Lawmakers in South Carolina are hoping to pass a bill that would ban sagging pants, making it unlawful for a person to sag their pants in public.

The bill would make a person wearing their pants, "three inches below the crest of his ileum," illegal, WLTX19 reported. The proposed House Bill 4957 would impose penalties and fines to anyone publicly sagging their pants. 

Though lawmakers indicate that sagging pants would be considered a noncriminal offense –and "is not grounds for denying, suspending, or revoking the violator's participation in a state college or university financial assistance" – violators would be subject to fines or community service.

 

The bill would impose a civil fine up to $25 for the first offense – the offense, of course, is someone sagging their pants in public – and subsequent offenses could impose fines of $50 and $75, or a certain number of community service hours. 

According to local Charleston ABC News 4, the bill is predominately sponsored by Democrats. Representative Wendell Gilliard (D-Charleston) told ABC News that the bill would set an example. 

"We have to lead by example," he said. "It is necessary because it’s not getting any better.”

He also added that the bill would make men receive equal treatment to women.

"If a female was to go around in the same fashion, pants down by their ankles or below the waist, we would see that as indecent exposure," he said.  

Many on Twitter pointed out that lawmakers in South Carolina are focused on policing how people wear their clothes, as opposed to more pressing issues. 

Activist Shaun King wrote that the proposed bill is an attempted to "criminalize blackness" – given its history connected to respectability politics and dangerous racial stereotypes. 

"South Carolina is about to pass a law banning sagging pants," he wrote. "You and I know that this is all about criminalizing Blackness. And these sorry ass politicians don't even attempt to protect us from gun violence but can find time to ban sagging pants."

Sagging pantsSouth-Carolina