just pants

Russell Simmons Thinks the Anti-Sagging-Pants Campaign Is a ‘Waste of Time’

Long before spring’s pantsless trend emerged, young men went half-pantsless, sagging their bottoms and flaunting their boxers — and worse, boxer wedgies — to the public. New York State Senator Eric Adams of Brooklyn recently launched a campaign to get young men who sag their pants and flaunt their underwear to stop. Six “Stop the Sag” billboards have gone up in Brooklyn, and Adams says he’s working with other state senators to erect more in Queens. But sagging-pants stalwarts are not the only ones unappreciative of Adams’s message.


“I like Sen. Adams, but this is wrong-headed and a waste of time,” said Russell Simmons, the founder of Phat Farm and Argyle Culture. “This is the latest example of adults trying to repress the creativity and individuality of kids. Why would kids want to dress like Sen. Adams? There is no connection to saggy pants and the ability to succeed. Just look at what buttoned-up America has done to the rest of the world and each other. Why can’t kids be different?”

Sean John vice-president Jeffrey Tweedy doesn’t like the campaign because he thinks Adams is unfairly targeting African-American men.

“I wish he wouldn’t focus on African-Americans and instead talk about all races,” said Tweedy. “Many different people are involved with this trend. It’s not just black kids. You can go to Washington Square Park and see skaters wearing tight Levi’s in a similar way.”

Tweedy also took issue with the alleged prison heritage of the saggy pants look. “This was a fashion statement. It was never a gang statement,” explained Tweedy of the long-lasting trend.

During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama said he’d prefer that young men refrain from sagging their pants, prefacing with, “I think people passing a law against people wearing sagging pants is a waste of time.” The same attentions are not paid, after all, to girls who don’t wear underwear with their miniskirts.

Saggy Pants Billboard Campaign Draws Ire and Debate [WWD]

Russell Simmons Thinks the Anti-Sagging-Pants Campaign Is a ‘Waste of Time’