Tighten your belt, or at least wear one

Low-slung trousers – a crime against fashion or an actual crime? The British courts have been tackling the issue, but teenagers here are unlikely to tighten their belts

LAST WEEK, the British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) attempted to do much of society a favour and ban the wearing of low-slung trousers by an 18-year-old before the courts. The teenager, one Ellis Drummond, was facing an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) for public-order offences, and as part of the conditions suggested, there was an attempt to forbid him from displaying his underpants anywhere in public. Or, as the CPS put it, to prevent him from “wearing trousers so low beneath the waistline that members of the public are able to see your underwear”. The condition was dropped from the final ruling, leaving Ellis free to continue with his clothing preference.

The attempted fashion censure was the latest in a series of efforts by legislatures to tackle a style of trouser-wearing favoured by adolescents, skaters and prison inmates across the western world. It involves wearing trousers low around the buttocks, thereby ensuring boxer shorts are visible. The trend is believed to have started in prisons, where inmates are often given oversized trousers as punishment. As belts are not part of prison attire, many inmates have no other choice but to wear their trousers midway down their behinds. This forced style eventually made its way on to the high streets, and was embraced everywhere from ghettos to Hollywood. Even Britain’s prince Harry was pictured during army training wearing his trousers in a low style.

Now, though, square street is attempting to fight back. Three years ago, a town called Delacambre in the US state of Louisiana succeeded in making the wearing of low-slung trousers an act of indecent exposure, with a punishment of six months in jail (somewhat ironic that), or a fine of $500 for those found guilty. Last year in Florida, a youngster argued that wearing low-slung trousers was a constitutional right, after his arrest for having several inches of boxer shorts on public display. He was forced to spend a night in prison, before a judge agreed with his argument and declared the saggy-pants ban unconstitutional.

This hasn’t prevented other states from introducing similar bans. US president Barack Obama was forced to address the issue in 2008 during an interview on MTV, giving the following unequivocal advice: “Brothers should pull up their pants.”

The real question though is why would anyone want to wear their trousers below their arses? Kane Murphy is a 21-year-old bar worker from Cork who admits wearing low-slung baggy jeans. “I started wearing them when I was about 16 years old, when I got into skating. I would buy them in skate shops. What you do is buy a pair of jeans a size or two too large. So, for example, I am a size 32, so would buy a size 34. A belt keeps them in place if you wear them low.” Murphy says that rather than wearing the jeans as a nod to prison chic, his style has a more practical grounding.

“It’s comfort more than anything else. I guess there is a style factor there too, but honestly I just wear them because they are comfortable. But you have to have clean undies on under them, that’s important.”

When working behind the bar, Murphy keeps them pulled up, but outside of work hours, it’s back to casual wearing. “You do get a few negative comments, but nothing serious,” he says. “People might shout across the road, ‘hey, pull up your pants’. I think the idea of banning them is crazy – it’s like trying to ban certain hairstyles. If someone’s behind is hanging out and they’re not wearing underpants, then that’s fair enough. But if you’re covered up, I don’t see the indecency.”

But what of Irish politicians and their attitude towards the saggy-jean-wearing youths of the country? Several TDs contacted said they had no opinion on the matter and neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael has any intention of introducing saggy-trouser bans in Ireland. Labour’s Ciarán Lynch, though, a former prison officer, said he had experienced the issue in his previous work life. “Guys in prison often got trousers a few sizes too big as punishment. Politicians are the last people to take a stance on this. God forbid, if anyone showed photos of any of us during our teenage years, some of our garb would be far more embarrassing and less pleasing on the eye.”

While Lynch says the attire is for the most part harmless, he did offer the following observation. “Now that we are in recessionary times, we are all requested to tighten our belts. In some cases though people just need to actually wear one.”