MEMPHIS (TN)-Dating back to the early 90s the saggy pants look has become a setting trend in the Memphis area. Young men starting as early as 11 years old wear their pants below the waist showing there under garments. “Over half of the young men in the Memphis area wear their pants below the waist”, says Cymon Miller, 22, resident of the North Memphis area.
(R&B singer Trey Songz performs in the Memphis area)
“The low-slung trousers trend id adapted from the unbelted and sometimes oversized look of prison uniforms”, according to Mark-Evan Blackman, who heads the menswear department at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology
“Many of the young men who sag their pants don’t even know where the trend began and how they are badly representing themselves”, says Danielle Williams, 22, resident of East Memphis area.
(Young man of the Memphis area who fell victim to the saggy pants fashion trend)
“Many of the young men who sag their pants don’t even know where the trend began and how they are badly representing themselves”, says Danielle Williams, 22, resident of East Memphis area.
(Young man of the Memphis area who fell victim to the saggy pants fashion trend)
The Saggy Pants trend is believed to have originated from the United States prison system. When prisoners are admitted to prison they are given uniforms that are usually too big in size. Also belts are prohibited from the prison because of safety issues. In prison belts are commonly used as weapons in physical altercations between prisoners and used to avoid suicide attempts by using the belts to hang themselves.
“Not everyone agrees on where the baggy pants' fashion in men's and boy’s wear first originated. One popular opinion is that when men are arrested and put into prison, their personal belongings are confiscated from them, this confiscation included their belts. Once their belts had been taken, their pants ultimately began to sag and bag. To cover their embarrassment, the men began to strut and swagger-proving that they were too tough to care that they were loosing their pants and leading young people to believe that baggy pants made them look manly and cool”, says, Sandra E Graham, writer of the article titled, “The Origin and Purpose for the Baggy, Saggy Pants (Men/Boys Fashion) which was posted on her column titled “Grannys Front Porch”.
Other theories suggest that the saggy pants trend came from the hip hop culture and the skateboarder’s lifestyle. For example, Dewayne Carter a rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana that goes by the stage name “Lil Wayne” and skateboarder Robert Stanley Dyrdek from Kettering, Ohio are influential men that have a major impact on the young men of the world. Who both participate in the saggy pants trend. The saggy pants look has always been their trademark in fashion.
“ I sag my pants because I think that it makes me look cool” says, Joseph Gossett, 22, Resident of the South Memphis area.. When asked if he knew where sagging pants originated he replied,” from the hip hop culture”.
Rappers and skateboarders both give off the image that they are cool, manl
y and won’t live their lives following the rules and young men relate to that and want to be just like their favorite entertainer and it starts with the way they dress. Even some R&B singers take part in this trend.
“Not everyone agrees on where the baggy pants' fashion in men's and boy’s wear first originated. One popular opinion is that when men are arrested and put into prison, their personal belongings are confiscated from them, this confiscation included their belts. Once their belts had been taken, their pants ultimately began to sag and bag. To cover their embarrassment, the men began to strut and swagger-proving that they were too tough to care that they were loosing their pants and leading young people to believe that baggy pants made them look manly and cool”, says, Sandra E Graham, writer of the article titled, “The Origin and Purpose for the Baggy, Saggy Pants (Men/Boys Fashion) which was posted on her column titled “Grannys Front Porch”.
Other theories suggest that the saggy pants trend came from the hip hop culture and the skateboarder’s lifestyle. For example, Dewayne Carter a rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana that goes by the stage name “Lil Wayne” and skateboarder Robert Stanley Dyrdek from Kettering, Ohio are influential men that have a major impact on the young men of the world. Who both participate in the saggy pants trend. The saggy pants look has always been their trademark in fashion.
“ I sag my pants because I think that it makes me look cool” says, Joseph Gossett, 22, Resident of the South Memphis area.. When asked if he knew where sagging pants originated he replied,” from the hip hop culture”.
Rappers and skateboarders both give off the image that they are cool, manl
y and won’t live their lives following the rules and young men relate to that and want to be just like their favorite entertainer and it starts with the way they dress. Even some R&B singers take part in this trend. “ I recently saw R&B singer, Trey Songz in concert this past weekend and even he sags his pants and that was very suprising”, say Chontel Miller, 20, resident of the North Memphis Area
(R & B singer Trey Songz)
Many young men sag their pants to feel manly and to be considered cool because they see their favorite rapper or favorite skateboarder sag their pant. In reality the trend is very distasteful and needs to end. The saggy pant has become a major issue in the Memphis area and the people of the community want to see a change.
In March of 2009 Memphis State Representative Joe Towns Jr. and Senator Ophelia Ford both proposed a bill that would make wearing your pants below the waist illegal. The bill was called “Pull up or Pay up”, it says that if your underwear are showing while in public your pants are to low and if stopped by the police you could be subject to a fine or community services. All the money that is collected would go to schools for school activities.
Although, this bill was proposed it was never passed because some citizens of Memphis felt that the bill was not necessary and that there were more important things going on than “saggy pants”. The bill may not have been passed in Memphis, TN but other states across the United States felt that “Saggy Pants” is a major issue. For example, Lynwood, IL a small suburban neighborhood in Chicago passed a bill on July 20, 2008 stating that anyone caught showing 3 inches or more of their underwear in public would be given a 25.00 fine. This well praised law was put into action by the city Mayor of Lynwood, Chicago, Eugene Williams.
Also a very controversial bill was passed in Flint, Michigan called crackdown on indecency. Chief of Police, David Dicks, states that if you are caught with your underwear showing you could be subject to a fine and or even jail time. This law is very unique and different from laws passed in other states because there are three different stages of this law. The first stage a “warning” a warning may be issued if less than 3 inches of underwear is showing. The second stage is called “disorderly conduct”, more than 3 inches of the underwear is showing and the pants are below the buttocks. The final stage is called “indecent exposure”, when the buttock is completely exposed. The punishment for both stage 2 and 3 of the bill can result in 93 days to a year in jail and 500.00 in fines.
Although saggy pants are becoming somewhat normal to see in everyday life many people are still against the trend. “ Some people might not want to see your underwear. I’m one of them,” President Obama told MTV News.
“The saggy pant look is a continuous trend that is slowly spreading across the world. Young men will always be looked down upon for participating in this trend that handicapping the young generation. They will be denied jobs, education, and will never be taken seriously because of this sad fashion trend”, says, Kandace Hankins,19, Millington Resident.
Links
In March of 2009 Memphis State Representative Joe Towns Jr. and Senator Ophelia Ford both proposed a bill that would make wearing your pants below the waist illegal. The bill was called “Pull up or Pay up”, it says that if your underwear are showing while in public your pants are to low and if stopped by the police you could be subject to a fine or community services. All the money that is collected would go to schools for school activities.
Although, this bill was proposed it was never passed because some citizens of Memphis felt that the bill was not necessary and that there were more important things going on than “saggy pants”. The bill may not have been passed in Memphis, TN but other states across the United States felt that “Saggy Pants” is a major issue. For example, Lynwood, IL a small suburban neighborhood in Chicago passed a bill on July 20, 2008 stating that anyone caught showing 3 inches or more of their underwear in public would be given a 25.00 fine. This well praised law was put into action by the city Mayor of Lynwood, Chicago, Eugene Williams.
Also a very controversial bill was passed in Flint, Michigan called crackdown on indecency. Chief of Police, David Dicks, states that if you are caught with your underwear showing you could be subject to a fine and or even jail time. This law is very unique and different from laws passed in other states because there are three different stages of this law. The first stage a “warning” a warning may be issued if less than 3 inches of underwear is showing. The second stage is called “disorderly conduct”, more than 3 inches of the underwear is showing and the pants are below the buttocks. The final stage is called “indecent exposure”, when the buttock is completely exposed. The punishment for both stage 2 and 3 of the bill can result in 93 days to a year in jail and 500.00 in fines.
Although saggy pants are becoming somewhat normal to see in everyday life many people are still against the trend. “ Some people might not want to see your underwear. I’m one of them,” President Obama told MTV News.
“The saggy pant look is a continuous trend that is slowly spreading across the world. Young men will always be looked down upon for participating in this trend that handicapping the young generation. They will be denied jobs, education, and will never be taken seriously because of this sad fashion trend”, says, Kandace Hankins,19, Millington Resident.
Links
Chicago laws passed banning saggy pants http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/928852-lynwood-sagging
Flint Michigan law passed banning saggy pants http://www.joeydevilla.com/2008/07/09/flint-michigans-crackdown-heh-on-saggy-pants/
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