For General Larry Platt, the subject has become a viral-video sensation: Surely, you recall the “American Idol” contestant who spoke up for the belt-buckling masses everywhere with his hit anthem, "Pants on the Ground." 

Yet, in 2011, the trend of mostly young men wearing their pants under their "bottom" doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

Indeed, on a mid-afternoon day in Bed-Stuy, an assortment of youngsters walk up and down the block with their pants riding around their thighs and their boxers showing, as though it were couture.

“It’s not about wearing baggy pants, it’s the style and how you wear it,” says 22-year-old Cali Young, who was walking with his pants hanging down while shopping on Fulton Street. “This is baggy, but everybody doesn’t wear baggy pants. You got slim, you got tight, it’s different all types of pants.”

Either way, for some Bed-Stuy residents witnessing guys like Young outside with sagging pants on and underwear showing is a sight they’d rather not see.

“I think it’s disgusting and I think it’s very immature,” says Charlette Graham, a 42-year-old parent and Bed-Stuy resident. “But I think it comes from a lack of education, because the young kids they don’t really know where it stems from. It stems from jail.”

While the adaptation of prison culture -- where belts are confiscated -- into the urban clothing market does explain the origins of baggy pants, the style didn’t become a cultural staple till the 1990s when popular rap artists started donning the style.

During the early 90s, urban teenagers looked for different ways to express themselves. And they did so by copying the styles they’d see in music videos or from reading urban magazines. By the mid-90s, designers such as Karl Kali and Cross Colours were making a name for themselves exploiting the demand for clothing -- whether it was for long, baggy shorts -- made to fit several sizes too large.

While some blame hip-hop for the baggy jeans epidemic, sports deserves some of the credit as well. In 1991, Michigan University’s “Fab Five” team not only became famous for their on-the-court prowess, but for their long shorts, a response to the short shorts mandated in the NBA (Michael Jordon, amongst others also objected to the look). Other sports like skateboarding and snowboarding are also rooted in participants exercising freedom through the use of baggy pants and shorts.

Still, for all the talk about style, lack of education and general tomfoolery, some folks say they wear their pants baggy for comfort. Men who struggle with their weight often site wearing their jeans loose as a way to hide their drawbacks; some guys prefer the looser fit because it simply gives their body more room to breathe.

“Well, I don’t always wear my pants baggy, but when I’m outside it’s more comfortable to me personally,” says David Mills, 34, a Bed-Stuy resident on his way to see a friend.

Yet, increasing complaints about baggy pants have led to politicians around the country seeking to input laws to stop the madness. Recently, mayors in Atlanta and Tallahassee, FL, have sought to pass local ordinances that outlaw baggy pants.

And just last year, State Senator Eric Adams from Brooklyn released a video called, “Stop the Sag,” as a part of a campaign to get youths to pull their pants up. 

But the idea of politicians cracking down on baggy pants doesn’t sit well with some Bed-Stuy residents.

“I think they’re just trying to find another way to take away the rights that we already have,” said Mills. “The politicians don’t even come to our hood unless they want our vote anyway, so I don’t see how the way we wear our clothes means anything to them at all.”

But then, some youngsters in Bed-Stuy don’t need to be reminded that a belt can be their friend.

“I don’t wear baggy pants because they're corny,” declares Jerreiell Mitchell, 21, with his pants waist up hanging out with a group of friends on Fulton. “And what’s the sense in wearing baggy pants? It’s not 1994 no more. You gotta’ grow up, it’s 2011, it’s time for a change. Now you gotta’ get your grown man on and throw on a fitted pants with the button up so now you’re crispy.”

*Next: "The Baggy Pants Epidemic: A Female's Perspective"