# Butt Crack Warning - Better Not In Virginia, Especially If You Are Black **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156 "2005-02-09T07:04:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/1 "2005-02-09T07:04:38Z")
From the [Sydney Morning Herald](http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Law-strikes-low-blow/2005/02/09/1107890256331.html) (Australia): > [@](#): > > Virginians who wear their pants so lowslung their underwear shows may want to think about investing in a stronger belt. The US state’s House of Delegates passed a bill today authorising a $US50 ($A65) fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a “lewd or indecent manner”. If that wasn’t enough, the story takes an interesting turn … > [@](#): > > Delegate Lionell Spruill Sr, a Democrat who opposed the bill, had pleaded with his colleagues to remember their own youthful fashion follies. > > – snip – > > Today, he said the measure was an unconstitutional attack on young blacks that would force parents to take off work to accompany their children to court just for making a fashion statement. Now the bill itself is beyond belief. But what’s with the racial overtones? Sorry that I’m out of the loop, but do young Virginia Blacks consider Plumber’s Butt with a lace chaser a fashion statement? Hey, if anyone regardless of race, color, creed, yadda, yadda, wants to do it, it’s their choice. It may not be my style so when did race enter the picture? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/2 "2005-02-09T07:13:21Z")
From my own observation, it is a young urban male thing to wear loose trousers which sink several inches below the waistline, such that the boxer short waist is visible. Some racial groups seem to favor this form of dress, and others mimic. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/3 "2005-02-09T07:51:42Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > From my own observation, it is a young urban male thing to wear loose trousers which sink several inches below the waistline, such that the boxer short waist is visible. Some racial groups seem to favor this form of dress, and others mimic. Last month or so, I was putzing around a mall and I saw several young urban males dressed like this. I distinctly remember one of them was wearing pants that couldn’t possibly be anywhere near his waist - the waistband had to have been around mid-thigh. Not surprisingly, he was wearing a t-shirt that was probably size tent, so as to cover himself down past the waistband of his shorts, which might as well have been pants for where he was wearing them. What the _hell_ is wrong with kids today? I don’t remember anyone my age looking _that_ stupid. :rolleyes: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/4 "2005-02-09T12:04:56Z")
I’ve seen pants you can buy that are actually one piece but are made to look like the style in question. (In other words the top part of the pants look like boxers and the bottom half look like jeans.) So are these pants going to be illeagal now too. :dubious: :rolleyes: Although something tells me that these pants are probably blasphemy to our younger generation. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/5 "2005-02-09T13:08:17Z")
What I don’t get is that this was popular in 1995. C’mon people, moonboots are the new hotness. Moreover, if Virginia were gay friendly (or even gay tolerant), we could get a state makeover in no time flat and this bill would be moot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/6 "2005-02-09T13:56:30Z")
I saw a guy last week who was wearing very low-slung jeans. But instead of nice Calvin Klein boxers underneath, he was wearing tighty-whitys. Very thin ones, it seemed. You didn’t have to imagine anything - it was all there, restrained by only the thinnest weave of cotton. :eek: So yeah, if there’s a law, it better be against _that_. That and the “look how my buttcrack tattoo compliments my g-string” girls. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/7 "2005-02-09T14:13:59Z")
I remember one day at work when we had a guy come in dressed like that. He bought his stuff and went out towards the bus stop. The bus started getting close, so he started to run. BOOM! Pants hit the ground and my coworker and I stop trying to laugh long enough to actually wait on customers. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/8 "2005-02-09T14:16:15Z")
The undertones of race **Duckster** is derived from, IIRC, the oversized clothing was a prison “style” due the inmates not being able to wear belts, hence the droopy drawers look. This style became a hip-hop(black) culture icon, that is now aped by anyone under the age of 25, it seems. It is not unusual to see kids walking down the street around here with one hand holding up their pants with their BVDS hanging out. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/9 "2005-02-09T14:24:44Z")
IMO, it looks ridiculous, but it shouldn’t be illegal. ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/10 "2005-02-09T14:30:28Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I saw a guy last week who was wearing very low-slung jeans. But instead of nice Calvin Klein boxers underneath, he was wearing tighty-whitys. Very thin ones, it seemed. You didn’t have to imagine anything - it was all there, restrained by only the thinnest weave of cotton. :eek: > > So yeah, if there’s a law, it better be against _that_. > > \*\*That and the “look how my buttcrack tattoo compliments my g-string” girls. \*\* Those are the “Ohhh yeahhhh” girls… cuz any guy who meets one is thinking: “Ohhh yeahhh… gonna get some tonight!” ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/11 "2005-02-09T15:19:56Z")
Well then, to make this ‘bill’ fair, it should apply to all those (including Senator dudes) who wear their belts hiked up just above the nipples - The Uncle Joe maneuvere I think its called. The opposite end of the spectrum, to stop it being prejudice. AM I WRONG? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/12 "2005-02-09T15:49:26Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Sorry that I’m out of the loop, but do young Virginia Blacks consider Plumber’s Butt with a lace chaser a fashion statement? Hey, if anyone regardless of race, color, creed, yadda, yadda, wants to do it, it’s their choice. It may not be my style so when did race enter the picture? Well, here’s something related and unrelated. Because it refer to another attempt at this law in Baton Rougue (which START linked to in another thread). “Cpl. Mark Francis/Lafayette Police Dept.: We believe a lot of these people who wear their pants like that, a lot of times they are also involved in illegal activities. So, this would be a tool that we can use to control these individuals…” I think this says something about the thinking behind laws like this. A tool we can use to control these indivduals. Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/13 "2005-02-09T17:24:51Z")
This is completely unfair. It is unfair to force one group to stop wearing _their_ age’s ridiculous clothing choices, so that those of us who have to suffer with pictures of how silly _we_ looked when we were teens have no stupid current styles to console ourselves with. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/14 "2005-02-09T22:15:03Z")
FYI. I just watched our local newscast about this issue. The delegate who submitted this bill is from Norfolk and is black. So, apparently it’s not a black issue, although there appears to be a faction who think it is. For graphic representation, the newscast showed two about 16 year white girls with droopy pants and thong underwear showing; and a white dude about 18-20 with his shirt tucked into his boxers, of which about 6 inches was showing. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/15 "2005-02-09T22:20:49Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > What the _hell_ is wrong with kids today? I don’t remember anyone my age looking _that_ stupid. :rolleyes: :smack: Oh, yes you did. I don’t know when you were a teenager, but you (or your peer group, at least) looked every bit as stupid as the kids today. What I want to see is a fusion of bad youth culture styles. I’m thinking droopy, boxer-revealing bell-bottoms, a nehru jacket, and a Flock of Seagulls hair cut. What else could we add to that? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/16 "2005-02-09T22:31:50Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > What I don’t get is that this was popular in 1995. I was puzzled by the news calling it a “new” fashion trend. I graduated from high school in 1995, and I have a fond memory of my science teacher lecturing a freshman that wearing his pants that way was an invitation to a pantsing. I think it looks stupid, but fashion crimes shouldn’t be punishable by lawjust by riticule. Until we go back to wearing bathing costumes at the beach, they don’t have much a leg to stand on when it comes to exposing skimpy garments. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/17 "2005-02-09T22:33:20Z")
I’m a high schooler who - although believing that this is a prime example of frivolous legislation - really hates people with ill fitting pants to the point of being anti-utilitarian. Also, for what it is worth, at my school a majority of the culprits are black. Now, I’m not saying that every single black person is continually forgeting to wear a belt, I’m just saying that in almost all cases it will be a male hip-hopper, with most hip-hoppers being black. Whites are, however, just as susceptible to this ridiculous fashion trend as they are to being a hip-hopper. As a final thought, I’d like to stress that this is in no way indicative of the teenage population overall. Only a fringe crowd still thinks it is fashionable to never walk without one hand secured tightly about the waistline. This is, as far as I’m concerned, a small irrelevant trend, as much so as that law. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/18 "2005-02-09T22:36:10Z")
Would those be high water, madras bell-bottoms, **Miller**? And Louisiana needs to hush up; my students have just about forgotten about extreme sagging and they don’t need to be reminded. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/19 "2005-02-09T22:56:11Z")
What happened to the “t-back” thong/low cut jeans look that teenage girls affected a few years back? Was this ever declared illegal? t seemed for a while that the girls were all in competition (to see who could wear the loest cut jeans). ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156/20 "2005-02-09T23:16:52Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Oh, yes you did. I don’t know when you were a teenager, but you (or your peer group, at least) looked every bit as stupid as the kids today. > > What I want to see is a fusion of bad youth culture styles. I’m thinking droopy, boxer-revealing bell-bottoms, a nehru jacket, and a Flock of Seagulls hair cut. What else could we add to that? Clothes: Day=Glo Shirts, Strecth Pants, Spandex, Combat Boots. Hair: Afro, White Fake Afros, Jerri-Curls, twig [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butt-crack-warning-better-not-in-virginia-especially-if-you-are-black/289156.md?page=2)