Sagging (fashion)
Encyclopedia
Sagging is a manner of wearing trousers (slacks
, shorts
, pants
or jeans
) below the waist, hanging below the waist area and therefore revealing much of the underwear. 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.
An individual that participates in the practice of sagging may be referred to as a sagger.
, states that it is widely believed that sagging was adopted from the United States prison system where belts are prohibited. Belt
s are sometimes prohibited to keep prisoners from using them as weapons or in committing suicide
by hanging themselves. The style was later popularized by hip-hop artists in the 1990s. It has since become a symbol of freedom and cultural awareness among many youths or a symbol of their rejection of the values of mainstream society.
, speaking just prior to the 2008 US Presidential Election
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."
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.
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.
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."
The interim police chief of Flint, Michigan
, ordered the arrest of saggers for disorderly conduct; however, as of August 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.
Sagging clothing is a violation of some school dress codes, and the prohibition has been supported in the court system.
Just two weeks after the "Pants on the Ground
" video became popular thanks to American Idol
(See below), 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
. Another billboard campaign against sagging pants was launched in Brooklyn
by New York State Senator
Eric Adams
on March 28, 2010. In May 2010, New York State Senate President Malcolm Smith used $2,200 from his campaign fund to launch a similar campaign in Queens
.
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.
In the Fall of 2010 at Westside Middle School in Memphis, Tennessee
, the policy on handling sagging pants is for students to pull them up or get "Urkeled", a reference to the character Steve Urkel
of the 1990s television show Family Matters. In this practice, teachers would pull their pants up and attach them there using zip ties. Students would also have their photo taken and posted on a board in the hallway, for all of their classmates to see. In an interview with WMC-TV
, Principal Bobby White stated that the general idea is to fight pop culture with pop culture. One teacher at the school claimed to have "Urkeled" up to 80 students per week, although after five weeks, students got the message and that number dropped to 18.
On November 23, 2010, Albany, Georgia
passed a city ordinance that banned the wearing of pants or skirts more than three inches below the top of the hips, and placed a fine of $25 for the first offense up to $250 for subsequent offenses. By September 2011, City Attorney Nathan Davis reported that 187 citations have been issued and fines collected of $3,916 since the ordinance went into effect.
On December 8, 2010, the city of Opa-Locka, Florida
voted unanimously on a $250 fine or 10 hours of community service for individuals who do not pull their pants up.
In Fort Worth, Texas
, the local transportation authority implemented a new policy in June 2011 that prohibits any passenger from boarding a bus while wearing sagging pants that exposes their underwear or buttocks. Signs were posted on buses saying, "Pull 'em up or find another ride" and one City Council member is looking for funds for a billboard campaign. The communications manager for the Fort Worth Transportation Authority said that on the first day the policy was enforced, 50 people were removed from buses for wearing improper pants. Some complained about the policy, but the overall response has been positive.
A new state law in Florida
recently went into effect for the 2011-2012 school year banning the practice of sagging while at school. Pupils found in violation will receive a verbal warning for the first offense, followed by parental notification by the principal for the second offense, which will require the parent to bring a change of clothing to school. Students would then face in-school suspension
for the third (and later) violations. Several US airlines have also reportedly kicked flyers off of flights for wearing pants too low. In June 2011, The University of New Mexico football player Deshon Marman was removed from a U.S. Airways flight bound for Albuquerque, New Mexico
for wearing sagging pants. This was followed a few months later when Green Day
singer Billie Joe Armstrong
was removed from a Southwest Airlines
flight from Oakland
to Burbank, California
for wearing saggy pants.
s. First, in the 1996 song Back Pockets on the Floor performed by The Green Brothers of Highland Park, Michigan
. Another song in 2007 by Dewayne Brown of Dallas, Texas
entitled Pull Your Pants Up has a similar message. In January 2010, "General" Larry Platt
performed, Pants on the Ground
, during the January 13, 2010, auditions for the ninth season of American Idol
in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
, shorts
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
, pants
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
or jeans
Jeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
) below the waist, hanging below the waist area and therefore revealing much of the underwear. Sagging is predominantly a male fashion. Women wearing low-rise jeans
Low-rise jeans
Low-rise jeans, worn by both men and women, are jeans intended to sit low on, or below, the hips. They are also called lowcut jeans, hipsters, hip-huggers and lowriders. Usually they sit at least 8 centimetres lower than the belly button...
to reveal their G-string
G-string
A G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
underwear (the "whale tail
Whale tail
Whale tail is the Y-shaped waistband of a thong or g-string when visible above the waistline of low-rise jeans, shorts, or a skirt that resembles a whale's tail. Intentionally or unintentionally, a whale tail is exposed above the trousers mostly when sitting or bending, or even while standing...
") is not generally considered sagging.
An individual that participates in the practice of sagging may be referred to as a sagger.
Origin
Lee D. Baker, Dean of Academic Affairs at Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, states that it is widely believed that sagging was adopted from the United States prison system where belts are prohibited. Belt
Belt (clothing)
A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...
s are sometimes prohibited to keep prisoners from using them as weapons or in committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by hanging themselves. The style was later popularized by hip-hop artists in the 1990s. It has since become a symbol of freedom and cultural awareness among many youths or a symbol of their rejection of the values of mainstream society.
Reaction
During the first decade of the 21st century, many local governments, school systems, transit agencies, and even airlines passed laws and regulations against the practice of wearing sagging pants, although no state or federal laws have been enacted banning the practice. This is primarily due to the fact that the practice is commonly associated with a part of hip-hop culture that belittles women, glamorizes violence, and violates "traditional" clothing standards. Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, speaking just prior to the 2008 US Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
appeared on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
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."
In June 2007, the Town Council of Delcambre, Louisiana
Delcambre, Louisiana
Delcambre is a town in Iberia and Vermilion parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located twelve miles east of Abbeville on Louisiana Highway 14 in the Cajun Heartland of Acadiana. The Delcambre Canal, also known as Bayou Carlin, passes through the town and is home for much of the local fishing...
, passed an indecent exposure
Indecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
ordinance, which prohibited intentionally wearing one's pants in such a way as to show underwear.
In March 2008, the Hahira, Georgia
Hahira, Georgia
Hahira is a city in Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. The estimate population as of July 2009 is 2,328. The population was 1,626 at the 2000 census. Hahira is led by Mayor Wayne Bullard and four members of the elected City Council...
, 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.
Benetta Standly, statewide organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
of Georgia stated, "In Atlanta, we see this as racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
... It's going to target African-American male youths. There's a fear with people associating the way you dress with crimes being committed."
The interim police chief of Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, ordered the arrest of saggers for disorderly conduct; however, as of August 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.
Sagging clothing is a violation of some school dress codes, and the prohibition has been supported in the court system.
Just two weeks after the "Pants on the Ground
Pants on the Ground
"Pants on the Ground" is the first single by civil rights activist "General" Larry Platt. The song is meant to protest the practice of sagging. It was released on American King Music on February 4, 2010...
" video became popular thanks to American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
(See below), a billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
campaign against the style of sagging pants was launched in the Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, area. The billboards feature Big Mama Joseph
Josephine Joseph (Soul Food)
Josephine Joseph is a fictional character from the 1997 film Soul Food, and the Showtime television series of the same name. Along with her grandson Ahmad -- who refers to her as "Big Mama" -- she serves as the moral and emotional center of the film. Additionally, she makes recurring appearances...
from the 1997 film Soul Food
Soul Food (film)
Soul Food is a 1997 American comedy-drama film, produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Tracey Edmonds, and Robert Teitel, and released by Fox 2000 Pictures. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film stars Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma...
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
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
. Another billboard campaign against sagging pants was launched in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
by New York State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
Eric Adams
Eric Adams (politician)
Eric L. Adams is a Democratic State Senator in the New York Senate. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Prospect Heights....
on March 28, 2010. In May 2010, New York State Senate President Malcolm Smith used $2,200 from his campaign fund to launch a similar campaign in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Japanese snowboarder
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
Kazuhiro Kokubo
Kazuhiro Kokubo
is a Japanese snowboarder, who competed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.Kokubo was barred from the Olympic opening ceremony and criticized in February 2010 for his style of dress after he was seen wearing his Olympic team uniform with his shirt untucked, his trousers hanging low, and his tie...
was barred from participating in the opening ceremonies due to dressing sloppily, including a loosened tie, shirt hanging out, and sagging pants.
In the Fall of 2010 at Westside Middle School in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, the policy on handling sagging pants is for students to pull them up or get "Urkeled", a reference to the character Steve Urkel
Steve Urkel
Steven Quincy Urkel, generally known as Steve Urkel or simply Urkel, is a fictional character on the ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters, portrayed by Jaleel White...
of the 1990s television show Family Matters. In this practice, teachers would pull their pants up and attach them there using zip ties. Students would also have their photo taken and posted on a board in the hallway, for all of their classmates to see. In an interview with WMC-TV
WMC-TV
WMC-TV is the NBC affiliate television station for the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. The station serves roughly the western third of Tennessee, northwestern Mississippi, northeastern Arkansas and the southeastern corner of Missouri over the air on satellite and on various cable systems. Its...
, Principal Bobby White stated that the general idea is to fight pop culture with pop culture. One teacher at the school claimed to have "Urkeled" up to 80 students per week, although after five weeks, students got the message and that number dropped to 18.
On November 23, 2010, Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
passed a city ordinance that banned the wearing of pants or skirts more than three inches below the top of the hips, and placed a fine of $25 for the first offense up to $250 for subsequent offenses. By September 2011, City Attorney Nathan Davis reported that 187 citations have been issued and fines collected of $3,916 since the ordinance went into effect.
On December 8, 2010, the city of Opa-Locka, Florida
Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the mid decade census, the population was 15,376 as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau....
voted unanimously on a $250 fine or 10 hours of community service for individuals who do not pull their pants up.
In Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, the local transportation authority implemented a new policy in June 2011 that prohibits any passenger from boarding a bus while wearing sagging pants that exposes their underwear or buttocks. Signs were posted on buses saying, "Pull 'em up or find another ride" and one City Council member is looking for funds for a billboard campaign. The communications manager for the Fort Worth Transportation Authority said that on the first day the policy was enforced, 50 people were removed from buses for wearing improper pants. Some complained about the policy, but the overall response has been positive.
A new state law in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
recently went into effect for the 2011-2012 school year banning the practice of sagging while at school. Pupils found in violation will receive a verbal warning for the first offense, followed by parental notification by the principal for the second offense, which will require the parent to bring a change of clothing to school. Students would then face in-school suspension
Suspension (punishment)
Suspension is a form of punishment that people receive for violating rules and regulations.- Workplace :Suspension is a common practice in the workplace for being in violation of an organization's policy...
for the third (and later) violations. Several US airlines have also reportedly kicked flyers off of flights for wearing pants too low. In June 2011, The University of New Mexico football player Deshon Marman was removed from a U.S. Airways flight bound for Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
for wearing sagging pants. This was followed a few months later when Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
singer Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day...
was removed from a Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
flight from Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
to Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
for wearing saggy pants.
Music videos
This practice has been ridiculed in music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s. First, in the 1996 song Back Pockets on the Floor performed by The Green Brothers of Highland Park, Michigan
Highland Park, Michigan
- Geography :According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 16,746 people, 6,199 households, and 3,521 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,622.9 per square mile . There were 7,249...
. Another song in 2007 by Dewayne Brown of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
entitled Pull Your Pants Up has a similar message. In January 2010, "General" Larry Platt
Larry Platt
"General" Larry Platt is an American Civil and political rights activist and rapper who gained fame with his performance of "Pants on the Ground" on the ninth season of American Idol. His hit release song "Pants on the Ground" was released on iTunes and received over 150,000 hits...
performed, Pants on the Ground
Pants on the Ground
"Pants on the Ground" is the first single by civil rights activist "General" Larry Platt. The song is meant to protest the practice of sagging. It was released on American King Music on February 4, 2010...
, during the January 13, 2010, auditions for the ninth season of American Idol
American Idol (season 9)
The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres permanently replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.