Recently, while standing in line at the check out at the grocery store; there was a young man standing in front of me with his pants well below his hips, showing off his boxers below the butt. He was actually clutching the pants in front to keep them from coming off completely, but not to pull them up. I was very tempted, (and I almost did this) to take the cord used to cordon off the check out lane and very casually and gently snap it to one of his back belt-loops. Then, I’d leave that line and go to a different check out line. Thankfully, I thought it through, but not without laughing out loud. The kid actually turned around to see what was so funny. I had to bite my cheeks to stop myself from laughing hysterically. Finally, I realized that there were cameras everywhere, and that I could have been arrested for pulling such a stunt.
In the 60’s girls wore skirts or dresses to school, and the guys were made to follow a dress code as well. Away from school, I wore hip-slung bell bottoms, or hip-slung cut-offs. They were indeed slung on my hips, but no lower. Granted, you could probably house a Hippy commune under each bell-bottomed leg. I also wore a T-shirt, or halter top, and that’s as far as it went. I never burned my bra, either; mostly because I'd waited so long just to be able to say I could wear one. Fortunately, I outgrew that Hippy fashion mode, and managed to get a job after graduation.
Now days, fashion has been taken beyond the edge of the envelope, beyond fashion and straight to offensive attire. Wearing ones’ pants (or not) below the hip should get you warned, if not arrested. It should be considered Indecent Exposure, if not that, then just Indignant Composure! Get those pants pulled up and belted! It’s certainly one thing to make a fashion statement, but quite another to dress so that it’s offensive to other people. Wearing one’s pants below the hip line is absolutely crossing the line. It doesn’t matter if it only shows your underwear or if it shows your butt crack. In my mind, I see that wearing your pants that way, and your cap backwards or even cocked to one side, lowers a persons’ I.Q. considerably, or it was already low in the first place or they would not be dressing that way.
This also goes for women/girls showing their thong underwear and/or tramp stamp, which is a tattoo just over the butt crack; which is also known as butt cleavage. Pray, tell me, just what is the point in that? Is that an advertisement or a billboard of sorts? Listen up, little missy! There is no "tasteful way to show off your tramp stamp"!
Like many other fads, making a fashion statement, or just wanting to be different, the message is that you want to attract attention. Wearing ones’ pants that way tends to make people wonder just what is holding up those pants. Are you bragging about something else that no one can quite see yet? When are you going to show that? If you are doing this to be different, then you’ve failed miserably.
I see this mode of dress everywhere I look these days. I once thought it was only among younger gang members. However, I’ve noticed that many kids dress this way at school here in Texas. And, I have recently seen people over 30 years old showing up in public this way. Do they work? If so, how in the world did that interview go? At any rate, I cannot believe that nothing has been done about this, or how society has simply turned their heads, rather than to actually do something about it. Okay, I’ll say it. “There ought to be a law!”
The Royster likes to watch Cops every now and then on T.V. We saw an episode whereby there was a young man wearing his pants well below his hip line, and his cap backwards. He had just held up a convenience store for a case of beer, cigarettes and other items. The police had been called, and had arrived immediately to see the young man trying to run away with all of these items while at the same time, trying to keep his pants from falling. Of course, his pants fell down, he tripped and one of the police casually walked over and cuffed him. In other episodes, you see these guys being arrested and handcuffed, and begging, “Lemme jes pull up my pants?” Sorry guy. You should have thought of that earlier.
And then there are the extreme body piercings and out of control tattoos, but don’t get me started on those. Maybe another day.
