I thought I could hold out a little longer. I have only been in Beaufort and I have already started stirring things up. On Monday, the Jasper County Council voted to ban ‘saggy pants.’ Saggy is defined, by the JCC, as being three or more inches below your hips. The council has instructed the Sheriff’s Office to enforce the new law. Thankfully, in a departure from the first draft, they have reduced the proposed fine from jail time to a simple fine.
So I wrote this letter:
I applaud the proactive steps the Jasper County Council is taking to address the problem of inappropriate clothing (“Saggy pants banned,” Dec. 16). I can think of no better way to be a good steward of taxpayers’ dollars.
I encourage the council to direct the Sheriff’s Office to immediately establish identification and enforcement procedures, including routine and random “Boxer Checks” in all public spaces. I further hope the Sheriff’s Office would explore expanding the successful DUI checkpoint model to include late-night roadblocks to ensure compliance with this important new law.
The council should periodically reevaluate the types of clothing covered by this ban. They could include low-riding jeans on men and women and tight-fitting clothing on overweight people.
Of course, bans like these are hard to enforce, so the council would be well served to consult with experts in the field of fashion control. Might I suggest contacting the Iranian Interests Section, care of the Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 2209 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007.
I am one of the first to admit that saggy pants is one of the silliest fashion trends that I have ever seen. However, I simply cannot believe that there are no more important issues in the whole of Jasper County. After all, this is South Carolina, we can always improve our schools. Maybe the council could focus on bringing new jobs or better paying jobs to the area. But telling people how to wear their clothes…really? The problem is that this is a very subjective law. I won’t call it a slippery slope, mainly because that is a bullshit argument. The role of the government is not to interfere in the inner workings of your life, but to create an environment that provides opportunity to all citizens.
