I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the biggest fan of saggy pants. I find the style disgusting, awkward, and incredibly impractical, but that’s just me. Despite my personal opinion, I do not see any reason why state lawmakers, led by Sen. Gary Siplin, should take it upon themselves to enforce a law banning the trend. Currently, Senate Bill 228 and House Bill 61 would make it illegal for teens to wear their pants so low you can see their underwear.

The way in which you dress yourself is a form of free expression, and I believe the state legislature would be overstepping their boundaries if they decided to tell us what we could and couldn’t wear. It’s not that I’m an advocate for saggy pants or anything, you’ve already heard my thoughts on the style, but I am a big believer in personal expression and individuality. If we allowed our state legislature to tell us how high or low we should wear our trousers, who knows what could be next?

Though that statement may seem a bit paranoid, a similar attempt to limit the dress code of Americans occurred during the hippie era, when the government tried regulate hair length. Furthermore, already lacking in numbers, the police officers have better things to do than hunt down every low-riding resident that crosses their path. To summarize, though harsh on the eyes, saggy pants are not an actual physical threat to anyone-unless of course their wearer happens to trip, but I guess that’s just a precaution they’ll have to be wiling to take-and are simply an form of expression. The state legislature has no right to prevent Florida citizens from donning the style or any other they see fit.
By: Noël Schutz, sophomore