Sagging (fashion): Difference between revisions
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==Origin== |
==Origin== |
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The origins of |
The origins of saggin come from the [[Incarceration in the United States|United States prison system]] due to two primary factors. First, uniforms issued to prisoners are usually a few sizes too large. Secondly, [[Belt (clothing)|belt]]s are prohibited to avoid [[suicide]] by hanging oneself, or to avoid being used as a weapon in fights.<ref name="Koppel_Niko">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/fashion/30baggy.html|title=Are Your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly to Jail.|last=Koppel|first=Niko|date=August 30, 2007|publisher=''[[New York Times]]''|accessdate=January 29, 2010}}</ref> Contrary to popular belief, the practice did not originate as a means of one prisoner telling another that he is available for [[homosexual]] sex.<ref name="Snopes">{{cite news|url=http://www.snopes.com/risque/homosex/sagging.asp|title=Sag Harbored|last=Mikkelson|first=Barbara|date=October 15, 2005|publisher=''[[Snopes]]''|accessdate=January 29, 2010}}</ref> The style was later popularized by [[hip-hop]] artists in the 1990s.<ref name="Koppel_Niko"/> |
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==Controversy== |
==Controversy== |
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Revision as of 20:00, 22 February 2010
Sagging (also referred to as low-riding in the United Kingdom[citation needed]) is a manner of wearing trousers (slacks, shorts, pants or jeans) below the waist, hanging around the buttock area. Sagging is predominantly a male fashion. Women wearing low-rise jeans to reveal their G-string underwear (the "whale tail") is not generally considered sagging.[1]
Origin
The origins of saggin come from the United States prison system due to two primary factors. First, uniforms issued to prisoners are usually a few sizes too large. Secondly, belts are prohibited to avoid suicide by hanging oneself, or to avoid being used as a weapon in fights.[2] Contrary to popular belief, the practice did not originate as a means of one prisoner telling another that he is available for homosexual sex.[3] The style was later popularized by hip-hop artists in the 1990s.[2]
Controversy
In June 2007, the Town Council of Delcambre, Louisiana, passed an indecent exposure ordinance which prohibited intentionally wearing one's pants in such a way as to show underwear.[4]
In March 2008, the Hahira, Georgia, City Council passed a controversial clothing ordinance, in the name of public safety, that bans citizens from wearing pants that are below the waist and reveal skin or undergarments. The council was split 2–2, but the tie was broken by the mayor.[5]
Benetta Standly, statewide organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia stated, "In Atlanta, we see this as racial profiling... It's going to target African-American male youths. There's a fear with people associating the way you dress with crimes being committed."[6] Sagging clothing is a violation of some school dress codes.[7][8][9]
The interim police chief of Flint, Michigan, ordered the arrest of saggers for disorderly conduct; however, as of July 2008, only warnings had been issued. The local chapter of the ACLU has threatened legal action in response, saying that sagging does not violate the Flint disorderly conduct ordinance.[10]
Just prior to the 2008 US Presidential Election, then-candidate Barack Obama appeared on MTV and stated that laws banning the practice of wearing low-slung pants that expose one's underwear were "a waste of time". However, he did follow that up with the statement: "Having said that, brothers should pull up their pants. You are walking by your mother, your grandmother, your underwear is showing. What's wrong with that? Come on. Some people might not want to see your underwear. I’m one of them."[11]
Just two weeks after the "Pants on the Ground" video became popular thanks to American Idol (vide infra), a billboard campaign against the style of sagging pants was launched in the Dallas, Texas, area. The billboards feature Big Mama Joseph from the 1997 film Soul Food saying, "Pull 'Em Up!" and asks youngsters to "Keep it a secret!" The campaign is the brainchild of Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine R. Caraway, and uses advertising space donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.[12]
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Japanese snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo was barred from participating in the opening ceremonies due to dressing sloppily, including a loosened tie, shirt hanging out, and sagging pants.[13]
Music videos
This practice has been ridiculed in music videos. First, in the 1996 song Back Pockets on the Floor performed by The Green Brothers of Highland Park, Michigan.[14] Another song in 2007 by Dewayne Brown of Dallas, Texas entitled Pull Your Pants Up has a similar message.[15] The recent viral video, Pants on the Ground, performed by "General" Larry Platt during the auditions for American Idol (season 9) in Atlanta, Georgia on January 13, 2010, encourages youth not to sag as well.[16]
Examples
See also
References
- ^ "In Pictures: Sagging Pants". BBC News. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Koppel, Niko (August 30, 2007). "Are Your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly to Jail". New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Mikkelson, Barbara (October 15, 2005). "Sag Harbored". Snopes. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Siddique, Haroon (June 14, 2007). "US town bans saggy pants". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
- ^ Fulton, Malynda (March 6, 2008). "Hahira passes clothing ordinance". Valdosta Daily Times. Associated Press. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
- ^ "Crackdown! - Cities begin to belt wearers of saggy pants — but do laws violate rights?". Associated Press. September 17, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
- ^ Board Approves Dress Code Changes, Fresno Unified School District, 1993, retrieved 2008-11-23
- ^ Central Unified School District Dress Code, Central Unified School District, retrieved 2008-11-23
- ^ Anderson Union High School District Dress Code Guidelines, Anderson Union High School district, 2008-08-20, retrieved 2008-11-23
- ^ Bennett, Jessica (18 July 2008). "Fashion Police: Flint Cracks Down on Sagging". Newsweek. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Haberman, Clyde (November 13, 2008). "Can Obama Help Kill Baggy Pants Look?". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Heinz, Frank (January 26, 2010). "City Begins Battle Against Saggy Drawers". www.nbcdfw.com. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
{{cite news}}: External link in|publisher=|publisher=(help) - ^ "Japan rider apologises for hip-hop flap". AFP. February 12, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "'Pants on the Ground' similar to 'Back Pockets on the Floor?'". USA Today. January 26, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Goodwyn, Wade (October 24, 2007). "In Dallas, a Hip-Hop Plea: Pull Your Pants Up". NPR. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Jonsson, Patrik (January 16, 2010). "'Pants on the ground' goes viral: Top five Larry Platt covers". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)