Louisiana Town to Ban Saggy Trousers

Local government officials in the Louisiana town of Delcambre have decided to pass a city ordinance banning saggy trousers. The fine for wearing them low enough to expose a portion of one’s underpants in public is $500. There is also a risk of six months in jail. It’s nice to know that the schools, local economy and transportation infrastructure of Delcambre have reached such world-class levels that town fathers can now turn their attention to the fashions worn by those in their jurisdiction.

The rule reads, “It shall be unlawful for a person in a public place to be found in a state of nudity or partial nudity or in a dress not becoming to his or her sex or any indecent exposure of his or her person or undergarments.” Delcambre town lawyer Ted Ayo made it quite clear that the expansion of the state’s indecency law to cover saggy trousers is very specific. He stated, “This is a new ordinance that deals specifically with sagging pants. It’s about showing off your underwear in public.”

There does seem to be a small problem though. In 1999, the Louisiana City of New Iberia requested an attorney general opinion because it wanted to regulate saggy trousers. Former New Iberia city attorney Jeff Simon noted that the state obscenity law dealt with showing off body parts without focusing on garments. Mr. Simon stated for the local press, “I concluded that government cannot tell people how to dress as a general rule. I don’t think you can regulate clothing.”

That doesn’t seem to deter Delcambre Mayor Carol Broussard. In lobbying for the ordinance (which passed the Board of Aldermen unanimously), Mayor Broussard showed the usual sartorial nous of small town mayors everywhere when he said of people who wear their trousers low, “They’re better off taking the pants off and just wearing a dress.” Unfortunately, that would violate the “not becoming to his or her sex” part of the law. In any case, skirts, kilts and togas just don’t cut it in Delcambre; it must be a dress according to the mayor. One hopes the fashion editors of Women’s Wear Daily have received the appropriate notice. It wouldn’t do to have the catwalks of New York, Paris and Milan not measure up to Mayor Broussard’s high standards.

Wikipedia says, “In 2005, much of the town [Delcambre] was flooded by the storm surge forced inland by Hurricane Rita. Water in many parts of town was up to six feet deep. The mayor of Delcambre was quoted as saying that only 25 of 900 homes in the town were not flooded.” Indeed, more than half the homes in Delcambre were destroyed (566 of 919) according to the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Things haven't got back to normal yet. And these guys are worried about seeing someone else’s underwear.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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