Law Enforced Dress Codes?

Walking down the street you see people in all styles of dress. From business attire, to casual, to hip hop style, athletic wear, and whatever else may fit people's personal style. I'm sure everyone has seen young men and boys who like to sag their pants low enough to show some or all of their drawers. Think it's tacky? Well you're not the only one. Recently lawmakers have began discussing passing a law that would fine people who wore their clothes in a manner that exposed their underwear. With so called freedoms in this country, you would think it would go against the Constitution for the government to try to tell people how they can or cannot wear their clothes.

First things first, lawmakers are not buying people's clothes. They dress in what they want to wear just like everyone else. While it may not be attractive to see someone walking down the streets with his pants or shorts hanging so low off of his behind that you can see the whole design of their underwear, that is that individuals personal choice. If such a law is passed that would ban dressing in such a manner, fines could range from $50 to a few hundred dollars. Who would've ever thought you would have to pay a fine for dressing a certain way? Some people are trying to fit in with their friends or a certain culture. Naturally everyone isn't going to share the same taste which is perfectly fine. But to fine certain people for their manner of dress is just wrong. If fines start for sagging pants, it seems like it will only be a manner of time before you get fined for wearing shirts with certain messages or logos on them. After all, someone isn't going to like what you're wearing and someone will find it offensive.

Should the government have any say with how we can or cannot wear our clothes? No they should not. To try to control such an aspect of people's lives is simply ridiculous. With all of the larger issues plaguing our country today, to take the time and impose a law banning sagging jeans makes no sense. Why not try to make a law that actually does something to help people rather than trying to hinder the way someone chooses to express themself? No matter how unsightly they may be, a pair of underwear showing from someone's sagging clothes has never hurt anyone. Saggin pants have already been banned by the Louisiana mayor and recently the topic has come up for them to be banned in Atlanta. Some schools already have dress codes banning sagging pants but a law is taking it to the extreme. As long as ones private parts are not exposed then it cannot be considered indecent exposure, as will be the charge offenders face before being fined.

It seems like these days bans are popping up all over the place. Sure, not everyone is going to engage in the same behaviors or do the same things. We might even be annoyed or disgusted by some of the things other people choose to do. But it is their choice. To ban such trivial things isn't solving anything. I'm sure many young men who sag their pants get stereotyped as being thugs or gangbangers. But so do those who may wear their hair in braids, wear certain colors in certain neighborhoods, or just dress in a style that is comfortable to them. Banning or fining people for dressing a certain way isn't going to put an end to criminal behavior. It isn't going to lessen violence. The only thing it will do is make many people angry that laws are being imposed on how they can dress. In certain countries people have to follow certain rules of attire, mainly based on their religion or other beliefs. However, in the United States people are entitled to dress however they want. If laws start being passed banning simple freedoms such as these, just imagine what could be next.