Eamonn Fitzgerald's Rainy Day

Check this out: "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, shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $50. 'Intimate parts' has the same meaning as in § 18.2-67.10." Hold on. Let's get some background here.

On Monday 21 June last year, the Rainy Day topic was "overhang". Remember? Don't worry, my memory isn't so hot either. Anyway, during a trip to Ireland, your blogger was talking to some teenagers and learned that "overhang" in the language of today's yoof is "the amount of excess midriff displayed by young women who wear low-rise jeans and short T-shirts." The subject of midriff bulge might appear an odd one, a suspicious one, even, to be discussing with minors, but it was all very innocent and it was simply impossible to ignore the blobby bellies and the peering bottoms that were, well, in my face during the trip home. Fed up with the constant eyefuls of undies, this trenchant statement was issued:

"I don't know about you, but I find the sight of rolls of midriff fat often accompanied with naval bling and visible G-strings distinctly unappealing. Actually, let me be honest here: I find it hideous. Are the people who dress this way aware of how their tubby tummies look? A taut, firm midriff is a thing of beauty, of course, but those who are unfortunate enough not to possess one should consider covering up."

Clearly inspired by the Rainy Day stance, the General Assembly of Virginia has introduced a bill to amend the state's code by adding the section quoted at the start of this post relating to the indecent display of below-waist undergarments "intended to cover a person's intimate parts". Is this an overreaction? Are we, like, puttin' down the kids and turning into the reactionary old spoilsports we once battled for the right to wear long hair? Your call. But in this corner, the binge drinking and the droopy drawers are seen as a coarsening of society and it's time to take a stand. So there.