The Real Issue With Sagging

So there’s been a lot of talk recently about the sagging-pants issue. First, the guy on “American Idol” got everyone singing “Pants on the Ground” for weeks and now a lawmaker in New York is starting a billboard campaign to stop the sag in his state. As with most debates of any kind, I try to take a step back, lay my personal traditions and beliefs aside momentarily, and attempt to look the issue objectively from multiple perspectives before taking a stance. (Just a forewarning...do not take this post as support of sagging britches...it is meant to address HOW we are addressing the issue of sagging...so read it with that in mind!)

Growing up in a world where tight, high-waisted Wranglers were the norm for most men, it is quite different to spend my days in a culture where just the opposite is the preferred style of dress. Yes, it is hard for most people from outside this culture, including myself, to understand the logic behind wearing pants loose and sagging. In our eyes, it may look ridiculous and foolish. Yet at the same time, these guys will look at a West Texas man wearing tight Wranglers and think that it looks equally as silly. So who is right? Who is the ridiculous one? We usually will condemn the sagging pants guy because he may be dangerously close or actually is showing his underwear, which our society’s norms, as well as just common principles of modesty, tell us is not acceptable. Yet at the same time, where do these social norms come from? Who decides what is appropriate? A closer look will tell us that most “acceptable” behavior or style of dress is rooted in the traditionally white culture. The white culture has determined what is appropriate for work, school, business, etc. according to our culture’s preferences and everyone else must adjust to it. Because white men began the tradition of wearing ties and suits to work back in the years before people of color were even present in most professional settings, the tradition continues and others are expected to adapt to that norm. That’s just the way it is.

Some say that the sagging pants style originated in prisons because often the uniform pants did not fit properly and inmates were not allowed to wear belts. The African-American culture (where the sagging pants style originated) has historically been known for taking negative parts of their history, taking ownership of it, and making it their own…perhaps their own way of taking back some control of what previously they had no control over in a sense. (Use of the N-word for example). I think in many ways, the sagging pants style is just a quiet little revolt at always having to adapt to what the white man says is correct. I think it’s a form of expression of a culture trying to make its own decisions, its own styles, its own mark after years of being quietly and not so quietly oppressed in this country. Maybe we as white people react so strongly to it because deep down we don’t like anyone stepping outside the norms that we put into place, adhere to, and have collectively decided is acceptable. Maybe it makes us feel like we’re not in control anymore. Or maybe it’s not that deep…maybe we just plain don’t like how it looks and it makes us uncomfortable. Regardless of where we stand, my concern is with how it is being addressed.

Thousands of dollars are being spent on these billboards and other things like ticketing people for wearing their pants too low. Meanwhile, our inner city schools are struggling, economic growth in black neighborhoods is at a standstill, kids are joining gangs and getting involved in selling drugs and are being killed by the violence that surrounds them. Kids are dropping out of school because they see no place for it in their future. They don’t see legal job opportunities around them. They don’t know how to get to college or why to get to college. But we’re worried about their pants sagging? Their very lives are at risk, people! These kids are not going to look at a billboard and think, “Oh that says I need to pull up my pants. Let me go get a belt.” The more we attack kids for how they dress, the more they are going to rebel and tune us out when we try to talk to them about the things that are really crucial. Instead of putting up a billboard, that New York lawmaker needs to spend his money to invite some young men into his professional environment and mentor them. He needs to build a relationship with some of them and invite them to see how his world works. Allow them to see how lawyers and businessmen dress and carry themselves while in a professional environment. Talk to them about college and how to get to that level. Talk to them about how much money he makes and how much money he has at his disposal to put up billboards because of the opportunities his education has given him. Maybe not all the young men would change their minds, but I guarantee it would make them think about their choices more than a billboard or a ticket that they will crumple up and throw on the ground.

Regardless of the origin of the social norms for professional and appropriate behavior and/or dress in our country, the expectations do exist. We all have to conform to them. There are certain expectations for how to look and present yourself in many different environments and situations…whether it be a job interview, church, a funeral, a party, a graduation, a nice dinner, or the movies. The key is to work with our young people on knowing how to navigate this system and learn how to adapt and switch between these different environments in order to be successful. I may not like never being able to wear jeans to work, but it is something I must adapt to in order to be successful in my career. Fortunately, in my upbringing and the world I was raised in, I was taught those social norms and how to adjust to them. I know how to conform to what is generally accepted in my world. To be honest, I do not take offense when I drive through South Dallas and see teenage boys with their pants sagging. This is their community, their culture, their neighborhood, and this is the accepted style of dress in their world. But at the same time, we need to teach these boys that there is a world outside of South Dallas with opportunities that are not yet available to them in their community as it is (unfortunately). We need to teach them the difference in what they wear hanging out with their friends on the block and what they wear going to apply for a legitimate job. We need to explain WHY they are asked to pull up their pants and give them actual reasons to do so by providing them with quality education and opportunities!

So please understand that I’m not saying it shouldn’t be addressed….it’s the how and the why that we need to look at. Are we harping on these kids because “we” don’t like how it looks and it’s different than what “we” prefer and it makes “us” uncomfortable, or are we concerned on their behalf that how they are presenting themselves may be having a negative effect on taking advantage of certain opportunities in life? Do we understand it is not about us? Do we understand that there are much greater underlying issues in the communities from which this style originates that need to be addressed? Are we willing to commit to working with youth and mentoring youth to help them navigate this big system out there instead of punishing them for how they dress? I mean, we are fighting just to keep the young men in school until graduation. We’re fighting to keep them out of jail before they turn 18. We’re fighting in some cases to keep them alive to wear pants, period! We’ve got to give them a reason to pull up their pants. We’ve got to show them there are different paths that they can take out there…not just what they see around them and then we’ve got to show them the steps to get there. A billboard is not going to show them that. But a meaningful relationship will.


So instead of shaking your head, acting disgusted and disgruntled, griping, and attacking these young people…reach out. Get to know them. Become a friend and a mentor on their path to options and opportunities. Try to understand where they’re coming from and explain where you’re coming from. Make an effort to learn about and understand their struggle. And then show them the way to a different way! Never try to take away who they are to make them become who you are. But teach them how to be themselves in other environments while navigating the system’s unspoken expectations. Let’s don’t just preach out….let’s reach out!!! Far more than just your discomfort is at stake.