You walk innocently into class and sit down, only to hear stifled whispering and laughing all around you. What could it be?

Yeah, everyone’s looking at your derrière, which is only slightly covered by your thong.

It’s a simple yet terrifying scenario for those whose get-ups include pants that ride low. Real low.

The pants, cut several inches lower on the waist than traditional pants, can create unobstructed views of the torso and seating difficulties.

But despite the hazards, the trend has staying power - for a trend, anyway.

Suzie Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor for Glamour magazine, said low-riding pants are a trend years in the making.

Schwartz said the trend originated four or five years ago when pop star Mariah Carey’s stylist, Tonya Twist, decided to try something new with the singer’s pants.

“She cut off the waistband of Mariah Carey’s Levi’s and that caused a sensation,” Schwartz said. “Ever since then we’ve been seeing them everywhere.”

Dozens of designers have created versions of low-riding pants, from Levi Strauss & Co. and Polo to Paper Denim & Cloth and Henry Duarte.

Schwartz said prices for low-riding pants can start at around $45 for Levi’s and $145 for Paper Denim, but get as high as $700 or $800 for Henry Duarte.

But the high prices for pants don’t sway many customers.

“People will pay anything to look fabulous,” Schwartz said.

And as everyone from Britney Spears to Charlize Theron are seen flaunting their stomachs over and over again on television and in dozens of magazines, that need to look fabulous is more noticeable than ever.

Hello, thong

But wearing low-riding pants can carry an annoying price - the dilemma of sitting down.

Elementary education sophomore Jessica Kucharski said she occasionally wears low-riding pants, but dislikes the prospect of her underwear displayed to the world.

“They’re a big pain,” she said. “Overall, I’m not a big fan.”

And Kucharski said those choosing to wear low-riding pants may disturb others around them when attempting to bend over, or worse, sit down.

“As long as I’m not sitting behind them, I don’t have a problem,” she said.

Schwartz agreed that the pants present hazards.

“I think it’s at its peak of popularity,” Schwartz said. “But I think the problem with them is that you can’t sit down because your thong shows.”

But despite that side effect of being fashionable, Schwartz said the pants carry several benefits.

“I think what’s great about them is they make people with shorter torsos look longer,” she said. “They’re great for people who want to look taller and skinnier - and who doesn’t want to look taller and skinnier?

“The problem is that they need to fix them so they ride higher in the back.”

Schwartz said because low-riding pants carry a higher risk of showing too much they may not be the best pants to wear to work.

“We did a whole piece on low-rise jeans and we tested it on real women who work in our office,” she said. “We’d asked them how they felt wearing them and it turns out when you have a more ample derri