Over the past two decades, sagging pants have
emerged as one of the most infamous fashion trends,
not just in the United States, but in many other
parts of the world as well. The world seems to be
divided into two groups - people for sagging pants
and people against sagging pants. For those
individuals who are for sagging pants, it is all
about the comfort level, while those against it are
of firm belief that this is just a public display of
indecency. Sagging pants history can be traced back
to the American prison system, wherein the inmates
were not allowed to wear belts or shoestrings,
citing the possibility that the inmates could use
them as potential weapons during fights or to commit
suicide.
Sagging Pants: Meaning
The term 'sagging' actually refers to the practice
of wearing pants below the waist, in such a manner
that it reveals some part of the person's underwear.
In various parts of the world, this
fashion is also referred to as 'low-riding'.
Though it started as a male fashion trend, females
were not able to resist it either, and soon the
trend flared among the youth all over. With time,
the notorious practice of wearing sagging pants
became so prominent, that several authorities had to
come up with laws and resolutions to curb its
increasing popularity. The chapter of sagging pants
history that began in American prisons, returned to
the prison as several administrative bodies passed
resolutions making sagging a criminal offense, which
could possibly result in penalty or jail time for
the offenders.
Sagging Pants History
A popular fashion trend today, wearing sagging pants
was not at all a
fashion trend, nor was it introduced as one.
Although there are quite a few versions of how
sagging was introduced to the fashion arena, sagging
pants origin can be traced to the American prison
inmates who wore loose fitting prison uniforms
without a belt. In those days, belts were popular
weapons used by the inmates in prison, either to
commit suicide or murder others by hanging or
strangling them. Same was the case with shoe
strings, and hence both these objects were banned in
prison. In such circumstances, people with over
sized uniforms were left with no option but to let
their pants hang loose below their waist.
Eventually, the inmates became so used to this, that
the trend continued even after the inmates were
freed once their term was completed. The trend of
sagging pants got a major boost as a style statement
when rappers started wearing them in 1990s. This
made the style popular among hip-hop fans who
fancied following their idols on stage and in music
videos. Soon enough, sagging pants became one the
most popular fashion trends among the youth,
something which didn't really go down well with
everyone.
Some people still believe that this notorious trend
was an African-American creation which was
eventually embraced by the mainstream culture. There
are some more versions which associate the trend of
sagging pants with homosexuality and the world of
crime, wherein criminals used these loose
clothing to hide their weapons. These things
were however dismissed as baseless allegations,
owing to lack of substantial evidence.
Initial efforts to ban sagging pants ended
disastrously as individuals in support of this style
raised the issue of the right to self expression.
However, the authorities came up with new laws
pertaining to indecency in order to curb the rapid
growth of this infamous trend. Sagging pants history
is an apt example of how an objectionable fashion
trend can move on to become an illegal action,
severe enough to attract some time in jail, which
ironically, is where it all started.