The indecent exposure ordinance carries penalties of up to six months in jail and a US$500 (euro376.3) fine for being caught in pants that show underwear or, as Mayor Carol Broussard puts it, "private parts."

Broussard said he will sign the ordinance.

Low-hanging, baggy pants have become a fashion trend, mostly for young men in the hip-hop culture. Broussard denied the ordinance is racially motivated. "White people wear sagging pants, too," he said. "Anybody who wears these pants should be held responsible."

"If you walk up and your pants drop, you get a fine," he added. "They're better off taking the pants off and just wearing a dress."

Although Delcambre Councilman Albert Roy introduced the ordinance, he said a US$500 fine is outrageous: "I think it should be something like US$25 (euro18.8)."