The history of the sagging pants (2024)

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - "Pull up yo britches!!” This phrase used to be heard whenever there was a person wearing their pants, slacks, or jeans below the waist (usually without a belt) out. “Sagging” started in U.S. prisons in the 1960’s as a result of restrictions being placed on belts and shoestrings due to the high risk of inmates using them to commit suicide or inflict harm on other inmates or guard. It is also said that in prison sagging pants was a sign that identified inmates to more masculine prisoners as available for sexual activity and what better way than displaying their buttocks proudly in a manner reminiscent of the proud peaco*ck displaying his tail feathers to attract a mate.

Unfortunately, the style has found its way into mainstream America. However, in certain communities, bans against sagging pants have be formed. To some this is ridiculous, to others it's deemed necessary. In a community in Alabama it has been banned because one lawmaker said it's because God doesn't like the look.

Henderson State University, a public college in Arkadelphia, Ark., didn't officially banned such pants in its dress code, but has in its students center warning that saggy pants, would not be tolerated.

Tonya Smith, a university spokeswoman, told Inside Higher Ed that the signs were intended to discourage disruptive behavior on campus ( http://dailycaller.com/2015/08/17/university-ban-on-saggy-pants-decried-as-racist/#ixzz3rOkpnVeV)

Wildwood, NJ passed a law banning overly saggy pants on their boardwalk and "hindsight" will soon be punishable by a $25 fine.

ALouisiana law introduced in the parish of Jefferson Davismakes it a crime forpeople to weartheir pants in any way that can be defined by police as “sagging.”

Trends like "saggy pants" probably will never go away although most want it to. Why do people love it so much? What's the point of actually doing it? Should all states incorporate some type of law about it?

On Twitter @MarcusESullivan

The history of the sagging pants (2024)

FAQs

The history of the sagging pants? ›

Origin. The style was popularized by hip-hop musicians in the 1990s. It is often claimed the style originated from the United States prison system where belts are sometimes prohibited due to fear that they could be used as a makeshift weapon, and there can be a lack of appropriately sized clothing.

Where did sagging pants originate? ›

Sagging pants originated in prison - many prisoners were issued pants that were too large, and belts were prohibited, so their pants sagged out of necessity.

What do sagging pants represent? ›

It was later declared a symbol of freedom and being aware of fashion culture with many teenagers and young adults. It was also the symbol for rejection of the values in the mainstream society. It is often said the style got started with the United States' prison system. In that system, belts are sometimes not allowed.

What is the history of saggy pants slavery? ›

Final answer: No, sagging pants did not originate in slavery days. Explanation: The popular trend of sagging pants, where the waistband of one's pants is worn below the hips or buttocks, is a relatively modern fashion phenomenon and did not have its origins in slavery.

What states have the sagging pants law? ›

Saggy pants are already unlawful in other South Carolina cities, as well as parts of Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, and New Jersey. Plenty of nightclubs and restaurants have banned the style on the grounds of decorum, despite a general backlash that the rule has racial undertones.

How do sagging pants stay up? ›

Hitching up your pants before sitting down to prevent overstretching them with your knees is helpful, but if you're likely to forget, try wearing a belt with your jeans instead. Belts help to keep your pants up and maintain their form over your body.

Are sagging pants back in style? ›

Low-slung baggy pants with a visible boxer waistband were popular on men in the '90s. On women in the 2020s, they're comfy chic. Like most trends of the early 2020s so far, it may have started with Miu Miu, or a Hadid sister.

What does "saggy" mean in slang? ›

If you describe something as saggy, you mean that it has become less firm over a period of time and become unattractive.

What is the meaning of sagging? ›

/ˈsægɪŋ/ IPA guide. If something is sagging, it's drooping down from weight, age, or exhaustion. The sagging ceiling in the kitchen is a clue that there's a leak in the upstairs bathroom plumbing.

What does slack pants mean? ›

What Are Slacks? The word slacks comes from an old Saxon term that meant loose. Somehow, slacks became the new term for dress pants. As dress pants, slacks are not tight, are not elastic and are different from jeans, chinos or khakis.

What is buck breaking? ›

buck breaking (uncountable) (offensive) The alleged act of publicly punishing a male slave, typically by first flogging him, and subsequently sexually assaulting or raping him in front of other slaves, in order to humiliate him. [

What kind of pants did slaves wear? ›

Boys wore their breeches until they became fully grown men and wore long pants, which came into vogue in the nineteenth century. Girls wore shifts until they graduated to the more mature attire of petticoats, jackets, and gowns, usually between the ages of ten and thirteen.

What decade were baggy pants? ›

They were largely an underground trend in the early 1990s, but took off in popularity in the mid-1990s. The baggy jeans were very popular along with baggy bondage pants during the nu metal era which lasted from the late 90s to the early-to-mid 2000s along with pop punk during the same time.

What was the original purpose of sagging pants? ›

Origin. The style was popularized by hip-hop musicians in the 1990s. It is often claimed the style originated from the United States prison system where belts are sometimes prohibited due to fear that they could be used as a makeshift weapon, and there can be a lack of appropriately sized clothing.

Is it illegal to sag your pants in Florida? ›

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (AP) — After 13 years, a South Florida city has overturned a ban on “saggy pants” — bottoms that reveal the wearer's underwear.

Is it illegal to sag your pants in Louisiana? ›

A Louisiana city repealed its so-called “saggy pants” law after a black man was shot during a confrontation with police. The Shreveport, Louisiana, law, first enacted in 2007 during a wave of similar bans across the country, burdened black men with hundred-dollar fines for wearing pants that fell below their waists.

When were tight pants invented? ›

Tight Trousers Have Royal Origins

In the 17th century, before denim was even created, slim-cut trousers were very popular among royal French men. Men's breeches were the aristocratic grand-grand-grandfather of the skinny jeans. Like most trends, it spread to England and the rest of Europe.

Where did pants originate? ›

The oldest known trousers, dating to the period between the thirteenth and the tenth centuries BC, were found at the Yanghai cemetery in Turpan, Xinjiang (Tocharia), in present-day western China. Made of wool, the trousers had straight legs and wide crotches and were likely made for horseback riding.

What is the history of baggy jeans? ›

Baggy jeans can be traced to a mix of the 50s surge of rock and roll and the 70s birth of hip hop. The 1990 hit “U Can't Touch This” (a true banger) by MC Hammer, introduced the “Hammer Pants,” an interpretation of the Middle Eastern harem pant, which can be best described as baggy on top with cuffs at the ankles.

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