to get the ball rolling

the fact that apples fall from the tree is an established example of gravity at work. but long before those domesticated apples were observed in their decent, pants have been falling to great embarassment of men.

suspenders used to be ubiquitous. their design is quit suited for the purpose of holding pants up. indeed, one might argue that they are better at holding pant up than belts, if you consider the fact that belts rely at least partially on friction to hold the clothing upon the lower regions of the body, as they are hangng precariously above the relative swell of the pelvis .

at one time , pants were made with suspenders in mind; metal, wood, bone, ivory cleats were diligently sown upon them to allow for easy attachment of the suspender straps. even today, jeans and cargo pants often come with these cleats, though these metal studs have greatly shrunken in size, and are merely a vestigial relic. they mostly serve to indicate authenticity of a brand and not functionally facilitate suspender use.

suspenders have also undergone improvments over the centurues. from mere cords hooked on both sides of pants, they evolved mechanisms to ensure comfort, reliability and ease of application. mechanical 'dogs' were invented to clasp upon the edge of the pants, and an adjusting buckle was created to better accomodate the specific user.

susspenders were wildely popular in western cultures, often used as a preferred method of keeping pants up, for both traditional menial work, as well as part of the attire of more skilled labor, and office holders. indeed, even today, overalls which are pants with the suspenders integrated in, are still used as work clothes.

suspenders were predominantly used by men, as that the two frontal straps that fell from the shoulders tended to accentuate certaon aspects of the feminine physic, a thing which was at times undesirable. additionally, the fashion of woman's pants is somewhat of a novelty, being widely used only in the latter half of the 20'th century.

so what was the reason of the loss of popularity for suspenders? i shall here offer some theories;

firstly, the introduction of rubber or elastic bands that were sown on the inner part of the pants allowed for greater reliability and comfort for those who chose to use belts. this made suspenders unnecessary with many items of clothing, such as short pants, and training pants.

secondly, the cultural changes that took place in the 1950's did not stop at words and songs, but made a distinct division between the older generation and the younger generation. younger people made clothing part of their rebellion, and as such eschewed wearing work clothes in the same way. indeed, later on , the use of suspenders became somewhat an object of ridicule and oboselecence , as exemplified by Bob Dylan or Alex's gang in 'A clockwork orange' .

another reason for the abandonment of suspenders is their association with being overweight. portly men , were undesirable wretches since the dawn of western civilization. they were often symbols of greed, corruption, untrustful nature, and stupidity. with the aforementioned disdain shown to establisment figures and 'suits', they became even less desirable. wearing suspenders then became somewhat of a stygma. those that wore them had no choice, while the thinner, up and commers of the corporate world shunned the usage of suspenders in corporate attire.

lastly, the real death blow of the suspenders in western civilization occured in the 1990s. a time of great uncertainty and transition. one of the great manifestations of this is the deliberate misuse of items of clothing. it becamr fashionable to wear spirtscaps askew, and bookbags on one shoulder only.

jeans were throughly and willfully abraded and the kneeparts torn or cut, more pertinantly, the pants were often worn hanging precariously lower than the waistline. while this was generally accomodated with the usage of elastic bands, it was obviously a statment of further rebellion. one that nagated any conceivable use of suspenders.