# The Outrage of Saggy Pants



## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Okay folks, this is totally non-woodworking, but it's something that's been on my local news lately, and I'm interested in other people's thoughts on this issue.

We're probably all familiar by now with the sagging pants fashion statement, right? You know… where the guy's shorts are barely clinging to his upper thighs and the top six inches of his boxer shorts are exposed? These dummies have to waddle around with one hand holding up their pants just to keep them from falling around their ankles and tripping them.

Well, it seems as though the citizens of several municipalities are just so outraged by drooping pants that they have actually passed ordinances specifically prohibiting this manner of dress. They cite "obscenity" and "indecency" as justification for these laws. I find this very odd considering that a) 99.9 % of the people who dress this way aren't actually exposing any flesh at all, and b) if they were exposing flesh, there are already laws on the books covering that.

Bottom line for me? I personally think the saggy pants are ridiculous, and anyone dressing that way looks like a fool. However, I'm bothered *way* more by the thought that we can actually pass laws governing how people dress in public. I always thought, in a free country, you have the right to look stupid if you want to. To me, this is the same as if old farts in the 60's had passed laws about how long a man's hair could be. Most of us wouldn't have stood for it.

What say you?


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Agreed. The thing I struggle with is that this has been "in style" for 20 friggin' years. I thought styles changed. This one was bad then, and hung on too long


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## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

Charlie, the clowns that dress that way tend to belong to the gangsta genre, and many have tendencies to criminal activity. They make great clips for "World's Dumbest" when they attempt to run from the police. A co-worker ran down one of the idiots a couple weeks ago. The run down was actually about a five step chase after the perp fell flat on his face.

I say let them wear those pants. They are too stupid to figure out that they impede mobility and make them easy catches for the police. Win/win for everyone.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

I've agree, I hate those saggy pants.


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

I agree they look dumb and my son wears his low around his hips too. But as I get older and am gradually losing control over the way I look, I don't think I have the right to tell someone how they're wearing their pants.


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## Nicky (Mar 13, 2007)

I am highly entertained by this. I do get a chuckle when I see someone dressed in this attire, and the time it takes to maintain the look (holding on to the waistband cracks be up).

I do think its wrong to try and legislate against poor taste. Any governing body spending time discussing issues about "what people are wearing" obviously have way too much time on their hands.


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

Charlie: Trust me this is a passing fad. There is no way that one of these dudes can chase down a lass that they want. If you just believe a little in evolution, you can understand that this is a dying thing. If you can not catch the girl you can not reproduce.


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## Bonka (Apr 13, 2012)

Gag a Maggot. That and baseball caps on backwards. These items do, however, warn the sane to stay away.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Good point, madts. But if it is an evolutionary thing, none of us will live long enough to see the problem resolve itself.


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

I'm bothered way more by the thought that we can actually pass laws governing how people dress in public. I always thought, in a free country, you have the right to look stupid if you want to.

+1


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I agree Charlie. I hate the pants thing and the hat on sideways, but I dont believe in regulating it. I was one that had long hair (still do) in the 60s and 70s, wore the latest bellbottom and flare slacks and my parents thought I looked crazy, and maybe to that generation I did, but the people trying to regulate dress are the same idiots that are trying to regulate food and guns.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Can I add popped collars to the list. My wife teaches at a high school, and I'm frequently out there helping with one thing or another, and I see the pants, hats, and collars all the time. I know it's intentional, but I make a point to say "Hey kid, your hat's messed up." and if they give me a look I just add something like "I just figured you'd appreciate somebody letting you know, rather than letting you walk around looking like you're 16 years old and still struggling to properly dress yourself."


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

You cant fix STOOOPID!


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

I usually try to stay away from non-wood topics but this one got to me.
The reason this "fashion" bothers me is the reason it exists at all. It is related to gangs but its the incarcerated type. Prisoners will wear their pants this way to show other prisoners that their arse is available. It saves the headache of getting beat up and raped so that the prisoner with power can get right to the rape. 
Non-convicts that wear pants this way have no idea what it is they're saying when they do this. I've had to explain this to a couple of my daughters friends and once they understood I have never seen them with their "pants on the floor" again. And no we can't pass laws telling people to use their brains.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

It seems to be less frequent the last couple years, but it sure is a fashion that has hung on longer then their pants can stay up…

I think cities regulating is weird too…schools, yes, as a high school teacher fashion is definitely a distraction at times (or lack of fashion)...I think the key is role models…there are not enough role models telling these "kids" (they are not all kids) how stupid they look.

Peer pressure sucks.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Matt: Yes, to be clear, I have no problem with reasonable dress codes in schools.


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## Roz (Jan 13, 2008)

I posed the question "why?" to a 20 something black man I know and he replied, "When you see someone dressed like that, do you know what they don't have." I ask what? And he responded, "A JOB". It is a fad or fashion appealing mainly to youths who think being a gangster is cool. There is some real danger in that way of thinking. 
I had another young black student show up for his first day of work dressed that way with the hat on backwards, saggy paints, etc. No one wanted to address the issue, so I did. I explained why this was not appropriate dress for work and told him not to show up that way again. He did not, and been promoted 4 times and moved to a better position all in a 4 year period. He was a good kid who just needed some direction. 
A few years ago I had to resort to violence to prevent a group of worked up high school aged youths from descending on me. I gave them a choice and they chose to leave and live. I think they were full of gangster rap vibrato and short on good judgment. A clear close brush with reality woke them up. I went away wondering what sort of involvement their parents have with them…..if any. That gangster persona is counterproductive for us all.


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## lazyoakfarm (Sep 28, 2010)

Agreed, Well said.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Well said Terry


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

The really stupid fashion is plastering one's body with tattoos. Clothes can be replaced.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

I think we should be careful about saying something is stupid from our white-guy worldview. I've never understood sagging, and it's against the rules at the school I teach, but I stop short of saying its stupid…at least not without also condemning fashion styles that are equally ridiculous. Tattoos and piercings I don't understand either.

BTW, I wear my baseball hat backwards sometimes…I have no problem with that. Not sure I get the crooked hat thing, but oh well.

I know that I looked stupid wearing some of the clothes I wore in the 80s, so I have to be careful in that with others.

In short, I'd stop short of saying its stupid, even if it probably is.


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## needshave (Jan 13, 2013)

I agree with Charlie as well. I hate the low pants on the floor look, but I will defend their right to do it. Goverment, both local and federal, is getting bigger and bigger and dumber and dumber. We're loosing our freedom, on a daily basis, But increased regulation continues without opposition and in many cases discussion.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

i dont know what is wrong with all of you, it was a wood worker who started this fashion, in fact i saw him start it, he was in his shop with a tape measure on each side, yea the big 25 footers, and when he walked from the project over to his bench, his pants started to come down and the more he walked , the worse it became….lol…ill add my voice to this also, i have a deep dislike for this wearing of pants down to the bottom of their butts just about, but, i feel like charlie does…pretty soon we will have a law for when you can shop, how many times you can go to a ball game, and the list can go on and on, i do believe in teaching correct principles and letting the people govern themselves.we have to have our free agency…but if a law is created, then we need to obey the laws of the land…..


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## Doe (Aug 26, 2010)

Thanks Sam for explaining; I couldn't think of how to put it delicately. Let the kids wear what they want but someone should explain what it means. Maybe the fashion would change, but then again, it might get worse . . .

Personally, the pants reminds me of when our daughter was potty training and too busy to bother with the bathroom. The hats are goofy but what really takes the cake is when they have a price tag (no doubt to indicate it was stolen)-that reminds me of Minnie Pearl. For any of you youngsters, she was a Grand Ole Opry comedian who had a flowery sort of hat with a $1.98 price tag hanging off it.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)




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## NaFianna (Feb 11, 2010)

I seem to remember hearing all these same arguments and being called stupid in the 70's when I wore my jeans too long and cleaned up all crap off the street. I remember thinkin, all those old farts will be dead soon and I can do what I please. Well they are, and now I wear my jeans the right length.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

OK Doe, I definitely appreciate the "price" aspect of stylish pants. I used to ONLY wear Levi Jeans, well at least when you could buy them for $25. Then Levi Strauss left San Antonio and headed to Mexico, where they moved all of their operations. They claimed USA labor was just TOO expensive. Now we pay $45 when/IF you can catch them on SALE.

I now wear Dickies brand contractors denim/duck work pants that cost me $23. That is how much I care about "fashion". Geez… I believe it was Levi Strauss who was responsible for the term of "blue collar worker" because he made clothing for the working class. Wow, how times have changed. 8-(


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I wonder of these people dress like that advertize their sexual preferences. 
Sagging pants means: I am available to be your bXXXt, I am available for annal sex.

+1 for Clint


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## HallTree (Feb 1, 2008)

Saggy pants would look good compared to what we see in Walmart.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

*+1 Earlextech * In Iraq we had guys wearing the same crap, oddly after the running for your life and trying to keep your pants on while making a mad dash to the bunker most got wise. A few died finding out the hard way that holding on to your jeans and running don't make for fast running.

My second observation of these types is they talk like they are HERO's yet when it hits the fan they find the cracks you never knew existed and hide. Since my method is to ENGAGE the enemy, they also seemed to whine alot about the bunker shaking and taking fire. Nor did they approve of my standing on top of the bunker shouting, "Bring it, I can do this all day!" (LAUGHING) Admittably I was reprimanded a few times for such activities, okay more than a few times….....


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

Let's break this down properly, shall we?


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

Better things for government to do that mandate dress codes.

I don't care what anyone wants to wear to be honest. Drooping baggy pants aren't the only funny thing I see. I get just as good laughs stopping in at Rural King or TSC as many of the "cowboy/farmer" are just as ridiculous in dress. How about those Harley guys does it get much more funny than many of those "hardcore" dudes.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

You gotta fight fire with fire . .


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## cjwillie (Sep 6, 2011)

It was explained to me that this "fashion" started in prison. It was a way to let the other inmates know you were available for sex. Next time you see me, I'll be the guy with his pants pulled up to his chin!


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

@Travis: You'd better be careful. We can make fun of the baggy pants guys because I doubt any of them are reading this. But you start insulting cowboy farmers and Harley guys, and I'm pretty sure we've got some Lumberjocks that fall into those categories.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

This young punk is disrespecting someone's pool . .


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

Charlie, (hello by the way!) I find it funny how the people who wear their pants below their waist really have no clue as to where that idea came from. If they onluy knew, I'm sure they'd have second thoughts. It originates from prison. The inmates that were willing to "offer" themselves in exchange for smokes or whatever it may be, they wore their pants down as a "welcome" sign to the others without the officers catching on. I'm pretty sure a trip to the pent would have them investing in suspenders fast.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

redsled- I've heard of a couple places passing laws that mirror your picture, which looks like it came from one law department. Although I doubt it would happen I've often wondered how fast these places would repeal their laws if the wearers decided to get even by wearing a bathing suit string bikini bottom under their pants. That would result in a whole lot more exposure, way more then most would ever care to see, and they couldn't even claim indecency.


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## Dinger (Mar 16, 2012)

Agreed. Stupid isn't illegal.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

I get it now, they want to go to prison. (The origin of the fashion.)


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I agree with you Charlie. Freedom means people get to do things with which others disagree, even if it looks stupid.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

I may have discovered the elusive connection . .


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

The prison story is bogus. The fashion originated in prison but not for the reason some like to think. Most prisons don't carry incremental sizes. Small, medium and large are often your only options. Non-fitting pants + no belts = saggy pants. Yes, gansta wannabes emulate the look. But no matter what a bunch of fuddy duddy woodworkers believe the origin and symbolism, to the kids that wear them it simply means conformity to their peer group.

And yes, it's a completely asinine fashion statement. It looks ridiculous and hinders movement. Now kilts, that's the way to go.

BTW - My choice of jeans, Costco Kirkland brand $17.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

All the young man jeans have giant baggy asses and I'm too old for that; but too young for old man jeans so I've taken to wearing khakis.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Back in the '50's and '60's the "hoods" in high school would wear their pants low but no underwear would be exposed. Along with this low hanging pant would be a very tiny belt, the narrower the better. This look was NOT as obnoxious as the current look particularly when you add the extra lag material hanging over their shoes!

My granddaughter has that look … her diaper shows … she is only 4 and doesn't know better but she does tell "Grammy" to pull up her pants.


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## 9FINGERTIM (Feb 1, 2013)

I too hate the idiotic look of the saggydrawer set >but its kind of handy having total idiots so easily identified,you dont have to talk to them to know how stupid they are .I remember the other idiot craze of walking with long untied shoelaces, that one was kind of fun when you watched them trip and fall down.


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## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

CharlieM1958:

I agree 110% with your comments, and the majority of the others, so not much to add here except to say that the most important issue in this discussion is *government run amuck.*

Those with authority to make laws do so in accordance with what they want, rather than with the will of the people.


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## BrisvegasSteve (Apr 9, 2013)

Hi guys, I'm new here on LJs but thought I'd add an Aussie perspective.

Kids here in Australia tend to copy whatever they see as the 'cool' look from the US,
including the 'pants around my thighs' thing.

I agree with most of you guys, to me it looks really dumb but then, I'm 57, and to
my mother and her generation my long hair in the 70s looked 'wrong' as did the
way we dressed, the music we liked, etc, etc.

We in Australia have been decrying, for some years now, what we term "The Nanny State".
i.e. Govt interfering in every facet of our lives and constantly trying to protect dumb people
from themselves.

I'ts just plain wrong for anyone to try to legislate against what is, essentially, a passing fashion.
In a few years the kids walking around with their pants down these days will look back and
be just as embarrassed by that look as I am now by some of the tragic fashions I went along
with back in the day.

Maybe we should start a thing against old guys (like me) wearing their pants too high.
(Not that I do it, mind you, I'm still pretty cool.  )
But what is that? The older we get the higher we pull our pants up. Never worked that out.
Don't know about the US but we call that the "Harry High Pants" look. 
That's gotta be a candidate for banning for sure.


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## Porchfish (Jun 20, 2011)

Nonsense ! Legislating fashion ? .... But WAIT !!!
Has anyone sought out the advice of our ruling collective conscience ? Before we agree on how we are to agree about this, we had better get an Official ruling on this grave matter ! Has anyone actually ASKED the NRA how we are supposed to think about this visible underwear thingie ! I mean, before we jump off the deep end here, lets get right with the protectorate of our "Bill of Rights" rights . Could we be risking offending a really large segment of the fire-arms purchasing public, who also have 1st amendment rights here ? This could be a slippery slope we are tippy-toeing along! Lets get our thoughts in line with "accepted" rationales here ! I for one will reserve judgement until I hear from our own Marco"Mighty-Mouth"Rubio, or Steve"Foghorn-Leghorn"Southerland, at the very least !


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

**


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

my pants always seem to conform to that style when I forget to wear my suspenders….like trying to put pants on a funnel.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I think if they have the right to dress that way in public, then we have the right to express our disapproval in public also. If enough people speak out, the stupids movement will eventually die out. It's an expression by the outcasts of society to make a statement that says "I'm different from you", "smarter than you".


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*MrRon *they don't have enough intelligence to understand that they are being ridiculed!


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## Dick33 (Jan 2, 2013)

They dress like that and want government help because they can't get a job.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

*Richard Miller* +1 try showing up dressed like that for a interview where I work. I put good money the owner smiles, take the application, tells the guy I will get back to you if an opening comes up that you fit the bill for. Once the guy leaves the application goes into a file and is promptly forgotten. Being a private shop we have no "offical dress code" yet all of us wear pants that fit, shorts for some, and a shirt with no wierd statements or politics on it. Customers interact with us, tell us all the car woes they have and expect someone dressed like they might know what they are doing and care.


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## RustyL (Jan 12, 2011)

Stupidity aside, I think there is a SAFETY problem here.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

some folks demand attention at any cost and they become harder and harder to look at.

it has been my experience that people will try and control their own lives, and when they spiral out of their control, they will try and control others by any means because misery needs company. That said, I have hired too many people who dress classy, speak with eloquence only to turn into my worst nightmare so I have learned not to judge a book by its cover. Not saying I like the cover, but after turning a few pages, they were great and profitable employees.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

I don't think these kids know where that drooping pants started- in prison! I won't go into the reason why but you can figure it out!


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

I don't like them but I wouldn't want any rules created to stop them from being worn. It's just another fad that won't pass the test of time.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)




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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*redSLED we need more signs like that!*


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