Pull your pants up

(I wrote this for my blog at work, but we now require people to register, so consider this a freebie.)

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East Laurinburg is considering an ordinance to ban saggy pants across Scotland County. If passed, it would charge people with indecent exposure if pants (or skirts) are three inches or more below the waistline.

(Also see http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/10/14/1039207?sac=Home)

Other areas around the country have attempted similar rules, met with warnings and rulings that such ordinances would be “unconstitutional” or “discriminatory.” The ACLU says it could lead to racial profiling and limit expression.

Really? What expression is that? I can’t dress myself?

I, for one, have had my fill of guys walking down the street or around the mall, holding their pants up because if they didn’t, they would fall down. Boxers are meant to be worn UNDER clothes, not fully visible to everyone who passes by. Is that supposed to make you look tough? Attract women? I assure you, it does neither.

To make it worse, many of them have belts on! What’s the point if your waistband is at your knees? Why even wear pants?

It reminds me of the Huggies Pull-Ups jingle: “I’m a big kid, look what I can do. I can wear big kid pants, too!” I guess they haven’t heard it.

As for the racial profiling argument, I don’t think it holds water. I have seen many guys of all colors wear pants so low you would think they are male leggings.

I don’t know about wasting valuable court time on all the indecent exposure charges this ordinance could create, but I like Georgia’s approach. In September, the mayor of Dublin signed an ordinance that charges violators $200. Some locals there find saggy pants offensive.

I’m not offended, just annoyed with a twinge of disgust. Some guys wear their pants so low that it’s not much different from walking down the street in just their underwear.

(Fellow reporter, Jason deBruyn, says if you want to look stupid, you should be allowed to.)

If nothing else, a fine just may be for their own good. Think about it: You get a pair of pants that fit and voila! You automatically increase job opportunities and your perceived IQ. Plus, your chances of tripping decline dramatically.

The same kind of thing applies to girls. In college, a girl in my math class often confused a headband for a skirt. I switched seats so I wouldn’t see what underwear she chose for the day.

East Laurinburg’s proposed ordinance doesn’t address the length of skirts, but does speak to hanging too far below the waist, which can also lead to a little show-and-tell. Personally, I’d rather not be privy to my neighbor’s taste in boxers or thongs.

“Mommy, wow! I’m a big kid now!”

Recent adventures

I never wrote about Alex's wedding last month.

So Alex (who once drove a 1970-something truck and carries a pocket knife at all times) got married in September and I've never seen such a classy bride. Here's Alex practicing her posture:

She ate a chocolate protein bar in her wedding dress 20 minutes before the ceremony.

It seems odd to me that Alex and I are both married now. It wasn't that long ago that we practiced our monologues together for Spanish class. ... It was a very nice wedding, though, and Alex and Zach entertained us with air guitar to "Don't Stop Believin'."

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Denver for a Religion Newswriters conference. The only way I got to go was with a scholarship. I roomed with two girls, one from Jackson, Tenn., and one from Switzerland. I made so many contacts there and came back with a bunch of story ideas, so I'm making it my goal at work to write one religion story a week. So far, so good! I also explored Denver some with my roommates and another girl at the conference. I really like Denver. Very clean with a bunch of different kinds of people and lots to do. Marie-Laure (Swiss roommate) and I went to the botanic gardens and another lady and I walked around the Platt River the last day. I wish I had seen more of the mountains, but I did get a good reflection from the building across from the hotel.
Last weekend, I went ziplining with Mom, Margaret and Margaret's two girls at Navitat in Asheville. It was for Mom and Margaret's birthdays and sooooo fun. Mom thought she was going to have a heart attack on the highest line -- 20 stories up and almost 1,000 feet long -- but she didn't. I heard her say, "Hoo-wee!" halfway through. I also spent a little time at home. I did the bouncy thing with Emily in the mall food court (my shoes didn't fit in the cubby hole), and Seth and his friend, Matt, went hiking. Mom told them to watch out for bears and weird people. She also filled me in on the latest happenings at church: Lightning struck the organ and Mom and Dad were happy because whoever plays it plays too loud.

"I was glad. I know that's mean," she told me.

Now one of the ladies in church keeps praying that they can get another one or something, but Mom said she doesn't want to pray in favor of that one. Meanwhile, she's teaching Emily to pray for people and not just Webkins. (Oh, and she and Dad got some yellow mums for having the youngest child in their Sunday school class or something like that.)

The day after ziplining, I met Pete and two couples from church at Grandfather Mountain. It was cold. I thought it was really foggy, too, but I heard a guy say it wasn't fog, it was the clouds. Either way, I could barely see in front of me when I drove up.
I did decide that I want a pet black bear, though. I think this one's name is Mildred.

So this weekend, Pete has been in MN. You would think I have all this alone time, but I really haven't. Not that I'm complaining.

Thursday (the day he left), I met a girl from school, saw Ashley and her new baby, then Sara came over after work and we watched "Mamma Mia." Not a great plot, but it makes me want to be a dancing queen. Friday, I had a few friends over for a game night, and Saturday, I worked then had Bible study. Today, I went to church then the Latin festival with a friend and now Deb is over! I do look forward to having Pete back, though. :)