From baggy pants to skinny jeans: What made the young black males of today go from the oversized jeans of the past to these air-suppressing skinny jeans of the present?

Campus Echo

Angel Brown

The funny thing about sagging is it originated in the prison system because prisoners weren't allowed to wear belts. It also showed the wearer's "availability" to other prisoners. I guess whoever brought light to the public about this trend overlooked that factor.

In Texas, Georgia and Florida, mayors, boards of education and city council members have made major efforts to put a stop to sagging.

The notion to stop sagging has worked; now, it seems, young black males have found a new way to express their rejection of cultural norms: tight-fitting jeans. I can only wonder if skinny jeans are a health risk to men, as they can be to women.

Gynecologists have advised women to be cautious of consistently wearing jeans that are too tight. Can men get infections from wearing skinny jeans? No, but they can suffer from a damaged thigh-nerve condition called meralgia paresthetica, according to the American Academy of Neurology. However, boys, don't fret. This conditions can be resolved easily by refraining from wearing skinny jeans and allowing the nerve to repair itself.

Research on how skinny jeans affect the male reproductive system presents the same scare Mountain Dew sparked for young males some time back; yet, this still has not stopped guys from wearing them.

I like men in clothes that actually fit them, not too baggy or too skinny.

As a grown-up, I wear clothes that fit me, and I expect the same for a guy I am dating. I like to see a young brother in a respectable cardigan, jeans that fit him and a decent pair of kicks. Appearance is everything in our society.

Let's not even discuss going to the mall together. Why would a man want to shop in the same section as his woman when accompanying her to a store such as Express? That would be awkward. I can respect that all people have the right to express themselves through fashion. I support doing so. However, I cannot say I would accept the skinny jean fad as appropriate for a potential suitor.

To the young brothers out there with skinny jeans as tight as my leggings, I salute you. You are brave ones, daring to be different with your skinny jeans. Keep sticking it to "The Man" with your tight jeans and bright tank tops.

Angel Brown writes for The Campus Echo, the North Carolina Central University student newspaper, which originally published this article.
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