Sagging Pants: Hip Hop Trend or Prison Trend?

He's coming down the street with a sparkling earring in his ear, pretty white teeth, maybe a doorag under his sports cap, a fresh shirt maybe overlapping a wifebeater or t-shirt, his shoes are bright white and brand new, and his pants look like they're fresh out of a retail store. He's in popular hip hop gear and wears it proudly. Sometimes he may wear his jeans or khakis with a button-down shirt. He may not wear a cap; maybe his hair is freshly tapered with a Caesar haircut or dreadlocks falling on his shoulders. To me, he represents hip hop and the casual wear of someone who wants to express himself by wearing gear he's most comfortable in. I love hip hop and brothas who can wear hip hop gear neatly; this includes everything from Phat Farm to Ecko to Akademiks. But then he turns around and the outfit and style go down the drain. I look down to see this boy/man's pants hanging under or in the middle of his butt. He pulls his pants up repeatedly because they start to drift down as he walks, and he's perfected that slow dip walk so they don't fall down altogether. I can see the designs and name brand of his underwear and sometimes where the elastic on his boxers or boxer briefs are tucked over his shirt. Suddenly he's not so attractive to me and I walk away with a vicious eye roll.

Sagging pants was never meant to be fashionable. Prisoners wear their pants this low because belts are a popular way to commit suicide by hanging oneself, to hang others, or to use as a weapon in fights. Prisoners are also not allowed to have shoestrings for the same reasons. But there is an even more obvious reason why pants are sagging in prison. If the pants are below a man's bottom, it is to introduce to other men that he is homosexual. As Eazy E once said about women in skirts, "For easy access, baby."