Urban Legend: Saggy pants came from sexually active prison inmates
False.
The rumor becomes a way of passing along one group’s disdain for another’s sartorial practice. Communicating that the saggers are unwittingly offering their backsides to all takers when they think they are mimicking admired rappers and identifying with tough guys no sensible person would mess with becomes a way of saying “The joke is really on them.” This same sense of surreptitious delight over being in on a prank someone looked down upon is unknowingly playing on himself fuels another urban legend that involves medallions flaunted by society matrons or Chinese character-emblazoned sweaters proudly worn by their knitters and even some of the “misunderstood souvenir” tales told about globe-trotting tourists.
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Risque (Sag Harbored)