# Guys wearing their belt buckle off-center **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 10, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688 "2011-12-10T01:50:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/21 "2011-12-11T23:43:34Z")
I have done this on occasion. Usually when I have a belt that is way too long, and I [del]am too lazy to[/del] have not had a chance to trim it. If I center the buckle, the tip ends up poking out at an awkward place. If I put the buckle off-center, the tip ends up underneath one of the belt loops, and stays put. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/22 "2011-12-12T00:11:07Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > When you get fat, a big buckle cuts into your dunlap when you sit in the car. That is correct. Leave my people alone, we will wear our belts off center and hold our heads high. ---
**Author:** ![Tess\_Trueheart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Tess\_Trueheart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess_Trueheart)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/23 "2011-12-12T01:10:33Z")
> [@Anna\_Nimity](#): > > Also, its streaming on Netflix. You can probably find it streaming elsewhere online as well. The entire show’s on hulu, too. Not the subscribing kind, either, the free one! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/24 "2011-12-12T08:41:15Z")
Dick Van Dyke is also on ME-TV over the air, if you get that sub channel What episode did you notice this? I have the DVDs too and would like to see it ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/25 "2011-12-12T14:23:39Z")
> [@BeaMyra](#): > > What episode did you notice this? I have the DVDs too and would like to see it I was afraid someone was going to ask this. 🙂 Although I have the DVDs, I have been watching it on TVLand, so I’m not sure even of the season. But I saw it twice. The first time was an episode where they had a guest star on the show - some young singer - who sported this fashion look. I thought it was the Season Two episode “Like a Sister” with Vic Damone, but that’s not it. The second time I noticed it was Rob himself; I have no idea which episode, though. I will keep a look out and post back when I see it again. mmm ---
**Author:** ![beltman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@beltman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beltman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/26 "2015-08-06T18:19:58Z")
I was going to ask you which episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show you were referring to, as I would like to check them out. However, I’ve since found a similar request from another user and your reply from 2011 indicating you haven’t been able to find them again. For quite some time, I’ve been compiling 2 lists: old TV series and Hollywood movies, where one or more male actors wears his belt with the buckle to the side, as it is a subject I’ve long had an interest in. But I was totally unaware that the Dick Van Dyke Show was such a program until I had read your post. If the actor who wears his belt buckle to the side is a guest actor, rather than a regular member of the cast, it can be very time-consuming (and costly) trying to locate such episodes in a long-running TV series. One might only find a single such episode in the entire series, and it might only involve a brief scene. For example, I discovered one such episode (but a very rewarding one) in “The Fugitive” TV series. Since I had seen most episodes of “The Fugitive” on late night reruns, which is how I had discovered that one episode, I think the chances that there is another such episode in the series is very slim as I’m sure it would have caught my attention. Wearing one’s belt with the buckle to the side was a relatively long-lived fad at my junior high school (middle school for you youngsters) and high school in the late 1950s and early 1960s. However, I think it has existed as a part of our culture (albeit a largely unspoken-of part) since at least as far back as the 1930s. Movies and photographs from the 1930s document this fact. ---
**Author:** ![beltman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@beltman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beltman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/27 "2015-08-06T18:33:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I tend to line the right side of mine up with the zipper line, which is a holdover from my military career, where that was required. When I wear my belt buckle in the middle, I line up the RIGHT side of my buckle with the zipper line, EXACTLY the way you have described, especially when I’m wearing my 1 3/4" wide garrison belt with its large rectangular buckle. I don’t know if my 3 years in the Army was the deciding influence on how I line up my belt, but it sounds like a reasonable hypothesis. I’ve seen some guys who line up the LEFT side of their belt buckle with the zipper line. However, unexpectedly, I’ve seen many more guys wear their belt with the LEFT side of their belt buckle about 1 or 2 inches to the RIGHT of the zipper line which, to me, presents a casual, almost haphazard appearance. ---
**Author:** ![beltman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@beltman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beltman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/28 "2015-08-06T18:36:27Z")
> [@FoundWaldo](#): > > I was never in the military, but I do the same thing. And it drives me nuts when I see guys with their belt on **backwards**. I know I shouldn’t care, but it’s one of those things I notice immediately, and then can’t stop thinking about. I think I have a disorder. When you refer to guys having their belt on “backwards”, do you mean they are wearing their buckle behind their hips, or do you mean they are wearing their belt in the reverse direction so that the tip of their belt is pointing to their right side, rather than to their left side? ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/29 "2015-08-06T18:39:43Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > When you get fat, a big buckle cuts into your dunlap when you sit in the car. I actually get this. There’s a joke about a fellow who says, “I have Dunlap’s disease. My belly dunlaps over my belt.” ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/30 "2015-08-06T18:45:07Z")
Well, if you’re trying to unzip your pants, that damn big buckle can be a pain. If it’s off to the side, it’s less bother. Of course, one could go without the Tower Shield belt buckle, but then… ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/31 "2015-08-06T19:03:09Z")
I don’t wear belts very often (chick here, with wide hips), but when I do it’s often to the side. My first job was at a garage and that’s what I saw my boss do. Made sense with how often you have to lean over and reach for things. Last thing you want to do is give a car back with newly-scratched paint. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/32 "2015-08-06T19:16:56Z")
Watch a few episodes of The Monkees and you’ll see that Peter sported the off-center buckle pretty regularly. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/33 "2015-08-06T19:21:26Z")
> [@beltman](#): > > I’ve seen some guys who line up the LEFT side of their belt buckle with the zipper line. However, unexpectedly, I’ve seen many more guys wear their belt with the LEFT side of their belt buckle about 1 or 2 inches to the RIGHT of the zipper line which, to me, presents a casual, almost haphazard appearance. I wasn’t sure how I lined up my belt buckle so I looked. Apparently, I’m not wearing one. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/34 "2015-08-06T19:28:33Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Watch a few episodes of The Monkees and you’ll see that Peter sported the off-center buckle pretty regularly. [Yep.](https://www.google.com/search?q=peter+tork+belt+buckle+side&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB4QsARqFQoTCITxgJOYlccCFccfHgodbhYGXQ&biw=939&bih=639) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/35 "2015-08-06T19:29:37Z")
> [@beltman](#): > > For quite some time, I’ve been compiling 2 lists: old TV series and Hollywood movies, where one or more male actors wears his belt with the buckle to the side, as it is a subject I’ve long had an interest in. Sorry, but I just find this to be so very, very odd. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/36 "2015-08-06T19:44:11Z")
Most zombies I’ve seen don’t have pants much less belts. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/37 "2015-08-06T19:48:13Z")
> [@beltman](#): > > I was going to ask you which episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show you were referring to, as I would like to check them out. However, I’ve since found a similar request from another user and your reply from 2011 indicating you haven’t been able to find them again. > > For quite some time, I’ve been compiling 2 lists: old TV series and Hollywood movies, where one or more male actors wears his belt with the buckle to the side, as it is a subject I’ve long had an interest in. But I was totally unaware that the Dick Van Dyke Show was such a program until I had read your post. > > If the actor who wears his belt buckle to the side is a guest actor, rather than a regular member of the cast, it can be very time-consuming (and costly) trying to locate such episodes in a long-running TV series. One might only find a single such episode in the entire series, and it might only involve a brief scene. For example, I discovered one such episode (but a very rewarding one) in “The Fugitive” TV series. Since I had seen most episodes of “The Fugitive” on late night reruns, which is how I had discovered that one episode, I think the chances that there is another such episode in the series is very slim as I’m sure it would have caught my attention. > > Wearing one’s belt with the buckle to the side was a relatively long-lived fad at my junior high school (middle school for you youngsters) and high school in the late 1950s and early 1960s. However, I think it has existed as a part of our culture (albeit a largely unspoken-of part) since at least as far back as the 1930s. Movies and photographs from the 1930s document this fact. You should post this over in this thread about [Quirky Hobbies/Pastimes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=763446). Actually, hope you don’t mind, I’ll put a link to this post over there. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/38 "2015-08-06T20:33:11Z")
I wear my buckle off to the side so it won’t draw attention from my thunder. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/39 "2015-08-07T21:33:15Z")
I remember wearing my belt buckle to the side for a while, back in the 60s. Guess I thought it was cool. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688/40 "2015-08-07T23:35:56Z")
Damn! I was too old to have caught this (or maybe it just by-passed the hick town I was in). At last, a way to be retro-cool! Dig it, man… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-wearing-their-belt-buckle-off-center/605688.md?page=3)