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Trousers (or " Pants " in American , Australian , South African and Canadian English , and sometimes "slacks" in more formal or older-fashioned usage) are an item of Clothing worn on the lower part of the body and covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across both as in Skirts And Dresses ). Historically, as for the West , trousers were the standard lower-body clothing item for males since the 16th Century ; by the late 20th Century they had become extremely prevalent for females as well. Trousers are worn at the Hips or Waist , and may be held up by their own fastenings, a Belt , or Suspenders (braces). Leggings are form-fitting trousers of a clingy material, often Knitted Cotton and Lycra . TERMINOLOGY In North American English , ''pants'' is the general category term, and ''trousers'' refers, often more formally, specifically to Tailored garments with a waistband and (typically) Belt -loops and a Fly -front. For instance, informal elastic-waist knitted garments would never be called ''trousers'' in America. In British English , ''trousers'' is the general category term, and ''pants'' refers to Underwear (in America, called ''underwear'', ''underpants'' or ''panties'' to distinguish them from other pants that are worn on the outside). In Scottish English , trousers are generally known as ''trews'', a variant pronounciation of ''trousers''. CHARACTERISTICS
]] HISTORY Trousers were introduced into Western European Culture at several points in history, but gained their current predominance only in the 16th Century . Nomadic Eurasian horsemen/women such as the Iranian Scythian s, along with Achaemenid Persians were the first to wear trousers, later introduced to modern Europe via either the Hungarians or Ottoman Turks. However, the Celts also seem to have worn them in Ancient Europe. In ancient China trousers were only worn by Cavalry . According to tradition, they were first introduced by King Wu of Zhao in 375 BC , who copied the custom from non-Chinese horsemen on his northern border. The word itself is, ironically of Scottish Gaelic origin, a culture more associated in the popular imagination with Kilt s. Men's trousers Trousers also trace their ancestry to the individual Hose worn by men in the 15th Century (which is why trousers are plural and not singular). The hose were easy to make and fastened to a Doublet at the top with ties called "points", but as time went by, the two hose were joined, first in the back then across the front, but still leaving a large opening for sanitary functions. Originally, doublets came almost to the knees, effectively covering the genitalia, but as fashions changed and doublets became shorter, it became necessary (and required by the church) for men to cover their genitals with a Codpiece . By the end of the 16th Century , the codpiece had been incorporated into the hose, now usually called Breeches , which were roughly knee-length and featured a ''fly'' or ''fall front'' opening. During the French Revolution , the male citizens of France adopted a working-class costume including ankle-length trousers or Pantaloons in place of the aristocratic knee-breeches. This style was introduced to England in the early 19th Century , possibly by Beau Brummell , and supplanted breeches as fashionable street wear by mid-century. Breeches survived into the 1930s as the Plus-fours or Knickers worn for active sports and by young school-boys. Sailors may have played a role in the dissemination of trousers as a fashion around the world. In the 17th and 18th Centuries , sailors wore a baggy trouser known as a ''galligaskin''. Sailors were also the first to wear Jeans -- trousers made of Denim . These became more popular in the late 19th Century in the American West , because of their ruggedness and durability. Women's trousers Although trousers for women did not become fashion items until the later 20th Century , women began wearing men's trousers (suitably altered) for outdoor work a hundred years earlier. The Wigan ''pit brow girls'' scandalized Victorian Society by wearing trousers for their dangerous work in the Coal Mine s. They wore skirts over their trousers, rolled up to the waist to keep them out of the way. Women working the ranches of the 19th century American West also wore trousers for riding, and in the early 20th century Aviatrix es and other working women often wore trousers. Actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn were often photographed in trousers from the 1930s and helped make trousers acceptable for women. During World War II , women working in factories and doing other forms of "men's work" on war service wore trousers when the work demanded it, and in the post-war era trousers became acceptable casual wear for gardening, the beach, and other leisure pursuits. In the 1960s , André Courrèges introduced long trousers for women as a fashion item, leading to the era of the Pantsuit and Designer Jeans and the gradual eroding of the prohibitions against girls and women wearing trousers in schools, the workplace, and fine restaurants. SOCIETY It is customary in the Western world for men to wear trousers and not skirts or dresses. However, there are exceptions, such as the Scottish Kilt and the Greek Foustanella , worn on ceremonial occasions, as well as robes or robe-like clothing such as the Cassock s, etc. of clergy and academic robes (both rarely worn in daily use today). Based on , some Christian adherents believe that women should not wear trousers, but only Skirts And Dresses . Among certain groups, saggy, baggy trousers exposing Underwear are in Fashion , e.g. among Skater s, for whom it also provides more freedom of movement. ''Cut-offs'' are homemade Shorts made by cutting the legs off trousers, usually after holes have been worn in fabric around the knees. This extends the useful life of the trousers. The remaining leg fabric may or may not be hemmed after being cut. LAW In May 2004 in Louisiana , Congressman Dick Shepard proposed a bill that would make it a crime to appear In Public wearing trousers below the waist and thereby exposing one's skin or "intimate clothing". ( {Link without Title} , PDF). The Louisiana bill was retracted after negative public reaction. In February 2005, Virginia legislators tried to pass a similar law that would have made punishable by a $50 fine: "any person who, while in a public place, intentionally wears and displays his below-waist undergarments, intended to cover a person's intimate parts, in a lewd or indecent manner". It is not clear whether, with the same coverage by the trousers, exposing underwear was considered worse than exposing bare skin, or that the latter was already covered by another law. It passed in the Virginia House Of Delegates . However, various criticisms to it arose. For example, newspaper columnists and radio Talk Show hosts consistently said that since most people that would be penalized under the law would be young African-American men, the law would thus be a form of discrimination against them. Virginia's state senators voted against passing the law. [http://lociherein.blogspot.com/2005/02/50-bucks-to-freeball.html . SEE ALSO
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