Having said that, brothers should pull up their pants. You're walking by your mother, your grandmother, and your underwear is showing. ... What's wrong with that? Come on. There are some issues that we face that you don't have to pass a law [against], but that doesn't mean folks can't have some sense and some respect for other people. And, you know, some people might not want to see your underwear — I'm one of them."

A local Wal-Mart supplied 200 free belts to distribute to students whose pants didn't meet the school's dress code, which mandates that underwear should not be showing. Carter said 85 were handed out on Thursday. "That's why they call it underwear!" she said.

Dr. Brougher Bass, an assistant principal at the school, said he thought the event went exceedingly well, and while a few of the boys took a tongue-in-cheek attitude to the day, some of the young women at the school turned in their friends and suggested candidates for the free belts. The day also featured mentors from the community in the hallways who pulled aside students in need of a hitch, and who also spoke at a forum later in the day to continue the conversation about why appearance matters.

"It's not any more rampant in our school than any other," said Dr. Bass of the saggy look. "And it's not a white or a black issue, either. It's a generational issue."