Brooklyn State Senator Launches Anti-Sagging Campaign

By Julia Sun., Mar. 28 2010 at 9:28 AM

Categories: Fashion, Julia

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State Senator Eric Adams of Brooklyn really wants young people in Brooklyn to pull their pants up, and he's putting up billboards to tell them so. On Monday, billboards with pictures of models in ultra-low-riding jeans reading, "We are better than this! Stop the sag! Raise your pants, raise your image!" will be going up in 6 locations in Brooklyn. Adams says the 22-foot-tall billboards were paid for with $2K in campaign funds.

Adams, a former captain in the NYPD and the cofounder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, calls sagging a trend which started in prison, and worries that what he calls "the sagging culture" is perpetuating negative cultural stereotypes. (His video on the subject, which contains some startling racist imagery, is beyond the jump.) Moving forward, he plans to petition Joel Klein to pass an anti-sagging dress code in city public schools.

Fun fact: The only subscriber to the NYS Senate YouTube channel is Deepak Chopra.

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Ran across this last year. It's still current.
I couldn't agree with you more. This ridiculous trend has perpetuated all walks of society, and we need to set a new trend. I have 2 boys and we constantly have to do a ‘pants check’. It’s crazy. Not too long ago people would have been laughed at for forgetting to pull their pants up. Unfortunately now it’s a fashion statement.
It incorporates the popularity of old school dresses and vintage sneakers. It was later adapted in Japan receiving a major transformation, thus producing its own variation in the pop culture and youth subcultures - the hippies, punks, skinheads, gothic and more.
BY THE SAME TOKEN, I ALSO DISAPPROVE OF YOUNG MEN WALKING AROUND WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN BELOE THEIR HIPS JUST TO EXPOSE THEIR UNDERWEAR, BUTT, EVERYONE HAS TO BE MADE AWARE THIS IS CONSIDERED AS A FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION GUARANTEED IN THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION BILL OF RIGHTS. I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT SENATOR ERIC ADAMS STUDY-UP ON THE BILL OF RIGHTS BEFORE SHOOT HIS MOUGH OFF. IT IS ALSO A WELL KNOW FACT THAT MOST IF NOT ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS HAVE BEEN LOOSING MANY OF OUR BASIC RIGHTS DUE TO THE CHANGES IN LAWS BEING MADE BY CONGRESS OF WHICH SENATOR ERIC ADAMS IS A MEMEBER OF. OUR ELECTED MEMBERS FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IS FOR, BY AND OF THE CITIZENS OF THESE UNITED STATES, THEREFORE, THE AMERICANS SHOULD BE DICTATING TO THE SO-CALLED ELECTED OFFICIALS, NOT HAVING THE ELECTED OFFICIALS DICTATE TO THE AMERICAN CITIZEN(S) WHEN THIS NEXT NOVEMBER NATIONWIDE ELECTION DAYS ROLLS AROUND, I ASK THAT ANY ALL VOTERS GO TO THE POLLS AND VOTE OUT OF OFFICE THOSE CONGRESS PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED OBAMA TO VIOLATE OUR BASIC RIGHTS AS THE AMERICAN CITIZENS HAVE THE LAST WORD, NOT OBAMA, NOT THE SUPEME COURT AND MOST CERTAINLY NO CONGRESS.
Saggin pants are scary, and a disappointed to Mothers, Daughter, Men, Sons, Children and Society as a whole. It's sad, a form of depression, a behavior disorder definitely This person is lost to caring, identity, and not recognizing the detriment it brings. Temptation of individual who wish to push desires of sexual secrets and expose their bottoms that pour into family and personal lives of others should be stop by any means necessary. It is hideous. What ever it takes to stop Individuals from Invading on the Public The City and State must bring a Violation against those who practice exposure of sexual organs.
Hello, I have twp (2) comments: 1). Don't these individuals who "sag" know that the trend came about because, while in prison, guys who let their pants low to show off underwear were advertising desire to have sex with other men?; 2). As I was riding on the bus in Alexandria, Virginia, a senior citizen, eighty-two (82) years young, asked a young man, who was "saggin", if he had ever heard of "Steppin' Fetchit"? The young man said "No." She responded, "Well, he had a college education, but couldn't find a job. So, he took a job that had black men look stupid. One of the ways black men were made to look stupid, lazy, and shiftless, was to wear baggy pants that showed their underwear. Please feel free to contact me at 703-820-1920. Sincerely. CCM
Yo it is stupid looking, damn stupid I hate how it looks walking down the street. For a group full of "straight" men it looks really really gay It's like AY EVERY DUDE IN THE GROUP CAN SEE MY ASS! yo I'm tellin you I hate seeing people on the bus standing in front of me and I can see their ass hanging out. I dont want to see your underwear walking down the street it looks sloppy and guess what I get more women not sagging then I get when I do sag (It happened a couple times when my belt broke on me.) However, IT LOOOKS SLOPPY AND YOU WILL NEVER EVER GET A REAL JOB OR TAKEN SERIOUSLY PULLIN THAT TYPE OF CRAP!
Yo it is stupid looking, damn stupid I hate how it looks walking down the street. For a group full of "straight" men it looks really really gay It's like AY EVERY DUDE IN THE GROUP CAN SEE MY ASS! yo I'm tellin you I hate seeing people on the bus standing in front of me and I can see their ass hanging out. I dont want to see your underwear walking down the street it looks sloppy and guess what I get more women not sagging then I get when I do sag (It happened a couple times when my belt broke on me.) However, IT LOOOKS SLOPPY AND YOU WILL NEVER EVER GET A REAL JOB OR TAKEN SERIOUSLY PULLIN THAT TYPE OF CRAP!
I am stunned that there are people who are defending and upholding these young men, Most are boys walking around with their pants falling down, showing their underwear. It is totally disgusting. It reflects on black people, it reflects on young black men who lasts face it are already stereotyped. Many of these boys are going to have a tough time anyway and for this to be part of their attire just is another arrow in their treasure chest of hope, Why cant we tell them just because its the fashion, it looks bad, you look horrible, Buy a belt, have some pride in how you present yourself.
PTA Mom has great idea! I really don't think legislation is the answer. I would rather have our elected officials working on more important matters. My idea...ALL PTA MOMS, weight watcher members, teachers and politicians unite (in fact anybody over 30). Wear your pants down to your thighs and show off those tighty whities. Kids want to be different and in no way will want us to copy them. You won't change behavior until you change attitudes and beliefs. Just like 30 somethings have taken over facebook, we can take over this fashion compaign as well...as painful as it might be for all of us.
Whether it's a fashion statement or not, it's the most stupid fucking look I've ever seen.
I agree with Charles - it doesn't matter how stupid/degrading a senator thinks this fashion is - it's a fashion. It will pass. Outlawing low pants is not the answer. What's next? Banning short shorts? Bikini tops when not at the beach? Let the young people be. The negative stereotype argument isn't really helped by infantilising young people's sartorial choices. Sorry senator - you obviously mean well - but you only make the trend stick around longer by letting it 'get' to you. That's kinda the point - your pleas makes the wearer feel even edgier and more attractive to girls... If you REALLY want to kill the trend, you should start a fashion for middle aged politicians wearing their suit trousers low. And 'trendy' moms. That'll kill it stone dead...
Sagging Passion for Fashion I wish everyone would just stop making a big deal of America�s pedestrian underwear exhibit, including State Senator Eric Adams of Brooklyn. By now, sagging pants or �saggin'� is an urban male fashion show�-despite its disturbing origin. Here is what I want to know: Is it desire, envy, or something else that forces people to gaze at young men�s behinds then complain about it? (Facebook has over 500 discussion groups against sagging!) Why not ignore them? Maybe the colorful passion for outer underwear will fade away...or not. I think the �horrors� of seeing young men�s boxer shorts exposed to the world are just as hilarious as watching these �hordes� waddle like Emperor penguins. Theirs would be pitiable stunts, if such adolescent dalliance weren�t criminalized by those jurisdictions locking up (mostly black and Latin male) kids. One day I asked one of my students why he wore his pants like that. "Cause the girls like boys with big butts," he answered without hesitation. I couldn't help laughing out loud as I questioned if, from his point of view, saggin' wasn�t simply a provocative way of being more attractive to girls? Was he describing his own courting ritual? Young people are using sagging pants, no matter what their origins were, in ways that are culturally meaningful to them now. If it annoys old(er) people, so much the better. Let's face it: "Good" girls might marry nice guys, but they fantasize about sex with "bad" boys. I think someone should start a discussion group about that! If young curmudgeons and old prudes are complaining, could it be because they aren�t invited to the mating dance�-be it hetero- or homosexual, or some combination thereof? Turning the adjective of my title into an active gerund, maybe they should just ignore the sagging pants. Surely �fashionable� urban teens will find other ways to antagonize. Yes, the style may romanticize prison culture as some scholars, activists, and politicians claim. But hasn�t American culture already romanticized outlaws? The �Founding Fathers� of our Republic were idealized and heaped with accolades for stealing land from Natives and holding Africans hostage to work it. And, east of Eden, gangsters, pirates, and other assorted �bad� boys�and girls�became Hollywood icons. At this point, to emphasize sagging pants� jailhouse history only adds a romantic street credibility to their allure. Besides in Harlem's gentrified neighborhoods where I live, I see young (mostly white) hipsters sporting flip-flops while showing off their shiny two-seater convertibles or new Vespas. Okay, it's not a perfect analogy, but it shows a dressed-down, devil-may-care attitude that's a turn-on to some people. After all, I wasn�t the only baby-boomer with outrageous styles that annoyed my elders. Does anyone else remember the contemptible Jheri-curls and platform shoes of the 70�s? And what about wriggling into hip-hugger jeans so tight your bare derriere could spare no air. It�s almost a law of material culture: Fashion is constantly changing; it�s cyclical, sexual, and works best when it�s passionate. Ever since the famous anthropologist Margaret Meade studied the phenomenon of the modern �teenager," it seems one job of American adolescents is to upset adults. As far as sagging pants are concerned, it�s been a job well done. Charles Townsend, M.B.A, M.Phil. CUNY Adjunct Lecturer, Anthropology The City College & LaGuardia Community College
I wish everyone would just stop making a big deal of America�s pedestrian underwear exhibit, including State Senator Eric Adams of Brooklyn. By now, sagging pants or �saggin'� is an urban male fashion show�-despite its disturbing origin. Here is what I want to know: Is it desire, envy, or something else that forces people like the Senator to gaze at young men�s behinds then complain about it? (Facebook has over 500 discussion groups against sagging!) Why not ignore them? Maybe the colorful passion for outer underwear will fade away...or not. I think the �horrors� of seeing young men�s boxer shorts exposed to the world are just as hilarious as watching these �hordes� waddle like Emperor penguins. Theirs would be pitiable stunts, if such adolescent dalliance weren�t criminalized by those jurisdictions locking up (mostly black and Latin male) kids. One day I asked one of my students why he wore his pants like that. "Cause the girls like boys with big butts," he answered without hesitation. I couldn't help laughing out loud as I questioned if, from his point of view, saggin' wasn�t simply a provocative way of being more attractive to girls? Was he describing his own courting ritual? Young people are using sagging pants, no matter what their origins were, in ways that are culturally meaningful to them now. If it annoys old(er) people, so much the better. Let's face it: "Good" girls might marry nice guys, but they fantasize about sex with "bad" boys. I think someone should start a discussion group about that! If young curmudgeons and old prudes are complaining, could it be because they aren�t invited to the mating dance�-be it hetero- or homosexual, or some combination thereof? Turning the adjective of my title into an active gerund, maybe they should just ignore the sagging pants. Surely �fashionable� urban teens will find other ways to antagonize. Yes, the style may romanticize prison culture as some scholars, activists, and politicians claim. But hasn�t American culture already romanticized outlaws? The �Founding Fathers� of our Republic were idealized and heaped with accolades for stealing land from Natives and holding Africans hostage to work it. And, east of Eden, gangsters, pirates, and other assorted �bad� boys�and girls�became Hollywood icons. At this point, to emphasize sagging pants� jailhouse history only adds a romantic street credibility to their allure. Besides in Harlem's gentrified neighborhoods where I live, I see young (mostly white) hipsters sporting flip-flops while showing off their shiny two-seater convertibles or new Vespas. Okay, it's not a perfect analogy, but it shows a dressed-down, devil-may-care attitude that's a turn-on to some people. After all, I wasn�t the only baby-boomer with outrageous styles that annoyed my elders. Does anyone else remember the contemptible Jheri-curls and platform shoes of the 70�s? And what about wriggling into hip-hugger jeans so tight your bare derriere could spare no air. It�s almost a law of material culture: Fashion is constantly changing; it�s cyclical, sexual, and works best when it�s passionate. Ever since the famous anthropologist Margaret Meade studied the phenomenon of the modern �teenager," it seems one job of American adolescents is to upset adults. As far as sagging pants are concerned, it�s been a job well done. Charles Townsend, M.B.A, M.Phil. CUNY Adjunct Lecturer, Anthropology The City College & LaGuardia Community College
Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground...