new orleans town outlaws slouched jeans

[blm14]

Evidently they're not the only ones

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/no-jeans-left-below-behind/

[Bona Drag]

that's racist

no, seriously

[englandmj7]

This is awesome.

[BlueOctoberFan]

It's not racist. This is more of an age issue. I wouldn't even say that it's a cross-generational issue either, purely an age issue. When I was younger, I never liked that style, but I knew plenty of people who would wear pants sagged that way. Less than 10 years have gone by, do you know how many of those people still wear them like that? Zero.

[viv1984viv]

oh to be in the land of the free!

[neonecko]

'Chocolate' City strikes again!

[Tiranis]

This is some crazy shit. I mean, I hate the look but it's not like they're exposing anything—it's just boxers... I mean, you're more naked on the beach so are they going to forbid that too?

[jpgm]

i was hoping it was a joke......that's seriously some really fucking hilarious/strange/fucked up/scary shit right there.

[onemancult]

leave it to New Orleans.

[jeepster]

its funny that its an issue of age and generation because most babyboomers/older folks are gonna start looking like their pants a pretty heavy because of adult diapers.

[eastcoastrider27]

It's retarded to wear your pants that low, however it's your damn right to do so.

Does anyone find it ironic that we're "fighting for democracy" in the Middle East, yet the American way of life is becoming more like the way it is over there. (e.g. women forced to cover up their entire body in public. Men in LA forced to pull up their pants in public.)

[netsleh1]

When are we gonna sack up and expedite the evolutionary progress of the human race by bombing the South? In all seriousness though, how does something like that actually happen? What's next....shorts, tanktops, backwards hats?

[tangerine]

It is stupid legislation but in the interests of accuracy (and because I grew up in New Orleans and still feel a soft spot for it), Delcambre, a 2000 person shrimp-fishing town, is NOT New Orleans. Furthermore, New Orleans has much more on its mind than low-slung jeans, and no such law would or could be enforced in New Orleans, even if legislators were stupid enough to pass it.

[ChattyPuma]

Personally I think fining them is just stupid.

Anybody sagging should be shot on the spot.

It's a disgrace to this country and a big FU to society.

But, most of all it's a fashion trainwreck.

Shot.

No questions.

Aside note:

Supposedly sagging came from the jails and was used to signify an 'owned' 'bitch'. As in, your pants are half way down because daddy wants easy access. Now, how in the hell did that get translated into a style for wannabe thuglife drones? Maybe it's Freudian. You heard me Nelly, your name means "effeminate homosexual man."

Maybe I'm just getting too old and missed out on the memo stating that thugs were going to take back the rainbow.

OiOiOi

[>++fishb0neR]

when i was but a yoot, i distictly remember my mother saying something to the effect of "i'll beat your little ass if i see it hanging out of your pants," needless to say i valued my ass more than the "styleee"...but she did it more as a precaution when i walked home from school- to avoid the unnecessary attention of the 5-0.

i agree with BlueOctober Fan- age does play a role...sagging as more of an outward display of 'rebellion'...

the quintessential styles of "hiphop" (more "rap" than anything), "wiggers" and even some skate culture included saggy jeans (until Diddy/sean john and Kanye west made people realize they could be fashionable and still "represent for the streets nahmean blingittyblingblang yayeeyay!, etc.")...

It would be nice to see something like this put in place in West Philly.

as a black kid who actually wears a belt, but wears pink polka-dot boxers, i think sagging is overrated....unless there are any hot chicks out there that like pink polka-dot boxers....uhh PM me:D i'll sag for you baby

[blm14]

It is stupid legislation but in the interests of accuracy (and because I grew up in New Orleans and still feel a soft spot for it), Delcambre, a 2000 person shrimp-fishing town, is NOT New Orleans. Furthermore, New Orleans has much more on its mind than low-slung jeans, and no such law would or could be enforced in New Orleans, even if legislators were stupid enough to pass it.

I stand corrected - I should have said LA town. Altho they said its west of so I figured a suburb. Its still a strange piece of legislation...

[blm14]

Supposedly sagging came from the jails and was used to signify an 'owned' 'bitch'. As in, your pants are half way down because daddy wants easy access.

In all fairness, do you really think that wearing them high will prevent some crazed bull queer from taking your rectal virginity? And by the same token, wearing them low is an invitation? If someone wants to butt rape you in prison chances are they'll find a way to do it no matter how you wear your jeans...

[eastcoastrider27]

ChattyPuma, there are a lot of racist and homophobic undertones in your post.

[Bona Drag]

if you wanted to start a fascist dictatorship, this would be a good place to start

but then again, i'm just as guilty, b/c i think we should fine old geezers with horrendous fitting 550s

you want to talk about a fucking eyesore...

[onemancult]

Aside note:

Supposedly sagging came from the jails and was used to signify an 'owned' 'bitch'. As in, your pants are half way down because daddy wants easy access. Now, how in the hell did that get translated into a style for wannabe thuglife drones? Maybe it's Freudian. You heard me Nelly, your name means "effeminate homosexual man."

Maybe I'm just getting too old and missed out on the memo stating that thugs were going to take back the rainbow.

this is actually a really fucked up myth that has little to nothing to do with reality.

the simple fact is that when you're poor as shit, buying clothes a few sizes too big is a wise way to get the most out of the clothing you buy for your growing children. in the 70s, urban blacks were relatively on par with urban whites as far as income, which is to say that both were poor enough to have to live in the city but wealthy enough to afford decent clothing. the economy was also weak enough to make buying clothing affordable. back then, slim straight legged pants were de rigeur for whites and blacks alike. in the 80s, the income gap widened immensely as whites pulled themselves out of the lower-class and moved into the suburbs. money became tighter, because dollars didnt have as much buying power as they did the previous decade.

the oversized tee and sagging jean look, early on, wasn't about style, it was about

a lack of money in your household.

wouldn't you believe it, rappers from the same poor neighborhoods as everybody else became famous, and, shucks, they didn't hop into a J. Crew catalog right away.

a. they needed to maintain their connection to their fans, b. what other way could they have possibly dressed?

as hip hop culture continued its rise in popularity during the 90s, that look became codified as the 'right' way to wear clothes. so, people bought their shit oversized deliberately. not to mention that the other major subcultural force in america, grunge, had enshrined baggy jeans and oversized flannel tops as the hottest shit out there.

so, the fashion industry caught on, and started manufacturing things specifically for the urban market- 3xl sizes they'd never made before, jeans with fuller cuts than ever.

anybody who believes that gay prison style bullshit has had their brain poisoned.

[>++fishb0neR]

+ rizzep for that ^

regarding racial overtones, did anyone else catch the title of the article?

funny how people "code" words and phrases in 'merica due to political correctness

[Bona Drag]

^^

i agree what he said is some bullshit

but in all seriousness, i thought it had to do with actual gang members wearing oversized shit because they could hide handguns easily

then other gang members started doing it, because it meant people couldn't be sure whether or not you had a gun on you

and then everyone else (including suburban white kids) started doing it to try and look hard, even if they didn't really know when/where/how the look originated

i realize this could also be a really fucked up myth, but it actually sort of makes sense to me

also, should this be moved to trash or culture or something?

[blm14]

It could be. I didnt expect it to become quite this heated...

[ChattyPuma]

ChattyPuma, there are a lot of racist and homophobic undertones in your post.

Really? I thought they would have been vastly overshadowed by the sarcasm.

this is actually a really fucked up myth that has little to nothing to do with reality.

--snip snip--

anybody who believes that gay prison style bullshit has had their brain poisoned.

Fair enough but, if you're going to take a hard stance on something, site facts/references or someone might think you are coming up with your own view, even if it is a good one.

because -they- think it came from the prisons, be it not the pirate ones.

who's got the right answer?

[Bona Drag]

bbc world service is doing a bit on this very story as i type

[twistedtrees]

I'm no lawyer, but the language of this law is WAY TOO VAGUE. By reading the following:

It shall be unlawful for any person in any public place or in view of the public to be found in a state of nudity, or partial nudity, or in dress not becoming to his or her sex, or in any indecent exposure of his or her person or undergarments, or be guilty of any indecent or lewd behavior.

"...in dress not becoming to his or her sex..." wtf? So now you can get arrested for wearing a dress to a Halloween party? Or better yet, we're going back 75 years and fining women for wearing pants!! that is retarded!

Also, let's point out the fact that unless they enforce this equally, it will be a racial issue. Where I live, I see too many damn thongs sticking out the back of women's pants (not too bad, if they were a bit fitter) and the fact that there are many women who walk around with their bra straps showing. If they don't get fined, the ACLU should be able to take this to court easily.

[Guest Airjamie]

oh god a town of 2000 people cant wear their pants like dresses.

oh my god, what am I to do?

Shut the fuck up.

That mayor is so fucking blatantly racist I sigged that shit.

[dino might]

This is some crazy shit. I mean, I hate the look but it's not like they're exposing anything—it's just boxers... I mean, you're more naked on the beach so are they going to forbid that too?

i was just going to say. if old guys in speedos are legal then young guys with partially exposed underwear should be no different. why not tell fatasses theyre forbade to wear anything short of a dress? 6 months in jail for pants that dont fit!? are you serious!? i have no qualms in calling this downright outrageous.

Does anyone find it ironic that we're "fighting for democracy" in the Middle East, yet the American way of life is becoming more like the way it is over there. (e.g. women forced to cover up their entire body in public. Men in LA forced to pull up their pants in public.)

amen.

[Paul T]

Not only is this implicitly racist, and questionable in terms of what it's supposed to achieve, it's a bad law. The definition is so vague that anyone who has access to a lawyer will laugh off the charge, and anyone who doesn't have access to a lawyer will end up in jail once they can't pay the fine. Which will help bulk up the unrivalled prison population of the land of the free.

I love the US, but some of those small towns in Mississippi - not Louisiana, so much, Bentonia or Greendale - freaked me out. It's like going back to medieval times - you wouldn't get away with that poverty in Europe, this felt like the third world. (On the bright side, the music was terrific).

[BlueOctoberFan]

I find Bona Drag's "hide the gun" possibility far more likely than many others that have been offered. As to buying oversized clothes so that you grow into them, I've never known anyone who didn't do that. Along those lines as well, a good portion of the people dressing this way have no need to buy bigger clothes to "grow into". Doing that pretty well stops by the time you're 15 or so.