Why Blue Matters: Through The Photographer's Lens

Welcome to Through the Photographers Lens,

In this week’s post I thought I share a rather concerning experience that seems to be occurring more and more these days. “Plumbers Crack!!!”

I was walking toward my office in the city when I saw three young men walking like their lower backs were in great pain or they were holding in a very old and much unwanted turd only to realize that they were wearing their pants well below the Glutinous - Maximums (ass)! I was appalled to see young men walking down the street in public with their underwear showing and struggling to walk. Now I know that this is not a new phenomenon but it is getting a little out of hand. I understand the need to be different as well as the urge to keep up with the latest fashion trends, but when fashion take priority over health and safety then I have to step up and say something.

I want to first explore the medical repercussions of wearing your pants that low. First you are cutting off blood circulation to your lower body thus making your heart bead harder and faster to maintain proper pressure to your lower extremities. Then there is “The Walk”. The walk to hold your pants up is quite funny to see but if those who walked like this 1) could see themselves and 2) realized that in order to walk like that you have to twist your hips and pelvic bone into an awkward position in order to turn your knees and thighs out far enough to keep your pants from falling down around your ankles. The amount of joint and bone damage is enormous and as time goes on becomes lower back pain, poor circulation and weakened knees and hip all from something you saw made popular in music videos.

Before I begin throwing stones, let me be the first to admit I have been guilty of showing a little crack from time to time but I make a conscious effort to make sure that it is not often. Being that I “Lack in the Back” there is not much to hold up my pants in the rear. To combat that I wear a belt. My Grand Father, many years ago taught me that a respectable man wears a belt, keep a clean handkerchief in his pocket and at least enough money to get home from where he is. Now when I was given this mental jewel, I was about 6 or 7 years old. Clearly at that point it was “Truth out of Season”. Now that I am considerably older than I was then I can say that this particular truth is so prevalent. Stevie Wonder wrote, “I believe the children are the future, TECH THEM WELL AND LET THEM LEAD THE WAY.” Stevie, I am so with you!!! But what have we taught out children when we allow them to leave the house looking like they just got their belt back from central booking and I most certainly don’t want to see your fruit of the loom undies with the ripped waist band as I am walking down the New York City Streets.

If this is how we have taught our children to respect themselves and how to gain respect from others then I am truly concerned for their future because like it or not these children are the future. I am holding all Parents and God-Parents responsible making a change before these children have to go and get a real job and don’t realize that saggy $300 jeans and a ball cap will only get you a job working in the mail room or the loading dock. I have worked both in my early years and they still expected slacks and a collared shirt.

What’s was more disturbing than that, is as I went to meet a new potential model at my office that same day, I got to my office and she was there a little early, (always a good thing) and she stood up to greet me as I walked through the door and she turned around to put her purse down and there it was… Plumbers Crack!!! Something told me when low rise jeans became popular that this day was coming and now it was standing in my office. Now the immature goof ball in me wanted to burst out laughing and try to throw M&M’s in it from a distance, but the professional in me asked her politely and quietly to please pull her pants up so as not to dazzle the crowds!!! She got the message and spent the rest of our meeting pulling her pants up.

Maybe on some level I am turning into my grandfather, he was a very well liked and respected and respectable man who had a lot to share with us all. So, I share this advice with all of you from both he and I, “PULL YOUR PANTS UP!!!”, no one who will respect you can appreciate that!!!

What are your thoughts?