By Keturah Jones

I see Paris, I see France, I see someone’s underpants. Yes, I have seen more than my fair share of butts and underwear this semester.
I was sitting in the Pit a few days ago and was shocked to see a male student walk by with his pants pulled below his crotch. Making matters worse, he was wearing tighty-whities and waddling like a duck.
Who would have thought that wearing your pants around your knees would become a fashion statement?
Unlike bell-bottoms and disco fashion, this trend seems to linger and even intensify. First, it was sagging the pants to where the band of the underwear was exposed. Now it’s sagging until the butt hangs out.
Who would want to show his underwear on purpose?
I was compelled the other day to tap another young man on his shoulder and ask if he knew his underwear was showing. I just don’t understand. Why wear a belt and still sag? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a belt?
On my quest for an answer as to why this has become such a fashion statement, I found some background information.
The general consensus is that this trend started in prison, but the debate is why.  Some argue sagging was a sign that male prisoners were willing to have a sex with another inmate. Others argue that sagging became a trend because the prison clothing was oversized, and since belts were not allowed due to safety concerns, inmates had no choice but to sag.
Either way, sagging just looks ridiculous. It reminds me of penguins waddling.
We live in a society where first impressions are heavily based off of physical appearances. Imagine if our president walked around with his pants hanging down, exposing his presidential boxers, while he conducted peace talks. Would you really want someone like that running our country?
President Obama has said that trying to ban sagging is a waste of time.  He believes a law shouldn’t have to be passed for us to have common sense and respect for others. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see guys walking around in tight pants like Steve Urkel. However, it is possible to wear loose-fitted jeans that stay on the waist.
So here is what grinds my gears most about this trend. It’s disrespectful to those who have to look at your butt and your underwear, which sometimes aren’t even clean.
You walk past children and the elderly with no respect for them.  You may think you look cool, but in the words of Fred Sanford, “You look like a big dummy.”
No one wants to see your backside hanging out. I like choices, and I shouldn’t be forced to look at that.
I have two young sons, and I teach them not to sag. When I asked them how they felt about this particular fashion, they said that it looks dumb and nasty, and I agreed.
If you choose to sag, that’s your right. But remember that employers also have the right not to hire you.
Whether or not you agree, society judges you on first appearances.
Unless you are auditioning for a hip-hop video, your chances of getting hired are significantly decreased if you walk into an interview sagging. McDonald’s won’t even allow it.
And if you think sagging will get you the girl of your dreams, keep dreaming. On the website Girlsaskguys.com, 15 women were asked whether they prefer sagging. Eleven said they did not. I personally feel if a man can’t respect himself enough to pull up his pants while around you, that reflects on his character.
So if you must sag, do so. But you might find yourself a lonely, jobless, disrespectful dummy.