Trends can be very ridiculous and oddly enough, we tend to see exactly how much after they have passed. Although the “sagging pants” trend hasn’t really ended, we found out about its rather twisted history and couldn’t wait to share it.
Some people claim sagging pants is related to Buck Breaking/ Buck Breaking which was done to African men enslaved in America. This practice was utilized to “break in” defiant black male slaves as if they were untamed beasts. It was also suppose to deter other slaves from going against their masters. Unruly black men would be taken to a public place where all the other slaves were watching and told to lower their pants and bend forward. At that point the master would brutally rape the man. After this the act of violation the slave would be forced to wear his pants with no belt and allow them to sag, as evidence he had been “ busted” or “broken in’.
Other people believe that the sagging fad did come from the American prison system. In actual fact, prisoners were often given uniforms that were several sizes too big for them and due to suicide prevention efforts behind bars, were not allowed belts. This combination of factors led to inmates’ trousers riding at half-mast much of the time. As prisoners were released they continued to wear their trousers sagged and it wasn’t long before it crept into the Hip-Hop dress code.
Understandably, a lot of older people saw the craze as the height of disrespect and met it with widespread disapproval. Over the years, schools, airlines, transport agencies and local governments have all brought in rules and regulations against sagging, but as anyone who can remember their teenage years will agree: tell a young male to do something and they’ll do the exact opposite.
Sources: vocal.media and menswearstyle.co.uk
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