Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe signed a "no sagging bill on March 30, 2011.
The bill bans students from wearing clothes that expose "underwear, buttocks or the breast of a female."
Recently there were signs posted in the Student Union that bans sagging.
Sagging isn't allowed inside Turtle Creek Mall. Those violating the policy are asked to "pull up" or "get out."
Are these bans a violation of the rights of students? Are they a violation of free speech/free expression? (People expose more of their bodies in swimwear.) Do the "fashion police" need to find another more important job outside of checking exposed underwear, buttocks and female breasts?
I will concede that there are more important things that are going on in the world, and with the university for that matter, than sagging pants. But, I feel that this is not a matter of someone’s personal freedom being violated but that it’s really in the same category as keeping the public safe. If you are walking around and your underwear are showing, then it becomes my business, and anytime it affects enough of the public the government has the right to step in. Their not saying you can’t wear them in the privacy of your own home, this would violate rights, they are simply trying to allow everyday citizens to keep their vision underwear free.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of the “no sagging” bill is wonderful for those of us who are tired of seeing everything everybody has to flaunt. While it may be personal expression, in many cases improperly fitting clothing is disrespectful because of what it exposes. I do not want to look at a guy’s underwear; in no way is that ever attractive. I do not want to see a girl’s underwear or breasts exposed; dressing in that way is not flattering to anyone except those who are only concerned about sex. Maybe that is what the problem is, that our society is too focused on sex therefore everyone feels entitled to show off what they have. My question to those people who do expose themselves is, would you want to talk to your grandmother or minister dressed like that? In no way does this seem to be a violation of expression when you have to cover up, because it is just like public sex and indecent exposure when everything you have is exposed. The “fashion police” serve society when they make someone cover up.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this law should be enforced even though it has already been signed into effect. Absolutely no one wants to see your butt hanging out and no one wants to see a female’s breasts in public. It’s wrong morally, and people who wear clothing to expose themselves should be ashamed of themselves. Sometimes, I don’t understand why people would have the indecency to show themselves out like that. Honestly, I think they just want to attract attention to themselves, but this new law might have more impact than most think. We should all support this new law.
ReplyDeleteI am of the mind that sagging is not a horrible act. It may disturb some people, but it really doesn’t bother me as long as a person’s belt isn’t down around their knees. Sagging is not as offensive as a female showing too much of her breasts. Women DO NOT look cute, pretty, or even attractive when they parade around showing everything to everyone; they look cheap.
ReplyDeleteNo legislation should have been brought about because of sagging. Sagging does not hurt anyone or anything. Time was wasted on this issue. There are other, more important, issues that could have been dealt with instead of sagging.
I whole-heartedly support Mike Beebe’s passing of a law that bans the wearing of saggy pants. Seeing people in public who are wearing their pants down around their knees is an eye sore. I don’t know who started the fad or when it started, but I’m glad someone is doing something about it in schools.
ReplyDeleteWhile I support the law, I don’t believe that our state government should be the one who decides such matters. I agree with President Obama when he says that there are more important things lawmakers should be passing laws for. It should be put upon the schools themselves to create these rules and strictly enforce them.
I don’t think sagging is important enough to sign a bill about. I believe that it should be a freedom of speech, to a certain extent. I don’t think the pants should be as low as showing the imprint of the buttocks, but I do believe that expressing yourself comes in many different forms. The cleavage is another thing, when you have so much hanging out that you leave nothing to the imagination is where it goes too far. Although it’s not accepted by different cultures, or just by other people in general, doesn’t necessarily mean there has to be a bill for it.
ReplyDeleteThe no sagging policy put into place by Mike Beebe is something that might not have to be top priority on his list. Sagging by anyone is just a choice and I don't see it as a problem, just look the other way. Someone else might not be too excited about what me or you might be wearing one day but there isn't a law banning us from wearing it. I believe that once you become an adult and begin "adult life" you are free to wear clothes however you choose. When student are under the supervision of teachers in high school and younger I can see an issue with all the clutter of people in one place all day long. But as far as making it a law and trying to enforce it out in public at malls and universities, it makes me think that there is other things a lot more important than someone sagging in front of me. Looking away isn't a big problem if it bothers you that much.
ReplyDeleteThe sagging pants epidemic is hardly an issue of argument when considering a student’s rights. While more skin is showing in bathing suits, the same swimwear is not appropriate in public places such as a mall. Using an argument such as this is only using a twisted and skewed version of fact to support their view.
ReplyDeleteIn history, we as a nation proudly stood up for rights such as abolishing slavery, achieving equal rights in voting, and are on the brink of establishing gay rights in the military. I doubt many will go to war for the “Sagging Pants Revolution.”
It seems pretty ridiculous to me that people are causing so much hype about this saggy pants problem. I agree that it is very inappropriate to have your certain parts of your body on display for all to see but why are we so concerned about how people dress? The people who are doing it probably aren’t smart enough to stop even if there were rules against it. I have to agree with Barak Obama on this one. He said, “I think people passing a law against people wearing sagging pants is a waste of time. We should be focused on creating jobs, improving our schools, health care, dealing with the war in Iraq, and anybody, any public official, that is worrying about sagging pants probably needs to spend some time focusing on real problems out there.”
ReplyDeleteI feel they are a violation of student’s rights. I don’t like to see someone else’s underwear but I think if they want to look like an idiot that is their right as an American. Freedom of speech and expression is what makes the United States a great nation. To say that someone cannot wear their pants the way they feel comfortable is nonsense. I think this is more of an attack on the type of people that law makers see sagging than an actual attack on sagging its self. There are much bigger issues in the world.
ReplyDeleteAlthough people look really dumb and slouchy in saggy clothes I don’t see what they are really hurting by walking around the mall or union dressed up like circus freaks. If they think they look good dressed that way then let them fly their pants at half-mast. The women do look good with a low cut shirt and I think it’s an outrage that there’s actually a low banning a low cut shirt on the basis of tackiness. A little cleavage never killed anyone and if these girls what to show off what they got then it shouldn’t be illegal.
ReplyDeleteEven though I agree that sagging pants can be extremely inappropriate, and personally find it to be a distasteful way of wearing pants, I do not think that it is a serious enough matter to warrant a law passed banning it. Public establishments, such as Turtle Creek Mall, and places of education, such as ASU, are perfectly within their rights to enact such a ban, since so many people find sagging to be offensive or distracting. However, there are more important things that lawmakers could be focusing on, instead of worrying about people foolish enough to walk around with their rear ends hanging out.
ReplyDeleteNo these bans are not a violation of the rights of students because people have a right to free speech and that means we have the right to tell the people that what they are wearing makes them look stupid. Some people might say that it is a violation of free expression but they have to realize that you can express yourself in other forms that are not offensive to others. I believe that the “fashion police” have picked a good thing to pick on, because it’s disgusting. If people wanted to see others undergarments then they would have sex with them. They don’t want to see it while they are eating at a restaurant or while walking to class.
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I think it's very inappropriate to see people's underwear hanging out, but I don't see it as that big of a deal. It would be nice not to see that when walking through a mall, but if those people who are sagging or having their breasts pop out of their shirts want to look like that then let them. Having these laws set in place does violate a student's rights and their freedom of speech/expression.
ReplyDeleteI for one am in favor for this bill and the rules the Student Union and the mall have made to keep people from sagging. People do not want to see undergarments and it looks ridiculous when someone is waddling around and grabbing their pants every five seconds. Yes, people wear less clothing when at a pool or water park, but that is an appropriate place to wear that. A mall is not a place to be showing people what color your underwear is. I do believe that the government should focus on bigger issues, but with the rules the mall and the Union posted, I believe it was in their interest to make those rules.
ReplyDeleteThe no sagging bill does not violate the rights of students. If anything it protects the rights of those who are made to look at underwear, buttocks, and breast of females. The bill also does not violate any type of expression. Any expression made by sagging cannot be positive and as a result should not be expressed publicly. It is sad when even little kids kindergarten and preschool are made to believe that sagging is acceptable. The “fashion police” are doing a great job of correcting this problem. Sagging is a nuisance and an unnecessary problem in today’s society. It is up to us as a people to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a classic case of how far does the government get to step into our lives. A few years ago some people felt that the state stepped to far by taking away parenting rights with a forced curfew on students under 18 as well forcing students under 18 to only have one other person in the car. This law forced students to quit carpooling to places making it much more expensive to get from place to place. Now they have decided to tell us what students can and cannot wear. If you are going to ban students from sagging shouldn’t you also ban students from getting piercings or rebellious tattoos? Where do we draw the line and tell the government that they have gone too far?
ReplyDeleteI think there are more important things to worry about other than sagging pants, so I'm going to have to agree with Barack Obama on this issue. He stated, "I think people passing a law against people wearing sagging pants is a waste of time. We should be focused on creating jobs, improving schools, health care, dealing with the war in Iraq, and anybody, any public official, that is worrying about sagging pants probably needs to spend some time focusing on real problems out there."
ReplyDeleteThere is freedom of expression, but I personally think it looks ridiculous, and you can't really compare the wearing of bathing suits and sagging pants in public. When people wear swim suits, it is normally in the appropriate place. I think people should just encourage students to pull their pants, because people are gonna dress the way they want regardless.
It is disrespectful to wear clothing like that, but the government has more important bills that they could be passing. I don't think that it is against self expression because there are plenty of other ways to express yourself then showing your butt to everyone. Yes, it's true that swimsuits do show more skin then baggy pants or low cut shirts, but swimsuits are worn in the appropriate places. If you were to walk into school or the mall in a swimsuit in your bikini, you would be asked to cover up or leave, just as you would with baggy pants. There is a place for that and it is not out in public, you can wear your pants low where the people around you find it OK.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I hate seeing when walking around campus is a guys or girls pants hanging down pass their butt. It is rude and annoying, but I don't think there should be a law against it. People who does this think they look cool really makes them look stupid. In high school I can see a rule working in the schools, as punishment against students There are more important thing in the world than saggy pants.
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I completely agree with the bill. Yes, there are many other things in the world, with the government, and with our state that should be taken care of before this issue is made "a big deal", but I feel that this was a very necessary thing. No one in the Union or in the mall cares to know what your underwear or breasts look like. Have the decency and respect for yourself and cover them up and move on. There is no reason to make an issue of something that degrades you. Your clothes show what kind person you are. Be respectful of others and yourself by clothing yourself correctly.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe passing legislation is the way to go on this subject as dress code is something that can be taken care of through organization's personal policy. Ethically I can see this applied to k-12 student if people really want it to be written into law. However, I personally could care less what people wear or don't as we are all just animals anyways. Who am I to say how someone should or shouldn't dress.? We should leave it up to an organization to control its specific policy on their grounds. #
ReplyDeleteI do not believe this is a violation of a student's rights. If a student is going to use the resources of a facility, they should obey their rules. Plus, sagging pants are just ridiculous anyways. I don't believe this is violation of free speech or any other right of Americans. It is pretty sad when citizens do not take the initiative to dress properly. We now have to have the government tell us how to dress. I do, however, wonder how this bill against sagging pants is going to be put into action. I believe actual law enforcement has more important things to do when on duty. With that being said, people should still recognize that they should obey the law on their own.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do not want to see your underwear or God forbid any body parts. However on the side of females, asking them to cover up cleavage in a world that promotes showing it? It’s a little bit ridiculous Do I think sagging pants or mile of cleavage looks good? No, and I really don’t like seeing it. But we all have a right to chose what we look like in the morning and to take that away is taking away a little bit of our freedom, which is not what America is about. The sagging pants is a fad that will fad that will fad if we stop talking about it. Teach your kids right, and soon it will disappear.
ReplyDeleteSagging your pants could be considered rude and offensive towards the people around you. Laws as they have in Shreveport, La and other areas, where there could possibly be a fine or jail time for such offenses, I believe to be ridiculous. Although I look away and feel shame when I see someone with their pants practically around their ankles, it is their own choice. I can understand that they could be asked to leave a certain building if they are sporting this look, but fines and jail time are not practical. It is a fashion, and an indecent one at that, but it is also a way to express yourself, and if prohibited it is breaking the First Amendment.
ReplyDeleteThough I find it highly unattractive, I don’t think the way people dress is worth investing so much time and effort into. It is a right of students to dress however they want, so long as it isn’t indecent exposure. Until sagging pants are officially listed as indecent I think there are plenty of other things to worry about. Having said this, I don’t think these bans are a violation of free speech or expression and are perfectly acceptable in privately owned businesses. Word to the wise, just don’t expose yourself.
ReplyDeleteRadiation leaks in Japan, unrest in the Middle East, and no sagging. One of these is not like the other. Two are valid, national and local issues, that deserve attention. One supports areas of meaningless legislation. After reading an article on this specific legislation, I agree with what Obama said; in time where national issues are at an all time high, focusing on laws pertaining to public indecency seems irrelevant and ignorant. Sagging and skin exposure should be left to lower levels of authority. The individual places should set their own rules. The student union forbade sagging long before Mike Beebe decided to sign this bill and the Mall at Turtle Creek enforced their rules on sagging before Beebe decided to turn his attention to this "important" legislation. Although representing a small state, Arkansas still must figure out a way to contribute to the overall picture on a national level and passing laws on skin exposure is not the way to go.
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