I have always been one to admire a person who has the courage to display their individuality, especially when it comes to their attire. Sometimes it allows us to get to know a little about the person without having to say a word. But what happens when a trend or person's free choice of expression is compromised?

Though the origins of this trend- that many now see as a lifestyle can't fully be determined, Saggin is a look that is raising many eyebrows(some good/some bad) in some areas, while causing uproars in others. One of the first environments that this look was to appear was in our prison systems.


 

Gay men wore their pants low as a code to let other inmates know that they were "down." A source who chose not to be named responded by saying, " I am a slim dude, and when I went to jail they took my belt and my laces cause they didn't want nobody hanging themselves or using them as weapons and sometimes those pants they give us were just too big.
There is a different way that the gay dudes wore theirs though." When asked to clarify, the former inmate said, "the gay dudes have there whole ass out on purpose. Yeah they have on drawls but the pants are right below their cheeks. The straight bros' pants just look baggy. Nobody in jail want to walk around with they ass all out unless they want something else back there," he concluded smiling. As the conversation progressed, I couldn't help but notice that this gentleman before me was still slim and yet he appeared to be wearing pants that were twice his size. This led me to ask him why he continued wearing pants that would be considered sagged even after his release.
"Cause I aint no punk either. Straight dudes don't wear tight clothes either," he said shaking his head noting that I was now completely confused. "It's like this… You know how some black folks call other black folks the "N" word? That's what we did when it came to saggin pants. We took something negative and made it positive. " "Maaaaan, you know what I mean…," he stuttered as I gave him a frown. Just when I thought I was getting to the root of the trend, other issues were now raised. Dare I question this former inmate if he had become bisexual since being incarcerated? And what about all the rappers that walk around acting hard as they want to be, don't the realize that someone of an "alternative" lifestyle maybe trying to get a glimpse at those perfect rounded yams they spent hours in the gym sculpting? Do they know some of the history behind all of this whoopla? What message are they sending us anyways, or do they even care?
I have taken the liberty of interviewing several outlets and have weighed all views on this now controversial topic, and one thing I can quite honestly say is that we may never find its exact heritage, especially now that both straight and gay are now putting their owns types of stamps on the look. That's right, if it is true that gay men were the first to start this, we have taken it back with a vengeance, sporting fitted/brightly colored boxer briefs to coordinate with another article they may be wearing, or to add a splash of color to an outfit that would probably be considered more uniform. Do I believe that gay men have different motives for there sags? Of course… Can it be a more difficult trying to figure out another's sexuality? Possibly…All I do know is that with any trend, people who decide that they are interested in a look tend to make it their own. Whether it be thug, youngin, gay male, or just a hip-hop influenced generation, Saggin is what you make it and until laws are passed to ban it for some sort of indecency, those who are not comfortable with it may simply have to deal with it.