Back-to-School Fashion Update:
The Lowdown on Droopy Drawers

Ever wonder why kids are so fond of those baggy pants. Eighth grader Chris Q. provides some insight.

Q: Can you explain why kids your age have this thing about baggy pants?

A: Well first of all, there's two different types of pants that are baggy. One kind is worn by people who listen to alternative music. They don't really bunch up. They just go around your shoes. They're like puffed and all the way down. The other kind is like regular pants only bigger, and people who listen to rap wear those.

Q: OK, time for a quiz. True or false: the real reason you wear baggy pants is you want your underwear to show.

A: That's false. I think it's just that the underwear is up higher, not that the pants are down lower.

Q: Do parents or teachers ever comment on your pants?

A: Sometimes. Today my grandfather said I could take four inches off the bottom and they'd still be baggy.

Q: He's got a point. Why do you want pants dragging so low that you end up walking on the hem?

A: Because otherwise they wouldn't be baggy. If they were up to my ankle then I'd look like my dad.

Q: Ever worry about pulling your own pants down in the halls at school? By stepping on your hem?

A: The only people who would do that are those other people I was telling you about who wear the wide leg pants and listen to alternative music. They just hit the ground sometimes and trip themselves up.

Q: OK, enough on pants. What will you wear from the waist up?

A: Button down baseball shirts, and plaid shirts, but baggy and bigger than adults would wear and NOT tucked in.

Q: What if you get a new principal who's from "the old school" and he or she says "time for a dress code?"

A: I'd say what kids wear is not bad. After all, some people look a lot worse with their shirts tucked in.

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