
This trend increased when new citizens came out of prison and were so used to wearing their pants this way that they continued on. You know America loves a bad guy; we can see that in movies and music everyday. So, many young boys and men emulated this seemingly hardcore status. But in the process, they degrade the culture of hip hop (because it has become so common with rappers, and even worse, rappers who don't know a thing about prison or are terrified of going back) and themselves. The irony is that some rappers who really did time, such as TI, are dressing more dapper as they get out. Now how is it that the actual prisoners who were used to wearing their clothes this way are now wearing suits but the boys and men who'd never make it out of jail and would cry at the thought of going are so hell bent on representing this crew? Do women a favor, guys. Pull your pants up. Sometimes your outward appearance can represent something positive or tell a lot about you, such as the attractive man I spoke of in the first paragraph, but other times it can represent something that'll turn women away regardless of how attractive you may be. However, it might turn more men to you, specifically the ones that think they can get in your pants easy, literally. If that is your preference, by no means do I have the right to judge. But if it's not, you're sending out the wrong signals to women.
Sagging Pants: Hip Hop Trend or Prison Trend?
My Sources are Both Men and Women Who I personally know who are in the Prison system now or have been in the past. And Jet Magazine.
