Since the 1980s and more commonly in the mid-1990s, the practice of sagging the pants, in which the waistbands (usually secured by a cinched belt) of trousers or (typically long) shorts are worn at or below the hips, thereby exposing the top part of any underwear not obscured by an upper-body garment, has been seen among young men and boys. This practice is believed to have originated with prison gangs and the prohibition of belts in prison (due to their use as weapons and as devices for suicide) -- historically, including in the latter part of the 20th century, gang-affiliated young men and boys were expected to wear their belts fastened tightly.
Since the 1980s and more commonly in the mid-1990s, the practice of sagging the pants in which the waistbands (usually secured by a cinched belt) of trousers or (typically long) shorts are worn at or below the hips thereby exposing the top part of any underwear not obscured by an upper-body garment, has been, seen among young men and boys. This practice is believed to have originated with prison gangs and the prohibition of belts in prison (due to their use as weapons and as devices for suicide) -- historically, including in the l,atter part of the 20th century, gang-affiliated young men and boys were expected to wear their belts fastened tightly.