Pull up your pants, or else_高级精读
a handful of young britons and americans walk along the street with the crotch of their trousers hanging somewhere between their thighs and knees. no wonder they meet with giggles and puzzled looks from passers-by.
but the "saggy pants", made popular by 1990s rap fashion, is not just something people laugh at. some conservative americans find it so offensive they want to ban it.
on august 24, city councillors in dallas, texas, considered introducing a new law that would allow police to fine anyone wearing their trousers too low. the offence, they argue, is that "saggy pants" allow people to see that sacred item of clothing — underwear. putting your boxer shorts or thong on show is the height of bad taste and indecency.
dallas school trustee ron price, who recommended the ban, said: "too low allows too much underwear to show."
christina siderius, 23, from seattle seemed a little confused upon hearing about dallas council's proposal. but she wasn't surprised. "hey, that's texas for you," she said.
as the home state of us president george w. bush, texas is a republican stronghold. many in the state oppose abortion and same sex marriage. but they promote faith-based initiatives (programmes that use religion as a part of social reform).
whether the proposals actually become law is yet to be seen. but virginia and louisiana both tried to ban saggy pants in 2004 and failed. enforcing such a law is simply impractical. perhaps the biggest threat to those who love to wear their jeans around their ankles is the ridicule they get from other people.
caroline tosh, 29, from london, had a "saggy" boyfriend for six months. "he looked like such an idiot," she said. her friends used to laugh at him, saying: "does he not know how to pull his trousers up? i can see your boyfriend's bum."
tosh admits that she must have been blinded by love and now has conservative views about the look herself. "it displays the fact that they don't have to work and won't make that compromise of dressing properly for a job," she said.
but gareth graham, 27, disagrees. he works for the british council in london and has to dress smartly during the week. on friday night he throws away his belt and wears his boxers for all to see. "it's just really comfortable," he said.
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boxer shorts:平脚短裤
bum: [俚]屁股
councillor: 议员
crotch: 胯部
giggle: 咯咯笑
idiot: 白痴，傻瓜
indecency: 下流
ridicule: 嘲笑
sacred: 神圣的
saggy: 肥大的
stronghold: 据点
thigh: 大腿
thong: t字裤
trustee: 理事
underwear: 内衣裤
every size and shape: learn your jeans vocabulary
when you walk into a british or american clothes shop to buy a pair of jeans, the choice is mind-boggling. here are a few of the styles you may find:
low-rise: 低腰的
pants intended to ride low on the hips. also known as low-cut/low-slung/low-riding/droopy jeans, hipsters, and low-riders.
saggy: 宽松肥大的
very loose, will fall down without a belt. perfect for those who want to show off their new calvin klein boxer shorts.
boot cut: 靴型（裤）
slightly flared at the bottom. 给裤管下的靴子留位置的小喇叭型(牛仔裤)
straight leg: 直筒型的
no special tailoring in the legs.
flare: 喇叭腿的
also called bell-bottoms, the bottom is very wide.
skin tight: 紧身的
very tight everywhere.
slim fit: 修身型
designed to make legs look longer by being tight around the thighs and bum. 臀部和大腿贴身使双腿显得细长的款式
stretch fit: 弹力贴身的
made from stretchy material to mould to your body
regular fit: 标准型
no special features, designed to look acceptable on any body shape.
relaxed/loose fit: 宽松型
not tight around the bottom and thighs
tapered: 锥形的
legs are very narrow at the bottom and cling to your ankles. 裤腿渐窄，裤脚紧包脚踝的
cuffed: 翻边的
denim is rolled up at the bottom.
cropped: 七分的
three-quarter length. the leg stops at the middle of the shin. 长度刚好到小腿中间的
distressed: 磨白做旧的
made to look old and worn. 21st
denim: 牛仔裤，粗斜纹棉布
mind-boggling: 费脑筋的
shin: 小腿