男人的內褲邊
The following is an excerpt from an article posted on Youth Specialties' website written by youth pastor Michael Holt. Some interesting points that require more attention.
Most of the time we're just not alert enough with the implications and influences of popular culture on our own lives. Refuse to accept anything without passing it through your brain.
The other night I was watching TV with my wife and there were two attractive young women sitting on a park bench, trying to figure out if the guys passing by were wearing boxers or briefs. I was intrigued; how do they tell? Type of guy? Type of pants? Type of…what? I asked my wife, "Do women do that?" "Of course not," she said incredulously.
Reflecting back, I realize that my wife and I come from a generation for whom underwear was not an acceptable topic of conversation unless you were shopping for some. But I've been exploring this issue, because as a youth ministry professional for almost thirty years, I definitely need to be up on the current culture. This "boxers or briefs" thing is everywhere. After all, ten years ago, candidate (soon to be president) Bill Clinton was quizzed about his underwear on MTV. Why does anyone ask? Why does anyone care? And whose business is it anyway?
...When I was in high school, one of the major fashion mistakes a guy could make was to publicly expose the waistband on his Fruit of the Looms—but not anymore. I read somewhere that this trend of wearing low slung pants with underwear exposed came from the prison culture. The prisoners purposely wore larger pants so they could be ready for a "quickie" with another convict at the, uh, drop of their pants. Many Rap performers adopted this because they had relatives who had been in prison, and they wanted to be cool. The trend then spilled over from the urban culture into the mainstream through Hip Hop/Rap music. Just check out the Hip Hop videos on MTV.
...I shared this with a student group at a retreat last year—mostly urban kids, and the guys were definitely hip. Watching basketball was strange; most of the aerobic activity came from pulling up their jeans. I've never seen so many "Tommy" boxer waistbands. At a session dealing with cultural influence and our biblical response, I explained what I had learned about the baggy pants look. The guys all jumped up, frantically yanking up their pants. I noticed the girls reacting positively to this and asked them why. One girl yelled out, "We don't like to see guys' underwear!" which drew emphatic female applause.
Most of the time we're just not alert enough with the implications and influences of popular culture on our own lives. Refuse to accept anything without passing it through your brain.
Labels: Reflection
