Illegal, Ridiculous Or A Fashion Statement?
Well ladies and gentlemen, can you help this fashionista out with this one…
Have you ever called to the guy in-front of you in a queue to tell him his underwear’s showing? Only to be told to ‘mind your own business’!
Recently in Jamaica we have been hearing that the police want the right to stop, search and/or arrest men wearing there trousers very low on the hip. Apparently they feel it is easy to conceal weapons when dressed in this manner.
This is not a new issue, as a number of US states have attempted to get legislation passed to stop this mode of dress.
Picture below of Lil Wayne from: www.starpulse.com
So what do you think… Is it a fashion statement? Is it indecent exposure? Would such a law be an infringement of our civil liberties? Or is it a way of protecting society?
I am going to ponder this over a cup of coffee or two… Yep, its definitely coffee time for me!
Talk soon.
Shaz 
Tags: celebrity, fashion, Jamaica, Law, Lil Wayne, Trends, weapons
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49 Responses to “Illegal, Ridiculous Or A Fashion Statement?”
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Definitely ridiculous to the point its illegal, simply it looks disgusting and as self-respecting young lady I find it a deterrent, who wants someone who cannot dress himself properly, what am I to expect maybe they’re not potty trained either. And take him home to introduce to whose parents, I think not ‘not’ more like a never!
There is a reason why it is called “underwear” If I bare my breasts in public it is illegal so why should a guy get to bear a piece of his butt. The whole style is revolting. Problem is that the persons who think that form of style is ok seems to be outbred by those who reject that form of behaviour
O we all need to get a life. Has everybody forgotten the ‘hipster’ pants of the 70s?
Years ago I would see a few mentally challenged people in the Kingston area dressed in the like fashion. I am therefore convinced that no one in their right mind would dress in this manner. I was told (don’t know if it’s true and I don’t mean to dis any one)that this trend was started in the States by homosexual prostitutes.
loy
we jamaicans love follow and we always seem to follow and tek up the worst habbits ever, i live in the stl mo us and its just a cultural thing here i can tell you all the young men wear their pants at their ankles..but to see jamaicans following that trend or style is really ridiculous, dress proper and carry yourselves like men..cho..
Sagging pants was never meant to be fashionable. Prisoners wear their pants this low because belts are a popular way to commit suicide by hanging oneself, to hang others, or to use as a weapon in fights. Prisoners are also not allowed to have shoestrings for the same reasons. But there is an even more obvious reason why pants are sagging in prison. If the pants are below a man’s bottom, it is to introduce to other men that he is homosexual…….and as for the women showing their cracks…why?
As a Jamaican living in the US I have to say we/minorities even before this “fashion statement” started had an uphill battle with our image. The people doing this need to understand that because they can do something doesn’t mean they should (think about that). Civil society generally looks on with scorn and who can blame them this look is at best disgusting, I don’t want to see another man’s butt or underwear. I see young people applying for work looking like that and they don’t realize they disqualified themselves before walking in the door.
The mode of dress discribe above speaks to how much the moral values o societies have fallen down.
Men and women are expressing moralities in how the socialize and the presentations themselves
Our leaders are not providing any better example.
The mode of dress discribed above speaks to how much the moral values of societies have fallen down.
Men and women are expressing their moralities in how they socialize and the presentations of themselves
Our leaders are not providing any better example.
Honestly speaking,i do think when a man wears his pants below his waist,he is a homosexual who is on a advertising campaign.Thats not fashion,but,yes,its a style wear by homosexuals so as to be identified among likewise minds. I however finds it very disgusting,annoying and immoral. The police is fact moving in the right direction in getting rid of such behavior. However,shame on the politicians,they have collectively proved unworthy of sitting in office.Such character should have been outlawed long time ago.The police shouldn’t have to beg for such law been put in place, and yet,the politicians are not moving fast enough on the subject matter.
As I can RECALLED when we JAMAICAN MEN were so OBSSESED with the TREND of NEAT DRESSING. When we would come out on the CORNERS in our RESPECTIVE COMMUNITES to MODEL what we GOT and could AFFORD with each FRIEND helping out ONE-ANOTHER. T-H-I-S was the N-O-R-M.
Now our SO-CALLED FURURE MEN has EMBRACED the AMERICAN GHETTO-HOOD CULTURE along with its BLING-BLING CORRUPTION, and EXTORTIONISM of which is FASTLY DECAYING our SOCIETY INREGARDLESS to OUR ALREADY GONE CULTURE.
But DONT forget, some of our YOUNG-WOMEN is to be BLAMED . Because they have OPENLY EMBRACED these BOYS to be MEN with this KIND of ATTIRE.
As A FACT of the MATTER JAMAICA CULTURE has BEEN so WATERED-DOWN, Its already has BEEN DI-MINISHED
Ok, i think we jamaicans do copy, however, i think its is a sense of fashion. most of u people that are critically , should look in to ur self. am sure we all copy whether good or bad . Jamaican woman wera booty that are use in US for winter know well that jamaica is a tropical country. thats just an example. however, no person are the same and alike that variety . and thats the spice of life . if every one was to dress in suits who would clean the streets. my point is every one has the right to do what ever they wont. Jamaican discriminate on too much stuff that is not even worth their time. the crime of the country and jobs . thats where they should focus. Freedom is a privillege and i think people should have that in any thing they want to do if it is to wear their pant to the ankles. Its like music u listen to what u like form a variety. and choose to buy what u want to bring in ur house car etc.
I’m a young jamaica and having been living in the States more than 1/2 my life and it’s just what the guys do to be cool. Most young females I know like it when their man dress like that or dress with baggy clothes on cause they think it’s cool. Young guys and older guys who wanna get their sway back dress like that. It’s certainly not cool to me but it’s just what they do. It’s not fashion but it has become a trend. Young teenage boys or men into rap music or rapping are usually the ones who love to have their pants riding low. It’s also a hood/ghetto thing. Older folks just need to love it, hate it, or leave it alone. Plain and simple.
A synopsis of all..firstly the hipsters never was indecent showing nakedness everyone was attired fashionbly. It is interesting to read the comments because we pick up trash even wiithout realising its trash. we smoke coke and crack thinking its a feel good t’ing, only for it to end up being a negative, we smoke ganja till our brains no longer compute sense from nonsense at times… ganja smoking is known to promote aggressive behaviour and slow the brain cells function check it out many sons have fallen through the cracks and are failing to rise to the mark of who they can be because the brain is struggling with the poison introduced into it to keep afloat Just mix a clear glass of water clean and pure with some syrup the more u add the deeper its tainted thats whats happening to ur brain only u cant see. I believe any man dat wear drop trousers is loving the other side of life secretly. Never cld understand why we mmust walk about looking at some very dirty underpantys in some cases.
“Its the smokin and the cokin
dat getting to dem brain
so they lose their senses
and are no longer men with sense
to see the degradation of their ways.” Nice rap eh! ‘nuf said.
I believe that all who add the homosexual twist to this. should take it out. unless if they themselves are homosexuals!.. because that’s the only way they could know that’s what its ..
because what these people are saying is that 90%of young Americans are homosexuals and the same for a lot of other country around the world!…
why don’t we say people in suit should not wear them because they are homosexuals?.. because the majority of people cant afford suit. its homosexuals who wear suits!..
To me this is pure fads just like all fads before this.. and it should not be none of our business!…as some body said “get a life people who are wardrobe police”
THE CLOCK HERE IS WRONG. THE STAMP TIME ON THESE POSTING IS AN HR ADVANCE.
MAY BE WE WOULD LIKE TO BALANCE OUT THIS . BY GOING TO THE YOUTH VIEW AWARD PAGE . AND THEN COME BACK ANS SEE WHICH IS MORE POINTING TO BE INDECENT DRESSING?.
ok truth be told ,like i say leave people wardrobe alone. who no want to see it , look the other way. Its the 21st century , people can do what they want. we have come a long way from slavery where master tell slaves what to do and how to dress.
am sure just like guys wear pant at their waiste, woman can pierce all over their body, and try to wear every thing just like the american girls do . u people are such hypocrites talking about jamaican culture . the women in ja don’t even dress like caribbean women, they compete with americans girls with their low budget selves. Then turn around and talk about the guys coping trends. Grow up, if u known u dont like it then there are other guys out there. well am sure girls out there that like there man in this trend. its a matter of who want who. The world is full of variety EVERY BODY CANT BE THE SAME, n DRESS THE SAME. VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE.
Personally i thinks its a homo behavior. When u sag you pants under your ass, then you looking for manly attention, what other attention would a person who do that will be looking. They claim its a style but this style spoil. Its a jail house system and some people dont even know the roots of it but they are doing it. Its looks disgusting and nasty. We in Jamaica should not sponge up any thing people outside of Jamaica are doing. We should adopt values that can help oneself. It should not happen in Jamaica, no one wants to see people underpants. I thinks is a disrespect to other around you. Why you want to expose your backside to the public, no sah a toilet yuh fi expose that to.
ITS JUST TACKY. NUFF SAID.
Saggin is a disgusting trend, woren by both men and women in many countries. I grew up in JA as a rebellious youth and never stooped to the level the youths following this trend. We disobeyed the school rules and wore our shirts untucked, We wore white shoes instead of black. But never did we envision wearing our pants below our bottom, as the women and men are doing today. There are rebellious trends and outright disgusting trends; Saggin is a disgusting trend. When I see youths I know doing this, I tell to pull up or don’t come around. We all need to remember to teach our youths the correct way to present themselves. they can have many styles of dress, but common sense should still prevail. Lets all help our youths grow out of this Saggin Trend
Geefus
I work in government institution in the United states and this seem to be the norm, not only african american but everybody. This is just a pick up habbit for jamaica
Soon we will be telling people what colour hair should not be worn…calling it tacky. People have a right to dress how they feel most comfortable and in the appropriate spaces. When someone is on their own time doign their own thing…its their freaking business…as Evie Says GET A LIFE!!! sheesh
King Son and all who believe it is a sign of homosexuality…I am so saddened by your lack of insight into the homosexual community and it just bears on that what you dont know you hate. For a lil homosexual 101…Men who wear baggy jeans with the underwear showing, if they do identify as sleeping with men (MSM) (as in our dynamic, sleeping with men and being identified as homosexual are 2 very different schools of thought) are known as ‘TOPS’ and nuh man caan touch fi dem rear end, as they are generally not receivers of homsexual sex (they dont get penetrated) so showing their ass is not a way to attract men to penetrate them. Secondly we keep ignoring a pesons right of choice, soon we will be telling people what colour we should wear our hair, how we should walk, how we should talk since we are already dictating who ppl what gender adult ppl should sleep with to avoid beatings and death. As EVIE SAID….GET A LIFE!!!
If only Jamaica’s problems could be cured by such trivial matters. If freedom of expression is to be curtailed for the sake of a few hiding illegals on their person and the police in any democratic community would search and detain any one for the clothes they wear is far to right wing for democracy to function and breath?
It’s just a trend. Some find it young and hip, cool to most youths. Older men do it to get they swagg back. Nothing fashionable about showing ur ass to the world. Everywhere u go, guys dress like that. Eveyone wanna do like the Americans do. I don’t think it has anything to do with homos, of course its also a jailhouse thing but its a hoodrat, I’m from the ghetto sensation. As a Jamaican American young female, it’s what I see everyday here and its quite a degrading thing for Afro Americans but who cares. Its just a freedom of expression.
A shower with ice water cures this guy’s heat problem. Some Jamaicans have a serious problem with self-worth. Sadly, their vulgarity affects everyone and is bad for the country’s image. There is still a difference between being sexy, handsome and vulgarity. Maybe teaching the average I and I the difference may help?
First, it cannot be illegal. What would be next – untied shoe laces? It might very well be ridiculous and a “fashion statement” but, each generation has its own. Now I am profiling not only in my Nike sneakers, my Fubu jeans, my Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt, but my Sean John undies.
What will go way beyond this would be any attempt to make it illegal. Oh well, make it illegal, but only after the law is passed making it illegal to represent a garrison area in Parliament.
Mr. Sees I agree with you 100% my friend. We Jamaican men always seem to pick up things but it is never the right things. We have become the biggest follow fashion MONKEYS. There was a time when everyone wanted to be like us Jamaicans not us being like anyone. We were trend setters not followers, now I think these fools have all become farin minded. We have lost touch with who we are and the only thing to do is to follow all of this stupidity. I don’t want to see your DRAWZ that look like you have been wearing it for a few days. if you are going to follow someone, follow them for positive things not this disgusting “PANTS ON THE GROUND”. With their pants looking like that it reminds me of when a baby diaper AKA Nappy needs changing. I remember a DJ some years ago calling it doo doo pants.
the uppity people in Jamaica wear scarfs and boots in a tropical country. these are winter accessories but i’ve seen pictures of them on the social pages of the main newspapers. they also wear a lot of fake gucci and louis vuttion. the boys who wear their pants are just doing what these people are doing;copying sytles they see on tv without knowing what it is about. what should be illegal is the wearing of scarves in 85 degrees
Hi Bob – we will look into this… thank you Shaz…
oh please yall need to geta life if we make this illegal were chanllenging everyones free to express ones self wats next youll probly have everone dressed up like muslims no offence muslims
oh please yall need to get a life if we make this illegal were challenging everyone’s free to express ones self wats next you’ll probably have everyone dressed up like Muslims no offense Muslims
I find it annoying and for the most part, unattractive (of course, there’s always the exceptional man or woman who somehow can sport this look and their sex appeal goes up quite a few notches). Of course, that’s just my opinion, which is worth little. But since this question/conversation is not really about the style, and all about who’s sporting it, I want to agree with “southy”: all a dem so-called high class people whe’h deh wear thigh-high leather boots, scarves and cashmere sweater should be fined for assaulting the sensibilities of the rest of us, and making us feel even hotter in this blasted drought.
People be real, We all have freedom of expression. I myself do not like this way of dressing among other styles, but who am i to tell anyone how to dress. And for those of you that are obsessed with crack showing, i’m very much “in the streets” and from my observation its underwear that showing. Women are the ones that i see showing there ass crack among other things (and i’m not complaining),and even though i wouldn’t want this, i hear no one calling for women to be arrested when they wear a short skirt/shorts or a blose showing a heathly amount of cleavage. All i’m saying that just because we may not like a certain style, its hypocritical to call for it to be illegal if its not going to be accross the board.
Once again its the case of the “Village Lawyers” getting it wrong. Its the Police from St. Catherine North Division whos said they are going to put a stop to it in their division by enforcing the Indecent Exposer Act. its some States in the US that have enacted laws against it. For a country whose people are so against homosexuality one have to wonder why our men feel they should go around exposeing their bottoms. If we continue to say its an individual’s way of expressing themselves, the murders, rapeist, theives and drug dealers can say the same.
Look this all began in jails when men walked around with no belts in their pants ! Which then became street fashion – me I think young men look stupid looking like this when you see young men (and even some old men)running for bus etc and every second pulling up pants just foolishness,also who want to see what colour brief a man a wear each day !make them buy belt and if they continue then let them walk walk without pants put honey on their private parts and let fly and wasp sting them ! YOUNG MEN TAKE PRIDE IN HOW YOU LOOK !
PULL UP YOUR PANT PLEASE, ENOUGH SAID
People should be free to express themselves, wear do go where they want. But the question is what are u expressing? If u view it in isolation then yes its ok, wear it any how u want…
The sagging pants simply highlighting a more deep seated problem with our jamaican society… Jamaica isn’t the US, England or Canada, yet we try to behave like it is… We are a third world country and an indisciplined one at that… Ja needs strict rules and regulations and proper enforcement of these rules at all levels, from Gordon house to the pulpit…
The HOME has FAILED (home here is not simply mom and dad but rather the entire community). the government needs to trample on and suspend some rights in the name of proper development and real growth…The development of JA that we all crave requires fundamental changes on the macroeconomic and social stages. It won’t happen with the 35 and 40yr old people it must commence with us, the younger generation.
DO your research and tell me which country that we all like to compare ourselves to ( from England, USA to even Singapore and lil ole barbadoes) hasn’t sacrificed on some level to achieve there present positions.
Some of you people are ridiculous and extremely hypocritical, you pretend to love freedom and democracy, but only for yourselves. I find this wearing of pants below the waisteline very distatesful and stupid but so do the wearing of 3 peice suits and neckties in 90+ degree temperature in jamaica and as someone else mentioned already scarves and very high boots. I myself have seen people in Ja. wearing very heavy winter jackets, but i would not even think about calling for any sort of sanctions against such mode of dressing , people should be free to wear,do,or say anything that they choose so long as it does not harm or interfer with the rights of others ,so don’t be so hasty to illegalize things that you dont like. Ja. is supposed to be a democracy, in democracies people are free. Think about this, there are some countries in the world where it would be illegal for you to be posting your comment on a public forum like this one. For those who think it has to do with homosexual tendencies, you are wrong, its just jail style being worn on the streets of America by mostly but not only black males, its a fad nothing more and nothing less. Just like bell foot pants and big heel boots and afro hair style. For those who say J’cans are following America, you are right but nothing is wrong with that either, America follow Ja. in some things too, yea the whole Rap thing was started with the J’can Dejay phenomenon. America followed other countries too and other countries follow America too and so on and so forth, People its called cross-cultralization thats how the world develops, aint nothing wrong with it to make it illegal, learn to appreciate your FREEDOM seriously.
sorry mispelt “cross culturization”
Alrick, Your reply was one of the most sensible ones i have seen. We all adopt certain aspects of different cultures at one point.In Jamaica, Most of us wear jeans. We tend to forget that Jeans (denim) came from Nimes in France hence de Nimes. American slaveholders purchase this tough durable material to clothe their slaves because it was easier and cheaper for them. Yet we all wear jeans and no one complains. Secondly, Sagging doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be exposing anything, If you are wearing a shorts under your pants then what is the indecency of that. What i find indecent is guys and women urinating in public and women pulling out their breast in public and feeding babies, also if your butt crack is being exposed while sagging. Please taste is subjective and i do not want the government going around dictating my taste.
1st mi a guh start off by co-signing alrick because what he said is the truth…but i wanted to address more than one comment since half of the comments posted on here seems have came from someone illiterate or just plain ignorant…sterotyping individuals who wear their pant’s baggy as homosexual is plain ignorant…yes you’re ignorant! bc 1st off not only it’s a double standard considering women are allowed to wear next to nothing…did you guys watch the grammy’s a decade ago when lil kim wore a boob out? i continue to see trends of such with little or any resistant from society…i also read an article in a magazine where this models said bikini was colthes and that she answers her doorbell in bikini’s….this is not too far off topic because most ppl wouldn’t care to see girls walikng around in bikini’s…let a guy try walking around in boxers only….my 2nd argument is against w/e lawmaker that said this would prevent crime because larger clothes conceal weapons…while common sense says this is true, i don’t believe this trend evolved out gang members trying to conceal weapons…as above commentators pointed out its hard to walk in large clothing muchless to run from cops while trying to find and operate a weapon…it actually could be an advantage in some instances where the cop might be prepared and a thug isn’t…and by the way..doesn’t the jamaican police has an hard time enough problems already enforcing whatever laws that the have? now dem want fi enforce more…i finalize my thoughts with this you people criticizing trend “need fi mind unnu business” because it’s not gonna change just like how hippie people still a walk round wid dem colored clothes as di same ting! and to the lady whe se jamaican culture gone…a wha do her? lady i am 25 y/o…lived in jamaica till i was 17…mi still eat me ackee and saltfish fi breakfast and rice and peas pon sundays, smoke mi ting,love mi cricket, cya tell yuh any big bwoy or anansi stori………mi can guh on 4eva…so its either unnu love wi or leave wi alone…unnu soon dead anywayz…it’s a new generation ting unnu wouldn’t understand
although don’t like seing it, this country is a hot mess of thoughts. Who gives me or anyone any right to control what is or isn’t a mood of dress. Should i say then that women showing navel rings in HWT immoral. or should i say women showing half there breast as disgusting. In Jamaica if you dress nicely you are gay and if you wear saggy pants you are gay. Its time for Jamaicans to watch themsleves and focus on themselves and stop watch others. Is the man in his cloths botherign you. I think that a woman sowing navel and 1/2 breast causes more traffic accidents and lust for rape than a man swogn underwear. I am not justfying wearing but wha ti am saying is that-dont watch me watch yourself.
For the love of my creator, i am a young man who has never done anything outrageous in his life and to pierce my ears, my parents argued with me what would ppl in our community say. “yuh pickney bruk out’; “him tun shotta now”. this i did for this purpose of hearing what society has to say, so that i can tell each and everyone who utter garbage about the piercing to shut the hell up.
your dress dont define who your are. focus on yourself.
This has been a well discussed subject and rightly so, but have we stopped to think of the genesis of this fashion blight? For all the straight guys who revel in what is called fashion,all you are saying in your fashion statement is that I’m ready and available to a gay guy. So if you are straight and approached by a gay guy, don’t blame him. you gave an open invitation by the way you wear your clothes. You see, before gays came out the closet and before it became vogue to be gay, it was the signals gay prisoners used to indicate to their partners that they are ready and available. So the next time you get dressed with an exposed butt be mindful of the message you are sending.
While I do not want to see anybody nasty underwear, I think the police have better things to do then search them. If they happen to come upon them underwear showing folks for some purpose, then they need to search them for weapons. However, if the little nasty folks are just walking down the street the police must let them be. The police do not need to get into the underwear patrol business. However is might help if people were to start telling them, ” I LIKE YOUR UNDERWEAR MAN, PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU PURCHASE THEM?” Perhaps they will start to feel shameful, when people give them compliments on them.
Alrick’s comment was a word from the wise. I agree. The style is tacky but if we start micromanaging people’s personal freedoms it will start a slippery slope.
When Jamaica was strong back in the old days, the men wore outfits we could be proud of. Now that the men are disenfranchised, often by an inability to fill their provider role in homes and families due to unemployment and underemployment, we see a lot of trends that make you question where di man dem head gone. But I would not stop being someone’s friend because of how they are dressed, just like i would not want a good man to bypass me because of how I look on the outside.
Jamaica has bigger problems than this right now. To be honest.
I think its a trend for young people. As we get older we move on from trends, I hate it when the youths are being criticised and judged by what they wear.
So many ghetto youths with their pants hanging down their asses are very clever…. if you ask me, and far far richer than us who tends to want to be seen dress like the clean cut white people.
Take for instance jayz a platinum billionair, who still dresses the same. Give me brains over fashion any damn day.
Pants on the ground is simply an invitation to penetration. At least it is in prison!!!