Some people wonder about the meaning of life. Others wonder what happens when you die. Well, I also sit and ponder late into the night over a single question: why do guys sag their pants? It is a question to which I’ve never received a satisfactory answer. Okay, I definitely don’t waste valuable sleeping time over it. But haven’t most “non-saggers” wondered at some point? Whenever I ask guys why they sag, they respond with “gangsta” and “reppin’ da hood.”

Gentlemen, the truth is that most girls hate it when you sag your pants. It’s disrespectful to yourself and your peers, and makes you look fat. And why would you want to look like you’re about to trip over your own feet because your pants inhibit your movement? Clumsiness is unattractive. And, believe it or not, no one has any interest in seeing what you’re wearing beneath your precariously placed pants. Seriously, everyone—we should know that tasteful dressing is an integral part of social life. We should be mature enough to understand that school is an academic institution, not a place where you try to look cool with distracting ways of dressing.

The speculated roots of pants-sagging make the reasons for the trend even more mysterious. Several Internet articles claim that sagging originated in prisons. Apparently prisoners’ belts are confiscated as a precaution against violence. The lack of a belt results in sagging pants. If this fashion faux pas originated in prison, I am even more perplexed. Why would students wish to emulate prisoners? What happened to the innate human desire to have a clean, attractive image?

I don’t make a habit of judging people by their dress, but appearances do matter. When a good student dresses like a “gangsta” whose pants are making him walk like an inebriated penguin, I find myself not taking him as seriously as I would his well-tailored brother. People say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but isn’t it usually the cover of the book that captures your initial attention? It is the same thing with people. It’s not a matter of being shallow or vain; it’s a matter of taking pride in oneself. Truly gentlemen, even if you love to sag your pants, please hitch them up at least at school. Then when people turn to look at you, you’ll know that they’re not wondering why you don’t wear a belt properly.