Refuse to Pull Your Pants Up and Risk Getting Arrested? It's about Time!

I have always considered myself a clotheshorse but the sagging pants-underwear pony show has worn itself thin. In speaking with Mr. Starks about this issue we oftentimes point to the Das-Efx (or Kriss Kross, albeit it was baggy backward) period circa 1992 when this look started to grab ahold of the nation's consciousness. And further-is this ultra saggy/baggy jean and timberland boot look seen on the catwalks of Milan and Paris? Folks, its 2007 and in the immortal words of actor/director Tim Reid during the last Tavis Smiley cornbread convention (aka State of Black America 07')-"It's time to pull your pants up and get a job." Well, it looks like our lawmakers from state to state are also sick of the nonsense-AFL-CIO and freedom of speech be damned! Let's try freedom from indecent exposure this time! Check out an excerpt from a recent NY Times piece concerning this issue:

Starting in Louisiana, an intensifying push by lawmakers has determined pants worn low enough to expose underwear poses a threat to the public, and they have enacted indecency ordinances to stop it.

Since June 11, sagging pants have been against the law in Delcambre, La., a town of 2,231 that is 80 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. The style carries a fine of as much as $500 or up to a six-month sentence. “We used to wear long hair, but I don’t think our trends were ever as bad as sagging,” said Mayor Carol Broussard.

An ordinance in Mansfield, a town of 5,496 near Shreveport, subjects offenders to a fine (as much as $150 plus court costs) or jail time (up to 15 days). Police Chief Don English said the law, which takes effect Sept. 15, will set a good civic image.

Behind the indecency laws may be the real issue — the hip-hop style itself, which critics say is worn as a badge of delinquency, with its distinctive walk conveying thuggish swagger and a disrespect for authority. Also at work is the larger issue of freedom of expression and the questions raised when fashion moves from being merely objectionable to illegal.

For the article in its entirety, check the link below:

Are Your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly to Jail.