# Important Rules for Sagging Your Pants **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 24, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432 "2004-11-24T06:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/41 "2004-11-25T17:22:29Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I take it you’re not a Talking Heads fan, then? [SNL] You may ask yourself, why such a big suit? And you may ask yourself, could this suit be taken in a little? You may say to yourself, did the store have any mirrors? [/SNL] ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/42 "2004-11-25T17:32:01Z")
I don’t mind the baggy pants thing becasue I was a teen in the 80s so it’s not up to me to point any fingers at any young people for dressing stupidly. I want to be like my grandmother was about it. I would wear something dumb like my first home made nose ring, or whatever, and she’d just say, “well isn’t that something.” I knew she thought I looked stupid but she had too much class to say so. The other day I was at the bank and there was a guy with his pants at his knees and a BIG parka on (which is also the style) and that looks 100% like a little guy with another little guy on his shoulders–aka two little kids disguised as a grown man. But what matters is I did not point any fingers at him. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/43 "2004-11-25T17:49:15Z")
Will this fad never die? The guys in my 8th grade class were wearing their pants that way and this was in 1991! You guys make zoot suits look like spandex! ---
**Author:** ![ReBusEniGma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@ReBusEniGma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReBusEniGma)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/44 "2004-11-25T18:40:33Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > [SNL] > You may ask yourself, why such a big suit? > > And you may ask yourself, could this suit be taken in a little? > > You may say to yourself, did the store have any mirrors? > > [/SNL] [The big finish] Letting the days go by- pants are sagging every day Letting the days go by - weiner safely tucked away Into the blue again - after the pants have fallen Once in your lifetime - I hear ‘real’ pants callin’ same as it ever was… same as it ever was… [/The big finish] Actually, peer pressure has been and will always be a huge issue not only for young people, but everyone to a degree. Some peer pressure is bad, other types are quite harmless. Remember those pin-striped bell bottoms? For men? So tight at the top that you could ray-trace mr. happy and loose enough at the bottom to go, as Bill Cosby puts it, ‘voom voom flap, voom voom flap.’ Especially if they were corduroy. Interesting thing is, styles tend to be cyclical to an extent, so you’ll have old styles become new again eventually. I’ll not be wearing bell bottoms ever again, but I’d gladly wear a Toga. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/45 "2004-11-25T18:53:07Z")
The other kid at my bus stop wears his pants like that. When we walk home, I walk behind him, because he generally walks faster than I do, and he has to pull his pants up about every five steps. He keeps one hand on his waistband at all times, and walks with his legs wide apart. If I had telekinetic powers, I’d give them the tiny tug they need to go down to his ankles, and then maybe he’d invest in a belt to keep them where they belong. ---
**Author:** ![Craneop2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Craneop2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Craneop2)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/46 "2004-11-26T00:21:44Z")
To finish the fashion statement completely. One MUST be sure to add a visor! Backward, AND upside down! ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/47 "2004-11-26T00:59:26Z")
Actually, I find that most people here who sag do have belts. They’re set _perfectly_ on that setting that lets them hang down right around their ass. Thanks guys, love the boxers with monkeys on them. And yes, I too am wondering when this will die out. Still going strong (and I’m in college… think that people’d figure out that they look stupid? “Blue. White. Blue. White.”) ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/48 "2004-11-26T01:33:39Z")
> [@Craneop2](#): > > To finish the fashion statement completely. One MUST be sure to add a visor! Backward, AND upside down! For the added downforce? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/49 "2004-11-26T16:03:29Z")
Dudes… it’s “wiener”, not “weiner”. And don’t just turn your hat _around_; take it _off_. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/50 "2004-11-27T02:55:14Z")
I concur that this fad has been around an unusually long time (a guy I worked with around 1990-91 griped about his kid doing it). Possibly, it will die out when us old people adopt elements of it, and it no longer seems edgy? (I’m thinking here of Mr. Brady’s sideburns and President Carter’s blue jeans). And no, I’m _not_ volunteering – I’ve got enough Levi 501s (32x32) to last me until retirement. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/51 "2004-11-27T03:30:46Z")
Jesus, I didn’t even _know_ there was a verb for this. Sagging your pants. Sheeit. Growing up in the 80’s, you’d think I’d know better than to point and laugh at the current idiotic fashion. But I don’t. So I do. ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/52 "2004-11-27T07:51:38Z")
For some reason people that think the whole style looks stupid, think that the people who wear it care what anybody thinks…like the guy who came up to my friend and I and told us that are pants were really low, as if we didn’t know. I would also like to say that I do not always sag my pants and I like suits so I am versatile when it comes to my style choices. “Sagging jeans or a suit looking clean when I’m on the scene…” ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/53 "2004-11-27T09:58:18Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Dudes… it’s “wiener”, not “weiner”. “Although ‘weiner’ IS an accepted regional variation.” {Principal Skinner} Damn, I was just WAITING for someone to come in and say that. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/54 "2004-11-27T13:54:15Z")
While I can accept that you don’t care what I think (or anyone who doesn’t ‘get’ the sagged-jeans style), I find it hard to believe that you don’t care what _anyone_ thinks of your appearance. I _do_ know people who don’t care what anyone thinks about their appearance, they tend to be absent-minded professor types. They wear the same thing all the time, ‘on the scene’ or not. > [@START](#): > > For some reason people that think the whole style looks stupid, think that the people who wear it care what anybody thinks…like the guy who came up to my friend and I and told us that are pants were really low, as if we didn’t know. > > I would also like to say that I do not always sag my pants and I like suits so I am versatile when it comes to my style choices. “Sagging jeans or a suit looking clean when I’m on the scene…” ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/55 "2004-11-27T14:09:57Z")
Ok, here’s what I don’t get. Most fashions try to emphasize something that society regards as positive, such as height and slimness. Those ugly pointed-toe shoes, for example, make the foot look longer, slimmer, and exaggerate the length of the leg. Ok, I don’t like them, but I get it. But sagged pants? They make the wearer look like he has the legs of a dwarf! How on earth is that attractive? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/56 "2004-11-27T15:14:26Z")
I’ve thought about that too, **Brynda** , here’s my take: Baggy clothing can make a skinny body look bigger. It can also help a fat body ‘pass’ for ‘bulked up’. So while it may seem ludicrous that such a look would be desired, it might make a boy seem more formidable. There has rightly been a lot of talk about young girls aspiring to unrealistic body images, but I think young boys are affected as well – pro wrestlers and bodybuilders are as ubiquitous as Barbie dolls. So, maybe boys’ clothing in general has gotten baggier partly in response to this? (Note that as girls’ fashions have gotten more skimpy and revealing, boys’ fashions have gotten bulkier and baggier). ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/57 "2004-11-27T15:18:12Z")
I feel you\* on the bagginess, **F. U. Shakespeare** , but what about the short legs? Short little bow-legs are not intimidating or attractive. \*[sub]sorry, just couldn’t resist making fun of the slang, too, while I am making fun of the look. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/58 "2004-11-27T17:28:28Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > Ok, here’s what I don’t get. Most fashions try to emphasize something that society regards as positive, such as height and slimness. The baggy pants thing _did_ start by emphasising something that [the hip-hop subculture of] society regards as positive: street cred. The vanguard of the fashion were very poor kids wearing hand-me-downs that they were a long way from growing into. Emulating these kids was a way of telegraphing “I’m from the street, I’ve had a tough life and I’m a tough man,” and was mainly adopted by performers. Once the performers cottoned on to it, it quickly hit the mainstream, and purveyors of fashion were quick to embrace and exploit it, which is why the clothesracks are now straining under the weight of shiny, flash “hand-me-downs” with $300 price-tags, and kids get their street cred at the mall with their mom’s credit-card. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/59 "2004-11-27T17:42:49Z")
Hmmmm…while your story of how the fashion developed makes sense, I read (sorry, no cite, can’t remember) that it started as an emulation of guys going to jail without belts, hence the saggy pants. In fact, I have heard it called “jailin’”. Both origins speak to street credibility, though, which definitely makes sense. Regardless of the origin, though, most fashions are meant to emphasize something attractive on the body. Short legs and what looks like a full diaper just don’t do that, for me at least. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432/60 "2004-11-27T18:20:12Z")
Maturity means you dress for comfort. If you can do that without resorting to yellow, plaid golf pants then you have it made. Every time I want to make fun of how kids dress baggy today I remember how I did the extreme opposite in the late seventies. Remember tight shorts on NBA players then? There’s a publicity photo of John Travolta around the time the sequel to _Saturday Night Fever_ came out. He’s in Addidas, knee high white tube socks with school color stripes, itty bitty satin gym shorts - possibly the tightest banana hammock I have ever seen, sleeveless T-shirt thougth not quite a wife beater and a headband. I do not want to use the term “gay” as a pejorative but he makes Richard Simmons look butch. It’s enough to make a person who grew up then want to gouge his own eyes out because at one time we thought it looked cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-rules-for-sagging-your-pants/276432.md?page=4)