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Oh, Folly of Youth: Baggy-pants sightings leave grown-ups upset
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Published: April 30, 2008
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
-- George Eliot
There used to be a time when adults would correct you if they saw you get out of line, do something inappropriate or not do what was expected of you. They would pull you to the side, have a little talk with you and tell you to change your behavior. And they didn't have to be related to you, either. After another extreme "baggy-pants" sighting recently, I wondered who saw the young man walk out in public with his pants exposing his "behind" and didn't tell him how he looked. Perhaps they did, though, and he just didn't care. How else can you explain the image some young people project through how they dress?
I saw a young man recently walking across the street, his shirt off, his "behind" exposed, boxer shorts showing and his pants hanging around his thighs, barely. It was more than I wanted to see and it was not cool. A routine walk across the street seemed to take place in slow motion while he repeatedly pulled his pants up from behind to literally keep them from falling down. "That's ridiculous," I said to my wife, shaking my head. Trying to suspend judgment was a challenge. What is the cause of this lack of self-respect?
The scene would have been funny if it were a game, like those enjoyed at family reunions where participants put on really big clothes and shoes a few sizes too large and race each other across the finish line. Almost always, the participants walk very slowly, or running, trip over their clothing, fall down and get up again, trying to win. That's part of the fun of playing the game.
The young man walking across the street was not playing a game, though, and no one was laughing. "What were you thinking when you walked out of the house today?" I thought. I question myself each time I see someone in baggy pants that require an adjustment to take a simple step forward. I usually shake my head from side to side. Why would you wear pants so large that you have to hold onto them to walk?
This issue is the source of a continuing conversation with many perspectives. Some believe that the "baggy-pants" violators don't want us to laugh at them, or shake our heads in disgust. They want respect. Others say it is an act to gain attention: "Please, someone, please notice me. I don't have sense enough to tie a belt around my waist. I am a slave to another person's habit, please notice me!"
If, indeed, that is the strategy, it is working. Dr. Phil even devoted a show to the subject. While one parent hated her son for exposing his butt with low-hanging pants, another parent embraced his son's dress. He thought there were other things more important to focus on than baggy pants.
While sitting outside a bookstore once, a student my wife had taught approached us walking slowly down the walkway with his sister. I couldn't resist stopping him for a moment. "Hey young man, come here for a minute." As sincerely as I could, I asked him if he had to hold his pants up to walk.
"No," he said.
I didn't believe him. He had just done so, an unconscious response maybe, as he walked with his legs spread open just enough to help defy the force of gravity. You have seen that unnatural walk. Legs are spread slightly, hands reaching every step or two for the waist of the pants, ready to pull them up in order to take another step and prevent the pants from falling down.
"You know what?" I said. "As big and slow as I am, I can spot you 10 feet and beat you in a race to the end of this walkway." Yes, a baby boomer can beat a teenager wearing baggy pants in a sprint down the walkway. He didn't think so.
"You know why," I asked him. "You need to use your arms to run, and you can't do that if you are holding up your pants." It would be difficult for him to run with his pants down around his ankles. As he walked away, a few steps later, he was pulling his pants up! And there I was, shaking my head, again. He missed the point.
I am not opposed to individual expression, but the baggy-pants phenomenon takes it beyond that. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, however, you may never read the book if it doesn't appeal to you. Images and perceptions do make a difference and they can unfairly perpetuate stereotypes.
■ Nigel Alston is a Dale Carnegie trainer and motivational speaker. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.
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