Sagging Pants Is Deviant Behavior

A deviant behavior is a label attached to a person’s activity that is conducted in a manner outside the normalized zone of conformity within a society. There is the perception of how people view or understand certain demeanors. Next, a behavior may be considered illegal in the eyes of the law and it may also be viewed as immoral, unethical or inappropriate in the eyes of the people. Moreover, deviant behavior is conceptualized in the eyes of the public even when an act is not illegal.

Although this may be true, there is still the circle of cultural beliefs and upbringings among certain groups of people that may not actually consider an act deviant or illegal. People in a community have attachments to their own family, peers and social environment. So in a way, the way they act or dress in public or private places might be otherwise suitable for them.

According to Larsen (2013), “ an argument exists on the decision to forbid certain behaviors in order to maintain a sense of order.” With this in mind, would it be fair for people to be told what to do, what to say, and what to wear because a person’s image may damage society’s norm and well being? Is it justifiable to say that a person’s dress code may actually define an individual’s character and intelligence?

Unfortunately, in today’s society, we usually judge a book by its cover. In like manner, wearing saggy pants could construct a negative aspect of an individual and to society. Such behavior could cause a stigma to be associated with crime and delinquency. In regards to members of the community wearing saggy pants, would there be some sort of infraction on the promises of our freedoms?

Saggy pants can be seen everywhere, in church, in shopping malls, in educationa...

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...udents, one of whom uses saggy pants and the other may have their success measured on the basis of a deviant fashion statement. Based on my sole opinion, I believe that a student chooses to drop out of school because of reasons beyond their control and not just the wearing of a pair of saggy pants. First of all, anyone can drop out of a university for a number of reasons such as physical/mental issues, financial burdens, and family or personal problems to name a few.

Certainly, saggy pant wearers will probably be labeled in the deviant, delinquency and criminal category but who is to say that a university student should have their intelligence and success measured by the wearing of such clothing. To conclude, Becker (1991) states, “ people will be labeled deviant if their actions does not meet the standards of their community even if a law has not been violated.”