DALLAS – Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwayne Caraway is stepping up his campaign against trousers worn low.
Caraway’s battle to curb the trend of showing one’s boxers and wearing pants low isn’t exactly new. However, there is a new twist. The campaign is now asking young girls to dress more like ladies.
Tuesday, Caraway summoned a gospel choir to help usher in the latest chapter in his three-year-old crusade against sagging.
“You’re not going to have a chance to date those little girls in the White House because Barak’s not going to let you if your pants are hanging down,” he said.
When Caraway started the campaign in 2006, News 8 went to the bustling West End Dart Station and found saggers everywhere. Tuesday, News 8 went back to that same station and found there appeared to be a drop in the trend. Only a few saggy pants were spotted. For many, it apparently just isn’t cool anymore.
“Right before the campaign I saw a lot of people sagging,” D-Way Francis, a Dallas actor. “I don’t see it anymore.”
But, there is still too much sagging for Caraway. So, he stepped up his campaign with new billboards featuring Dallas actress Irma P. Hall, reprising her roll as “Big Mama” from the Soul Food movies. Telling the boys to pull up their pants, she also asks the girls to show less skin.
“You are young,” she said. “You are gifted. You are powerful, look like it.”
Some parents voiced their appreciation.
“My children were saggers,” said one parent while point to her children. “Now look, they don’t sag.”
The rally was timed for parents as they go shopping this weekend for holiday presents. Speakers said while out there shopping for children, do one thing; make sure the clothes fit.
A number of cities have also sought ways to curb saggy pants.
In Delcambre, Louisiana, being caught wearing saggy pants could mean six months in jail and a $500 fine. In Trenton, New Jersey, a proposed ban would mean not only a fine, but also goals in life counseling. And in Atlanta, supporters are pushing community service if one is caught in saggy pants.
