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Fashion Police: Flint Cracks Down on Sagging
The origins of sagging may be what's motivating Dicks. Long popular with the hip-hop set, sagging is in part a relic of prison culture: inmates sagged because they weren't allowed belts. To some, the style references a gangster lifestyle—a symbol of disrespect for authority. "I don't understand why parents let their kids out of their sight like that," said 81-year-old Minnie Boyd (no relation to Todd Boyd), shaking her head as she exited a Flint hair salon. "Who in the world wants to see a butt in public?"
But sagging's origins came partly out of practicality, too. In the 1980s, long before labels like Sean Jean and Rocawear catered to black men, the jeans of popular designers like Tommy Hilfiger were made too narrow for the black male body, says Professor Boyd of USC. So people started buying jeans two or three sizes too big, and—voila!—a style was born. Even Miguel says his sagging was a product of necessity: his mom couldn't always afford new clothes, so he'd inherit oversize hand-me-downs from his older brother. "Of course they were too big," he says.
Today, Miguel sags because it's "cool, hip"—but insists it's not a commentary on his way of life. "Hip-hop has been around for a long time now, and there are some things about the culture that have just become commonplace," says professor Boyd. "You're not making a big statement by sagging." As Miguel puts it: "It's just a style, man." And hopefully not a criminal offense.
© 2008
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Member Comments
Posted By: jonmor @ 11/24/2008 11:45:47 AM
Comment: Are you saying that black and hispanic saggers are gay?
Posted By: UFscholar @ 09/30/2008 3:42:16 PM
Comment: Responding to flonnlagh:
Since you feel it is appropriate to distinguish all urban people as African American I feel that it is necessary to educate you. "Urban" people are named so because of the distinct highly populated areas in cities in which they live. The modern construction of the term urban referring to black or African American popular culture is indeed a fallacy! Furthermore, urban populations: city dwellers include Caucasians, Asians, Hispanics; a wide variation of people. Please do not let YOUR "dreary and intellectually challenged life" manifest as IGNORANCE! Also, for your edification all African Americans are not "urban". Of those who are many of them wear well fitted clothing, and I might add my people look phenomenal! I hope you can now resume your more productive life.
On another note: I am not a supporter of the "saggy pants" trend, however I feel that our society is taking the law too far to label a personal decision as indecent exposure (regardless of how much of boxers is showing). Furthermore, I feel that this is a biased decision and has clear influence by men who make many decisions in this country. For example a woman can wear tight clothing, shirts with V-neck to her belly button, pants that reveal thongs (or no undergarment at all) and gets ogled maybe even rewarded. Is excess cleavage and stripper like clothing not indecent exposure as well....?
I guess that doesn't fall under the banned "urban" segment just yet.
Posted By: opinionateit! @ 08/25/2008 9:44:13 PM
Comment: I'm a 40yo hipster and keep up with most of the latest fashions but this is just stupid! I see these idiots walking around takin a step,tugin on their pants,takin a step,tugin on their pants what a pain in the ass and a long way to go for fashion.I laughed at the idiots in the eights wearing those stupid tight ass biker shorts and I laugh at these idiots now pulling their pants up every 2 seconds.Oh, and *** the ACLU I'm gay and socially liberal and they can still bit my ass!