How to Sag Your Pants: Style Tips and Social Etiquette

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Start sagging with our tips and tricks

Co-authored by Sarah McDonald

Last Updated: October 16, 2023

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Sagging Your Pants

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Understanding Social Etiquette

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Q&A

Sagging your pants can be a fun fashion choice or political statement. Make sure you know whether it is acceptable to sag your pants before doing so. You can sag your pants at various heights but be sure to be comfortable enough to move around without them falling. Many people have different opinions about this fashion choice.

Things You Should Know

Choose a comfortable pair of pants and set them into place with a belt around your lower waist or upper thighs.
The high sag shows the waistband of your underwear, a medium sag exposes half of your underwear, and a low sag exposes all of your underwear.
Emphasize the sagging look by bunching up boxers at the top of your sag.

Part 1

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Sagging Your Pants

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Put on your desired pants. You may choose jeans, slacks, long pants, and even shorts. Choose the pair of pants that you are comfortable in, fasten them, and wear them as normal on your hip line.^{[1]
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- Some material may be difficult to sag so be sure to test your underwear and pant combination. For example, jogging pants may easily slide off underwear made of silk or synthetic material.
- Jeans and jogging pants are the most common types of pants that people sag. If you sag jogging pants, make sure to have a drawstring that you can adjust, tighten, and knot into place. People also prefer to wear gym shorts between their jogging pants and underwear to help set their sag into place. Jeans can be set into place with a belt or by finding the right measurement of waist to fit around your upper thighs.
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Sag your pants. Shift your pants down to the desired length. They may already be loose so you may need a belt to keep them at the desired height. Choose from the following^{[2]
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- The high sag that shows a lot of the waistband of your underwear. This goes well with designer underwear to show off the brand name.
- The medium sag exposes half of your underwear which, in turn, shows off half of your butt.
- The low sag exposes your entire butt and almost all of your underwear.
- The medium sag without underwear exposes your nude butt. While it usually exposes the upper half, it could expose the majority.
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Scrunch boxers. You could emphasize the sagging look by bunching up boxers at the top of your sag. As you shift your pants further than your desired height, pull up and gather the material of your boxers above the waistband of your pants.^{[3]
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- You may use your hands to further spread out the material to your desired look.
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Choose a belt. A belt can be worn out of necessity or fashion. If you are sagging your pants particularly low you may need a belt to keep your pants in place.^{[4]
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- For an extreme sag you will need to pull your pants so that your butt is completely exposed as you make the front of your pants slightly higher. Tighten your belt diagonally so it’s just above your thighs in the front and below your butt in the back.You may use your hands to further spread out the material to your desired look.
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Create a double sag. Wearing boxers and gym shorts under your pants creates a double sag. You will basically be showing more of your gym shorts as you sag your pants while you expose the waistband of your boxers as you sag your gym shorts as well.^{[5]
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- Make sure that your gym shorts are tightened as they usually are made of slippery material that can cause your pants to slip off if there’s too much movement.

Part 2

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Understanding Social Etiquette

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Put on presentable underwear. When you sag your pants your underwear will be visible. Make sure you choose boxers, briefs, or boxer briefs that are clean and don’t have any damage. You may also choose designs that will particularly pop when revealed.^{[6]
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- Bold colours or cartoon characters can catch the eye.
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Understand that sagging pants has been associated with prison. Some state that sagging started because inmates are not allowed to wear belts for fear of creating weapons.^{[7]
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- Being unable to wear belts in prison along with being issued clothes that don’t fit properly created pants that naturally hung below the waistline.^{[8]
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- Convicts carried this style back home after they were released.^{[9]
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Another reason why someone would sag his pants is because he is going through a growth spurt and can’t afford the constant change in sizes. Young men might be issued baggy clothes that they could grow into. Make sure that the pants are slightly larger than your current size so that it doesn’t create a comical oversize look.^{[10]
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Many states have banned sagging pants because of its association with prison inmates. You may be unfairly profiled if you sag your pants. You may want to avoid the look entirely to avoid unnecessary suspicion by strangers and police.^{[11]
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Find your own style. Sagging pants has been popularized by hip hop culture.^{[12]
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- Rappers often come from backgrounds that sagged pants for necessity and later turned it to fashion. Be prepared to defend your fashion choices and carry yourself with self-respect.^{[14]
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Make a political statement. You may sag your pants to make a statement about social injustice and personal rights.^{[15]
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Research source} You may feel like the government is making an infringement on your civil liberties if they are taking away your fashion choices rather than focusing on changing social conditions that create these choices.
- If your style comes into question you may ask, how low is too low? Should lawmakers be in the fashion business and be able to dictate what we wear and how we wear it? How does the constitution come into play?
- Whether it’s political or fashion, your style can make a statement. Make sure you understand what your choices are saying about you. You may have to pay a fine or other consequences for your sagging pants. You may also find yourself being unfairly judged. Sag carefully.
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Find out whether it’s allowed. Sagging pants may be against school rules.^{[16]
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- Cities in states including New York, Georgia, Michigan, Louisiana, and Alabama have all passed laws against sagging pants.^{[17]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How do I do double sag without a belt?

User1994

Community Answer

Without a belt, that's difficult. You should wear the inner boxer briefs at normal height, the outer boxer briefs at half-butt, and your pants right below your butt to show off the double sag. But without a belt you have to pull them up constantly or they will fall down to your ankles.

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Not Helpful 11 Helpful 56
Question

Will I look cool if my pants are down to my knees and my underwear is pink?

Community Answer

Pink underwear is fine, but I don't think sagging your pants that low will look good.

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Question

How do I sag my pants just slightly without anyone noticing?

Community Answer

Wear a shirt that is long enough to cover the sag. Also, make sure when you sag that your pants stay up on their own and that you don't walk weird so that it's noticeable.

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Tips

Try wearing boxers in a color that contrasts with your pants (like yellow, red or green) so they show better.

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When sitting, check if the place is clean, Surely you don't want to get your boxers dirty, especially if you're wearing white boxer briefs.

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If you sag at half-butt or a bit higher, don't pull your pants up every few steps just because they are sliding down your butt a bit. Remember, the fun of sagging is the sensation of your pants being low and almost falling down.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

If your school gets on you about sagging pants, wear an oversized shirt. This way, the back of the shirt will cover your underwear but you'll still get the natural baggy look.
Use a belt worn diagonally or knotted drawstring to keep sagged pants in place. The belt should be at thigh level in front and below your butt in back.
Choose comfortable, loose-fitting pants that can easily be shifted down to your desired sagging height. Jeans and joggers work well.
Wear clean, presentable underwear that you don't mind showing since it will be visible. Bold colors or designs can draw attention.

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Warnings

Sagging pants may impede the wearer's comfort and ability to walk.

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Avoid putting heavy things in your pockets. If your pants have an elastic waistband, are very baggy, have no belt holding them or are just too low, your pants might fall down.

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Avoid this trend at formal proceedings.

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Many people see sagging pants in a very negative way.

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If your parents don't like to see you wearing your pants low or even see your boxers exposed, and tell you to pull your pants up, don't defy them by being rude or by pulling your pants even lower. It is better for you to wear longer shirts to conceal your sag or to pull your pants up around them than to be grounded or even be spanked on your butt (to do that, your parent(s) may deliberately pull your pants down or they may fall down on their own while you squirm and your boxers won't protect you against a spanking directly on your buttocks).

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If you want to wear your pants low, show off your boxers and be taken seriously, you must be careful with pranks that your siblings and/or colleagues may pull on you:
- They may pull a wedgie on you by pulling the back of your boxers back and up (it may be painful and the fabric of your boxers may get stuck on your butt and even rip);
- They may "pants" you by pulling your pants down completely, if you're not wearing a belt or if it's not buckled tightly enough (your boxers and legs will be completely exposed and your embarrassment may make it hard for you to quickly bend down and grab your pants to pull them back up, furthermore, while they pull your pants down, your boxers may be dragged down with them and you will be naked from the waist down);
- They may spank you on your butt (if your pants are sagging completely below your butt, you are too exposed and the slaps on your buttocks will hurt more, but if your pants are at half-butt with a belt, the slaps will hit either the belt or the seat of your pants, which will be hanging below your butt, either way, any situation in which you get spanked will always be embarrassing);
- Your pants may fall down completely on their own, if you're not wearing a belt or if it's not buckled tightly enough (it would be particularly embarrassing for you to be seen with your pants pooled around your ankles).
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