Culture & Society
Sagging pants: Hip-hop fashion trend or prison culture?
By: Marc Lamont Hill
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Fri, 04/16/2010 - 00:00
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Over the past month, New York State Senator Eric Adams has drawn national headlines by unveiling the “Stop Sagging” campaign, a series of billboards and viral web videos that decry the hip-hop fashion trend of wearing pants below the waist. Although Senator Adams is the most visible opponent of sagging, he is far from alone. In states like Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, politicians have taken the anti-sagging movement to the next level by passing laws that criminalize the fashion trend by creating public decency ordinances.
The outrage over sagging pants is rooted in a belief that the trend is an outgrowth of prison culture, where inmates are forced to sag their pants because they aren’t permitted to wear belts. Others argue that sagging pants are a sign of prison homosexuality, as gay inmates expose their buttocks to let others know that they are sexually available.
While the claims about prison culture may be true, there is little credible evidence that they provide the origins of the current hip-hop trend. There is even less evidence that the youth who wear this fashion are consciously or unconsciously attempted to mimic the practices of prisoners. Instead, these arguments are nothing more than red herrings that play on a cynical, unsophisticated, and reactionary vision of our youth.
By linking sagging pants to prison culture, opponents are able to scare the public into believing in a one-to-one relationship between fashion choices and social deviance. By connecting it to homosexuality, they are able to play on the homophobic myth that being gay is a social contagion that can be avoided through the use of a sturdy belt.
Of course, such arguments are not new. From the Zoot Suit Riots to the Senate hearings on gangster rap, every generation of adults has expressed deep anxiety about the cultural practices of its children. The current moral panic, however, is particularly dangerous because it seduces us into focusing on the behaviors of youth rather than the current set of social conditions that place them under unprecedented levels of attack.
Today’s anti-sagging movement is not an isolated project, but part of a broader set of policies that comprise a full-fledged “War on Youth." From unconstitutional civil injunctions against gangs to the rise of draconian zero-tolerance policies in schools, our nation has produced a set of policies that construct our youth in increasingly criminalized terms. In reality, these policies— combined with the elimination of after-school programs, playgrounds, recreation centers, and public libraries—are far more likely to produce anti-social outcomes than a pair of low-riding jeans.
By focusing on relatively harmless fashion trends, we effectively sidestep the issues that truly undermine the life chances of our youth.
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COMMENTS
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i don't understand it. was on the subway and this guy gets on w/sagging pants a t-shirt that was 2 small 4 his asss and food in his hand. i was just lookn @ him n disgust and embarrassment because his underwear were exposed. i mean his whole ass in the back was out and u could damn near see the opening of his boxers in the front.. I mean they are underwear. they are for you 2 wear under your clothes - so why does the whole world have 2 see that.. They look a hot ghetto mess.. my son is 13 and i caught him w/his pants sagging like that and i gave his ass an earful. told him - don't let me catch you with them sagging again..
This topic is very intriguing because both arguments have weight but to find the truth of why the youth of today sag there pants can only be answered by questioning each individually. When i was growing up in the eighties and nineties my pants were extra baggy and that was considered a "gangsters" way of dressing but to me it made my timberlands look better the way the pants hung over them ,it had nothing to do with being a gangster. So to say youth today are doing it to mimic prisoners or homosexuality is nothing but extreme words to get attention to there cause, remember at one time a blackman wearing a suit was looked at as "house nigger" trying to be white.
My dad warned us of this sagging pants thing when MC Hammer was popular. Under no circumstances were we allowed to wear Hammer's harem pants, nor sag any of our clothing. He broke it down for us, telling us that the prison system implemented this to make it harder for inmates to kill themselves and prevent a hasty escape. When the whole concept sunk in, we saw how dumb it was, boys holding their damn pants with their hands and belts were in the loops!
Now, there are also health issues related to this sagging pants mess. The males hips get wider to accommodate their walk, making it difficult to run and play sports effectively. In a word, it de-masculinizes them, a two-fold disaster that kids fail to understand. And when they are older, they are more likely to suffrer from hip issues not unlike women.
This must be stopped. Our ancestors went thru too much for a few knuckleheads who want to sag and bring more attention to the negative than accentuate the positive. Don't be afraid to embarrass these young people. They knew what they looked like when they left the house and their parents (if they buy the clothes) should also know better. A village is needed to raise a child. We need to act like it!
Mark,
First of all I just want to say thank you for this article, however I feel we are in a losing battle. I have for a long while been and will continue to be a force to show urban culture in a more positie light, as I am part of it, and it is part of me. I am a black male who is college educated, I am a proud husband and father, and I am a business owner. I say that because there are times not all the time but many times when I sag my jeans. (BECAUSE IT IS COMFORTABLE) No stereotypes just part of a culture that allows me to express my mood at any given point in time. This twisted social bullying tactic is insane and to blame a culture for the problems of the world is even more insane. I seriously wish these anti-hip-hop lobbyist would revisit their history with an emphasis on the late 70's and early 80's and realize this form of ignorant thinking is what Hip Hop was born from. Non-conformist are bithed from conformism. And let's be honest. If you really think the pants thing is a problem do you not think hip hop as a culture will just do something else to get under peoples skin. I mean why is not a crime for women who aren't on a beach to wear a bikini top in public? Why is it that if a women walks the red carpet in a see-through gown that shows off her bra underneath, she is not arrested for indicent exposure? This is a a blatant bullying tactic to a culture, and some of us are willing to fight it, intelligently. This is wrong and the entire world knows it. We just need to find a way to say it louder. I have attached a link to an article that pretty much reiterates what you and I have said. For others to please read and keep this conversation moving.
Again I thank you for this article and I wish you luck on your quest to educate those that are uncompromising.
http://www.nustylze.com/the-urban-blog/view/504/urban-clothing---so-what...
Thank you SO much for this...while I don't care much for the style itself, I will defend to the death a person's right to wear it. I find it odd that there is so much focus on this one particular element of urban youth culture. Clearly this is one of those situations where some people are concerned that others are making them collectively "look bad". It's sad that these delusions (which are the product of racism, I believe) are taken as reasonable responses to a person's fashion choices!
And, as the poster above me points out, youth culture thrives on irritating the elders. I'm sure that their distaste for it has contributed to its longevity!
I am sorry, I think this is a despicable trend! It is ignorant, disrespectful and just down right vulgar, for anyone to walk around with sagging pants. Each time I see it, it makes me physically ill. Really, I wanna pull my car over and vomit! No kidding. And I do not defend their right to wear that. Just as I do not defend the right for some of the vulgar attire women wear in public. It is called DECENCY!