Not everyone agrees on where the baggy pants' fashion in men's and boy's wear first originated. One popular opinion is that when men are arrested and put into prison, their personal belongings are confiscated from them, this confiscation included their belts. Once their belts had been taken, their pants ultimately began to sag and bag. To cover their embarrassment, the men began to strut and swagger-proving that they were too tough to care that they were loosing their pants and leading young people to believe that baggy pants made them look manly and cool. They also say the larger, baggier pants are more comfortable to wear than pants that fit more snuggly. Another opinion is that the baggy pants look had its origin in the world of skate boarding or the snow boarding industry. Some believe the style has its origin in Hip-Hop or African culture.
Wherever the origin and for whatever reason, the fashion has been around for awhile-possibly as far back as 1989 and is still
hanging around today. I can't help but wonder if it is more for showing off their fancy boxers than for making a culture statement. As I drove through town just this morning, I couldn't help but notice a young man walking down the street with the waist band of his pants falling just under his buttocks. His boxers were black with some type of bright pink and yellow designs that I couldn't quite make out. I wasn't staring at the young man out of admiration so much as confusion. As with all parents and grandparents the fashion of baggy, saggy pants has always eluded my understanding. But then I have never been one to follow the fashion statements even in my youth-which consisted of beads, tie-dye, headbands, Afros, etc., etc.
Some fashions come in and go out just as quickly while others seem to last longer. I suppose the more durable fashions depend on just how many different statements the fashion covers-such as, does this say I'm cool, does it say I'm tough, does it say I'm a non-conformist (which is what I'm actually doing-conforming-just not to an adult's vision of conforming), does it say I fit in with the
in crowd. When holes-in-the-jeans' became a big hit, my daughter had to monitor just where and how big the holes in my granddaughter's jeans were. Another oddity since a pair of faded and holey (I know that's spelled wrong, but I just can't bring myself to write holy') jeans cost more than my entire wardrobe! When I was young, the holes in our jeans were come by naturally-too much crawling around on the ground while playing or working (picking cotton was done most often on the knees), too much rough scrubbing on the washboard by our mothers, and thread age. And we didn't have to pay an extra penny for those well-earned holes!
But getting back to the baggy, saggy pants issue, not only is it offensive to see someone's underwear, or worse, butt-crack (pardon my French); it can also be dangerous in the work place. Baggy clothes can easily get caught in machinery, or cause someone to trip and fall on any number of metal or sharp objects. Far be it from me to wish to curtail our young people's individuality, but there actually are some very legitimate reasons for enforcing dress codes in certain places.
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