Pantsing, also known as depantsing, debagging, dacking, flagging, sharking, and scanting is the pulling down of a person's
trousers
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and ...
and sometimes also
underpants
Underpants are underwear worn on the lower body.
In British English the term is often shortened to pants and refers to men’s clothing only.
Types of underpants
Long underpants
Long underpants are the bottom half of a style of two-piece unde ...
, usually against their wishes, and typically as a
practical joke or a form of
bullying, but in other instances as a
sexual fetish
Sexual fetishism or erotic fetishism is a sexual fixation on a nonliving object or nongenital body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has ''a fetish'' for that object is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regard ...
. The most common method is to sneak up behind the intended victim, grab the trousers at the waist, and apply a quick downward tug before the victim is aware of the assailant's presence.
Pantsing is a common type of prank or bullying in school gym classes. Its most extreme form includes running the trousers up the school flagpole. Some U.S. colleges before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
were the scenes of large-scale "depantsing" scraps between freshman and sophomore males, often involving more than 2,000 participants. It is also an initiation rite in fraternities and seminaries. It was cited in 1971 by
Gail Sheehy
Gail Sheehy (born Gail Henion; November 27, 1936 – August 24, 2020) was an American author, journalist, and lecturer. She was the author of seventeen books and numerous high-profile articles for magazines such as ''New York'' and ''Vanity ...
as a form of
assault against grade school girls, which did not commonly get reported, although it might include improper touching and
indecent exposure by the perpetrators. The United States legal system has prosecuted it as a form of
sexual harassment of children.
Alternative names
In Britain, especially historically at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
Universities in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, the term is known as (derived from
Oxford bags
Oxford bags were a loose-fitting baggy form of trousers favoured by members of the University of Oxford, especially undergraduates, in England from the mid-1920s to around the 1950s. The style had a more general influence outside the university ...
, a loose-fitting baggy form of trousers). In Northern England the dialect renders the word "dekekking" or "dekecking" where "keks" is a local word for underwear.
A corresponding term in
Australia (aside from ''pantsing'') is , or , which originated from
DAKS Simpson, a clothing brand that became a
generic term
Trademark distinctiveness is an important concept in the law governing trademarks and service marks. A trademark may be eligible for registration, or registrable, if it performs the essential trademark function, and has distinctive character. Re ...
for pants and underwear. The term ''double-dacking'' is used when both the pants and underwear are pulled down. In
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
the process is often known as or from the word ''breeks'' meaning 'trousers'. In
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
the act is known as giving someone a ''down-trou'' (though this can have
a more specific meaning, relating to loser-shaming in
pool
Pool may refer to:
Water pool
* Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming
* Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings
* Tide pool, a rocky po ...
playing and other competitive games); in Ireland, it is , or ; in the north of England (or ).
An alternative term is , which usually implies a
sexual assault on a stranger rather than a prank or bullying between peers, and is sometimes applied more broadly to the pulling down of blouses and other top clothing.
Another prank, in which the victim's underpants are yanked upward rather than downward is called a
wedgie
A wedgie is the act of forcibly pulling a person's underpants upwards from the back. The act is often performed as a school prank or a form of bullying.
Wedgies are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy or as a beh ...
.
Bullying
Pantsing can be used as a form of
bullying and is technically the crime of
simple assault
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
. The practice has been viewed as a form of ritual emasculation. In 2007, British
Secretary of State for Education and Skills Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chanc ...
, in a speech to the
, criticized such bullying and criticized
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
for hosting a movie (since removed) of a teacher being pantsed, saying that such bullying "is causing some
eachersto consider leaving the profession because of the
defamation and
humiliation
Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It is an emotion felt by a person whose social status, either by force or willingly, has just dec ...
they are forced to suffer" and that "Without the online approval which appeals to the innate insecurities of the bully, such sinister activities would have much less attraction."
Juanita Ross Epp is highly critical of teachers who regard pupils pantsing one another as normal behavior, saying that pantsing makes pupils feel intimidated and uncomfortable and that "normal is not the same as right".
References
{{Reflist
Assault
Bullying
Practical jokes
Sexual harassment
Terminology of the University of Cambridge
Terminology of the University of Oxford
Sexual violence
Sexual fetishism