Pants

Pants are, of course, a piece of clothing and thus borrow the symbolism and typical reference to the persona. Losing one’s pants means being unable to be presentable among others. While it’s sometimes acceptable to be bare-chested in certain situations, being bare from the waist down is almost criminal—pants are something one must wear in social situations.

Pants can also reflect our ability to control a situation, to be in charge. (Compare Legs.) Someone “caught with their pants down” is exposed, defenseless, and possibly subject to ridicule. On the other hand, the one who “wears the pants” is the one in charge (at home). (See also Clothing.)

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