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Things no one wants to see at work

I was in Stop & Shop last weekend and this skinny white boy was stocking the packaged mixed salad greens and the only thing between me and the skinny white boy's ass was a thin piece of gray cotton.

I couldn't stop myself. It just kind of slipped out.

"Pull your pants up," I said.

"What?" he said.

"I said, '"PULL YOUR PANTS UP."'

He laughed and said "sorry" and tugged half-heartedly at his pants. I'm sure as soon as I turned the corner his gray cotton undies were once again on display to the world and his jeans sagging somewhere around his knee caps.

I can't think of anything else that would actually compell me to scold a perfect stranger in the produce section of the grocery store. (Well, there was that one time that the kid in the produce section sneezed all over his hands and then just kept on arranging apples in a pyramid. But even then all I did was give him a dirty look.)

Then a few days ago I was walking down the hall at work and found myself confronted once again with the underwear of a dude whose underwear I very seriously had no interest in seeing. I refrained from saying anything. But I was sorely tempted.

Seriously, I know this is not new -- that plenty of people have complained about this so-called fashion statement before me. But when did it become OK to wear pants so low everyone can see your underwear at work?

We have a pretty casual dress policy here, since we don't usually come into direct contact with the public, and, admittedly, there's nothing in the employee handbook that suggests you can't come to work in your underpants.

But I'm pretty sure that's because it should go without saying.

Right?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eww. You definitely want more than a thin layer of cotton between your produce and some stockboy's little jockey.

Anonymous said...

I don't like that whole 'look' either. It's just dumb.

Anonymous said...

Here via the Hub - I remember a couple of boys going around doing this in high school (thirteen years ago! This trend has lasted way too long), and the funniest part is when they're trying to run in gym class with their pants on like that. SPLAT!

Wave Maker said...

Thanks for the link to the origin of the practice. I'll pass it along to my 15 y/o son and hope he'll throttle back from a 48 waist to maybe a 40 (he could probably wear a 23).

Gregg said...

How about telling the manager about your discomfort with his/her employees' attire. I would and I do.

Anonymous said...

if he had been black would you have called him a "skinny black boy"? probably not.in fact i am sure you would have said nothing.

Gienna said...

Thanks for the comments, everybody!

To the anonymous commenter -- Why on earth would I hesitate to describe somebody as being black? Is there something wrong with being black? The description of the boy is nothing more than just that -- a description. I'm a writer. I describe things. If you see more than that (perhaps I am racistly saying that black people do not wear stupid clothes!) then either you don't know me very well or you are making assumptions based upon your own belief system.

Anonymous said...

i am sorry if you disagree.i just thought it was an interesting choice of words.there was really no need to say what color he was at all.i am a skinny little white boy so i took offense!

Gienna said...

It's OK, anonymous ... Some of my best friends are skinny white boys!

:)