Boyd 1
Jaylynn Boyd
Professor Gillings-Gayle
English 120
28 March 2016
Freedom of Stylistic Expression and Systemic Consequences
The issue of self-expression through fashion becomes increasingly complex when considering how appearances can be used as a means to justify systemic racism. In the book, The School Uniform Movement and what it Tells Us about American Education, David L. Brunsma exposes the history and motivation of sagging one’s pants, including how sagging is tied to an individual’s personal identity and style that does not need to be limited to a particular ethnic or racial group. He goes on to explain how sagging evolved into a national trend that ushers in a plethora of different views as to why individuals choose to participate in this fashion movement. Niko Koppel, in the New York Times article, “Are your jeans sagging? Go directly to jail,” debates the controversy surrounding sagging pants. He writes that behind sagging pants is “a larger issue of freedom of expression and the questions raised when fashion moves from being merely objectionable to illegal.” The article expresses how the fad of sagging began and how many communities claim that sagging pants is a criminal offense. It is important to consider that freedom of expression is a civil right in the United States, and the backlash against sagging pants may be racially motived because of the style’s link to Hip Hop. Although individuals should have freedom of choice in in matters concerning personal style, boys who sag their pants face discrimination based on negative stereotypes and as a result should not wear saggy pants in a school setting.
Freedom of expression can be extended to personal style and America’s youth is always approached by the older generation as having a distasteful fashion sense. This fashion sense is one that is often linked to rebellion, over-confidence and possibly, a disregard for authority (Demby). Some people think that saggy pants make teenage boys seem dangerous. In fact, in Koppel explains sagging pants originated in prisons, “Where oversized uniforms were issued without belts to prevent suicide and their use as weapons. The style spread through rappers and music videos, from the ghetto to the suburbs and around the world.” This quote explains how baggy pants originated: that they came out of the styles of clothing worn in jail. To clarify, it shows how baggy pants demonstrate this rebellion, entwined with a sense of confidence and disregard for authority. While Koppel is correct that saggy pants make teenagers seem rebellious, these teenagers face discrimination for wearing this style of clothing.
Despite being unfair, teenage boys face discrimination for sagging their pants. Because of the style’s origins, the general public associates this style of clothing with criminal behavior. Consequently, innocent teenagers may be regarded with suspicion, and subsequently, suffer the ultimate consequence. An example of this is the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed seventeen-year-old who was shot by a neighborhood watchman who thought Martin looked suspicious due to the hooded sweatshirt he was wearing. While one’s outward appearance should never serve as a justification for murder, some critics believe that clothing can fuel racist motivations. Touré, the social critic and prolific author, argues in his article in Time, “I’m not saying you can’t wear what you want, but your clothes are a red herring. [Racist people will] blame it on your hoodie or your jeans when the real reason they decided you were a criminal is that you’re black.” This quote illustrates that Toure identifies sagging jeans, like hooded sweatshirts, as “red herrings” of racism that will put a young man’s life in peril. To clarify, racists can use apparel as targets and symbols to further their cause and easily identify young men as “criminal” or “suspicious.” Because saggy jeans have become symbolic as an opportunity to negatively label young men, young men should not sag their pants in school.
Students should not sag their pants in school because school is a place where students should practice the skills they need when they enter the “real world.” One reason is because students should dress in school the way they want to be perceived when they graduate and obtain a job. Additionally, saggy pants will not give them this competitive edge, and may bar them from employment opportunities. Keith Boykin, who is the editor of The Daily Voice online news site, a CNBC contributor, a BET TV host and a New York Times best-selling author of three books, illustrates the harsh realities of the real world when he explains that he “once had a prospective intern … who dressed this way to his job interview with me, and I had to warn him that he would never get a job in most places dressed like a thug.” This quote shows how a manager may think when he or she hires new employees, and that we have an opportunity to make an impression that can provide future choices and potential freedoms. To clarify, as school is an opportunity for students to engage in real-life situations with low-stakes consequences, they should practice wearing appropriate clothing that will allow them to be competitive in the job market. Therefore, as they sit in desks and practice skills they will apply to their future jobs, students should not sag their pants in school.
According to Niko Koppel’s New York Times article, sagging pants started in prison as a result of oversized uniforms distributed without belts in order to prevent inmates from potentially harming themselves or others. While sagging pants can be an act of rebellion and an expression of an individual’s style, they affect how young boys are treated when they participate in the sagging pants trend. Furthermore, Touré’s Time article, illustrates how clothing such as hoodies and sagging pants can be a “red herring” for racists and ultimately lead to grave consequences. In addition, Keith Boykin’s The New Black Magazine article explained the importance of appropriate attire. It is an unfortunate fact that despite the freedoms we have in in matters concerning personal style, young men who sag their pants face discrimination based on negative stereotypes and as a result should not wear saggy pants in a school setting. If schools discourage sagging pants and explain the advantages of not sagging pants within the school, young men can be better prepared for their future careers.
Works Cited
Boykin, Keith. “The Boxer Rebels.” The New Black Magazine. 26 September 2007. The New
Black Magazine.com. 26 September 2007. Web. 27 April 2013.
Brunsma, David L.The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us about American
Education: A Symbolic Crusade. Lanham, MD: ScarecrowEducation, 2004. Print.
Demby11, Gene. "Sagging Pants And The Long History Of 'Dangerous' Street Fashion."NPR.
NPR, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
Koppel, Niko. "Are Your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly to Jail." The New York Times. 30 August
2007, Fashion & Style sec. Nytimes.com. 30 Aug. 2007. Web. 27 April 2013.
Toure. “The Racial Cold War Is Heating Up.” Time. 08 March 2012. Time Magazine. 08 March
2012. Web. 27 April 2013.