# Old men/high waist trousers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728 "2012-12-02T03:29:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/1 "2012-12-02T03:29:12Z")
In American cartoons and live action comedy you often see male characters who are meant to be old or are acting old wearing high waisted trousers. Is this a reflection of how elderly American men dress or is it something along the lines of the butcher chasing after a dog that stole a string of sausages? I’ve seen it referred to in American Dad, The Simpsons, New Girl and plenty of other shows. The Simpsons has made multiple references to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/2 "2012-12-02T03:32:21Z")
Definitely based on style of dress, with slacks pulled up to just under the ribs. Helps if they’re using suspenders. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/3 "2012-12-02T04:11:00Z")
When men get older, they tend to get a roll of fat around the waist. The rest of their measurements stay the same so any older pants - or even new pants of the same waist size - will fit correctly everywhere but at the waist. There are two ways to deal with this. You can let your gut hang over the top of the waist or you can pull the waist up so high that it stays put by being above the bulge. Some comedian defined this as Texas style vs. Florida style, IIRC. It’s a lot harder to do this with jeans so fewer men are doing “pull it high”. That emphasizes the age of anyone still using the technique. Pretty soon it’ll be a gag that lives on only in cartoons and people will write into the Dope asking what the real-world analog was. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/4 "2012-12-02T04:24:34Z")
I honestly can’t say I’ve ever seen it in Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/5 "2012-12-02T06:17:12Z")
My father is 80 and he mentioned that he’s lost several inches in height. (Although this might, in part, be due to back surgery.) So if an older man is losing height but wearing the same unaltered pants, they’re going to ride high. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/6 "2012-12-02T08:38:00Z")
At least some of it is that the fashion in the past was for high waisted men’s trousers. Take a look at some random photos of WII era [GIs standing](http://www.lonesentry.com/photoalbums/314th_regiment_79th_inf/gi-july-1945.jpg) with their shirts tucked in, or photos of [Patton](http://www.smta.cc/users/cjfab/GP1.JPG)or [MacArthur](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/MacArthur_Manila.jpg/240px-MacArthur_Manila.jpg) and you’ll see that the fashion in the 30s/40s was for very high waisted trousers. And of course the [zoot suit](http://dogpossum.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ejo.jpeg)took that to an extreme. As people age, they tend to get stuck in the fashion of their youth. So a lot of old men in the 70s-90s were wearing high waisted trousers simply because that was what was fashionable when they were young. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/7 "2012-12-02T13:53:04Z")
Fron Cracked’s article [6 Obnoxious Old People Habits (Explained by Science) | Cracked.com](http://www.cracked.com/article_16952_6-obnoxious-old-people-habits-explained-by-science.html) > [@](#): > > As you get older, your body goes through changes… One of those changes sees your body fat increase by as much as 30 percent around your abdomen (imagine carrying around a large dog all the time, wrapped around your midsection like an amorphous cummerbund of waist obscuring crap). Suddenly the place you used to jack your pants up to is simply not there anymore and you can’t tuck your shirt in quite right. So most elderly men go with the next best option and pull the pants up a little over that hump and do them up there. > At the same time that you’re developing your brand new pant-suspending gut, your ass vanishes along with your hips. … > Combine both of those with the fact you can lose up to three inches in height as you age, meaning your old pants drag on the floor unless you pull them up higher, and suddenly you have a trifecta of factors that will draw your belt to your nipples as if they contained electromagnets. Read more: [6 Obnoxious Old People Habits (Explained by Science) | Cracked.com](http://www.cracked.com/article_16952_6-obnoxious-old-people-habits-explained-by-science.html#ixzz2Du14N4D2) ---
**Author:** ![Coustralee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Coustralee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coustralee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/8 "2012-12-02T13:58:51Z")
There was an ad on tv here a while ago, can’t remember what it was for, it featured a bunch of old guys sitting around with their pants way up high laughing at some teenagers who wore theirs way too baggy. the kids were also laughing at the old guys ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/9 "2012-12-02T14:06:26Z")
We called the “wino pants” in the 70’s because back the. The Goodwill an Salvation Army stores were full of cast-off high waist wool trousers. The old man meme started in the 80’s when the old guys clung to them. But, perhaps proud of their zoot suiter heritage, young Mexican guys still wore them too. Yor remember that? Hairnet, high pants, plaid flannel pants with one button at the neck. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/10 "2012-12-02T16:33:50Z")
About 30 years ago I went to a local clothing store for suit pants. The tailor told me that trousers are supposed to be worn on the waist, belly-button high. To me that seems pretty high up. I always wear my jeans and other pants on the hips. No way am I going to wear them belly-button high ::shudder:: ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/11 "2012-12-02T16:39:44Z")
> [@The\_Surb](#): > > About 30 years ago I went to a local clothing store for suit pants. The tailor told me that trousers are supposed to be worn on the waist, belly-button high. To me that seems pretty high up. > > I always wear my jeans and other pants on the hips. No way am I going to wear them belly-button high ::shudder:: I wear mine at my belly button but that’s probably cos I’m a big fatso, seems like the right place for them. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/12 "2012-12-02T17:27:16Z")
From _O Brother, Where Art Thou_, Pappy O’Daniel and his entourage rocked [high waisted trousers](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eVB4pxYKr-0/Sgg4dhkP0KI/AAAAAAAAAxo/QB2iJWW_wnw/s1600/Pappy+Gapes.png) designed to ride above their potbellies. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/13 "2012-12-02T17:29:12Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > … plaid flannel pants with one button at the neck. Now that’s what I call taking high waisted to an extreme 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/14 "2012-12-02T18:28:14Z")
If you watch old movies, you’ll see relatively trim, attractive men wearing pants very high up. I think it’s mostly a matter of older men not choosing to change their look. If you’re acting your age, it seems sensible: pretending to be younger than you are has its own problems, and for many men there’s no upside to it. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/15 "2012-12-03T09:50:23Z")
On parts of the internet that I regularly visit, there is a great deal of money spent and ingenuity used to obtain proper high-waisted trousers. Because, and I say this as one who owns a few pair of high-waisted trousers, they are the best kind of trousers there is. [For instance.](http://www.tailsandtheunexpected.com/clothing/fishtail-trousers.html) Sadly, I can’t really justify paying for that level of trousery goodness, but if I had the funds, I surely would. And that’s not even mentioning high-waisted _women_’s jeans/trousers, which is a whole other world of goodness. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/16 "2012-12-03T10:23:15Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > Now that’s what I call taking high waisted to an extreme 😃 [Good catch. Have a meme](http://youtu.be/b5ke0khk8GI)😛 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/17 "2012-12-03T13:28:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > My father is 80 and he mentioned that he’s lost several inches in height. (Although this might, in part, be due to back surgery.) So if an older man is losing height but wearing the same unaltered pants, they’re going to ride high. Wouldn’t they just be longer around the ankles? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/18 "2012-12-03T13:59:23Z")
Losing inches in height means it must disappear from somewhere, and it’s your spine. That gives the illusion of pants length being disproportionate to your upper body. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/19 "2012-12-04T16:10:21Z")
Check out Benny Goodman, 1937: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3mJ4dpNal_k/hqdefault.jpg "Benny Goodman Orchestra "Sing, Sing, Sing" Gene Krupa - Drums, from "Hollywood Hotel" film (1937)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJ4dpNal_k) It was definitely the style at one point. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-men-high-waist-trousers/642728/20 "2012-12-04T16:22:07Z")
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