Jamaicans we love to say, “Style a style and style cyaan spoil,” as a global declaration to our unique ability to always take centre stage and stand out in a crowd with our fashion sense.

We know we look good. We know we look clean. We know no one else can carry him/herself like us. Yet, there is one imported fashion trend or, indeed, dress code, that we must permanently delete from our reality.

The problem is I think it may be too late, because, based on the regularity and consistency with which I now see it, it has become a habitual uniform for many of our Jamaican males, especially the young ones.

It is rampant in dancehall, the bank, the supermarket, the pharmacy, and restaurants.

The other day I attended a funeral and the cameraman walking up and down the church was impeded every time he took a step because his jeans kept falling down below his buttocks, and he had to haul it back up on his waist — or thereabout — continually.

It was irritating to watch.

After a while, I was so annoyed by his flagrant disregard for his indecent exposure as he stood in front of me with almost all of his underwear in my face.

I could remain silent no more. I said: “Excuse me, Sir, but please pull up your pants. I can see your brief!”

He replied, “Oh, sorry.”

But he continued his ‘walk and pull up pants’ routine for the entire church service. Sigh!

I wasn’t sure if I was angry because he came into a church dressed that way, or whether I had just had enough of seeing these grown men flashing their asses in public.

If I had a belt I knew I would’ve put it on him myself to make sure his pants stayed on his waist.

Why do many of our boys and men think this is an acceptable mode of dress?

Why is it that many of them believe that exposing all of their underwear and outlined buttocks with their pants or shorts falling to their hips every time they walk a few steps is acceptable in public places?

Sometimes, the pants’ waist falls to the back of their knees as they walk.

It is not only physically untidy and, in some cases, unhygienic, but it is most disturbing for me because of its historical and sociocultural connotations.

Unlike other fashion trends, this one — which young American men started — has lasted for three decades. But what many of our boys and men do not consciously know is the origin of this fashion statement, and its dark and heinous underpinnings.

When Africans were first enslaved in North America, southern plantation owners would practice a custom called “buck-busting” or “buck-breaking”. These terms were often used when speaking about taming wild horses. However, for enslaved African men, it had another meaning.

In this instance, it was an action utilised to “break in” defiant, enslaved black men as if they were feral beasts. It was also supposed to deter other enslaved people from going against their masters.

“As a result, perceived unruly black men would be taken to a public place where all the other enslaved people were watching and told to lower their pants and bend forward. At that point, the master would brutally rape the man. After this act of violation, the slave would be forced to wear his pants with no belt and allow them to sag as evidence he had been ‘busted’ or ‘broken in’. (STYLED, Cheryl E Preston, 2020)

Sagging or oversized baggy pants or denim also has a history in the American prison system, where male prisoners cannot wear belts because they can be used as weapons, which in most instances makes their pants sag and fall off their waist. In other cases, some male inmates are forced to let their pants drop and bend over when other inmates are raping them.

Is this the kind of representation or reputation that our young men want to portray? And, no, I am not a Victorian prude or morally closed to understanding that young people have phases of clothes, hair, and nails that they may experiment with.

However, there is a time and place for everything, and it is always good for a young man to make an excellent first impression. To do this, we must begin teaching our boys social etiquette and protocol, dress codes, good manners, and courtesy in our public and private school systems.

Moreover, these conversations, discussions, and essential training sessions must accompany public voice, speech, and job interviewing skills with eye contact.

We cannot expect our children to wake up one day and know appropriate behavioural standards. For example, what does it mean when they see “casual” versus “black tie” on an invitation? Or which spoon is used for the soup versus dessert at a formal dinner?

Accordingly, we must teach our boys to strive to own a black or navy blue blazer (jacket) in their closet, which they can wear with their jeans or, more formally, with trousers. That blazer does not have to conform to a bespoke collar; it can be African, Nehru, or Mandarin. But they must have one.

Suppose they own one pair of formal shoes and a belt. In that case, they must learn to clean and polish them, keeping them constantly in immaculate condition, because people always look at your shoes as a hallmark of one’s self-discipline and personal cleanliness.

I have taught boys these lessons and others in training workshops I conducted over the years privately and in schools across the island. The biggest don’t in those classes: Never leave your house with your pants falling down your waist, exposing your bottoms and briefs.

Giving our boys that attitudinal edge so they can dominate any situation at first glance with the way they carry themselves and in the way they communicate is vital in this globally competitive world. Our boys must learn to speak with clarity, assertiveness, finesse, and confidence — no matter where they come from.

Undoubtedly, as Jamaicans, we are the most confident nationality with immeasurable talents. I had to correct a young man recently in New York, who told me he was a “regular Jamaican” trying to make things work. I told him the word regular never prefaces our nationality, and that he was extraordinary given his lineage and ancestral resilience. Our conversation motivated him, and he lifted his shoulders.

It’s time we enlighten our boys and instil within them real confidence and pride. It’s time for them to pull up their pants.

Have a great week.

Lisa Hanna is Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, People’s National Party spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a former Cabinet member.