Sagging Pants
While the fashion of wearing sagging pants, which allegedly began in the prison cells of the United States back in the last quarter of the 20th century, was never meant to be a fashion trend in the first place, it defied logic to become one. In fact, it became one of the most popular and controversial fashion trends of recent times. Popular because you get to see several men wearing loose pants which they have to pull up now and then, loose enough to make them change the way they walk. Controversial because it has drawn a great deal of criticism on various fronts with some states even going to the extent of passing indecency ordinances to outlaw it.
Sagging Pants
Sagging pants, also known as low-riding, refers to the practice of wearing ones pants in such a manner that it hangs just below the waist, thus revealing a significant bit of the person's underwear to others. It doesn't matter whether it's a baggy pant, jeans or just shorts, if it is intentionally worn in such a manner that it reveals the person's underwear, it amounts to sagging. Interestingly, the trend of 'sagging pants' is a male specific fashion trend, while a similar practice in females - wherein a significant portion of the undergarment is revealed, is referred to as 'whale tail'. Not many people are aware of the fact that the practice of wearing pants in this manner began in prison cells of the United States, and worked its way to the streets of various parts of the world, before becoming immensely popular when hip-hop artists endorsed it in 1990s.
A Brief History
As we said earlier, the history of sagging pants can be traced back to the late 20th century - wherein the style of wearing pants in such a revealing manner was inevitable for the inmates - who are accredited with the invention of this trend, and not a fashion statement, as they had no means to keeping their loose pants on their hips. Basically, the inmates serving jail term were not provided belts - or shoelaces for that matter, as the chances of them using their belt to commit suicide or strangle someone, existed in plenty. At the same time, these inmates often used their belts as weapons during prison fights, thus ending up severely injuring each other. In order to make sure that all these things don't take place, the prison authorities took the wise decision of not providing belts or shoe laces to inmates.
As a result of this, the inmates were forced to wear loose clothes - pants in particular, which they soon got used to. With time they got so used to the practice of wearing loose pants which came way below their waistline, that they continued with the same even after they came out after completing their term. The trend - which was until then only popular among the ex-inmates, eventually became a fashion statement during the 90s when hip-hop artists began wearing their pants in this manner in their music videos and during their stage performances. In a short span of time, the practice became quite popular in the United States - with hip-hop fans trying their best to imitate their favorite rappers. In 2010, Andrew Lewis developed a fashion accessory - by combining the elements of a garter belt and suspenders, which could be used to adjust how low the person wants to wear his pants.
The Debate
While sagging pants became quite popular among the youth in late 1990s and early 2000s, the practice was severely criticized by various factions of the society who termed it a public display of indecency. It was not just criticized by various communities, but also opposed by various politicians and eventually outlawed in various jurisdictions. While the term sagging pants doesn't feature in these ordinances, it's but obvious that the clause which states that "wearing clothing that exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner" is targeted at this trend. In some jurisdictions, it's the courts which have stepped in and banned the concept of wearing pants in such a manner in educational institutes - schools in particular. There also exist some groups who oppose this trend on the grounds of its association with homosexuality, wherein they argue that wearing loose pants in the prison was actually a method of introducing oneself as a homosexual.
Those who follow this trend, 'saggers' as they are colloquially referred to, seem to be least impressed by all these arguments against it. They continue to stress that "it's up to the person who's wearing the pants, to decide how low he wears them." In fact, they often resort to the issue of the right to self expression to defend this practice. It's very difficult to foretell how many indecency ordinances it will take to do away with the allegedly indecent trend? With all this ruckus surrounding it, it is expected to continue making waves in the society for some time to come.
