The criminal's trousers

We read in the NOW that A man has been arrested in Madrid who was live-streaming the sexual assault of his underage daughter. He did this, it seems, in private chat rooms on live-streaming apps, and he lured clients with photos of the girl in bed. He charged in virtual currency redeemable for gifts. That is to say, for example, after one rape he might have already received a voucher for a cell phone or a t-shirt. In the photo, we see him from behind, under arrest, between two police officers who are holding him, one on each arm.

What stands out most in the photo are the man's pants, compared to those of the other two—ordinary jeans that don't attract attention. His are tight, very tight, around the ankle. They must have been difficult for him to put on. They are light-colored jeans, from a recognizable brand, the kind that, as my grandmother would say, "make your butt look awful." You feel like grabbing them by the waistband and pulling them up.

In a criminal, these small details of clothing are deeply unsettling. This beast, who subjugated his daughter in exchange for gifts, chose the pants he liked to wear. He's vain, or at least has his own personal sense of style. These aren't the kind of pants that say, "I don't care what I wear" or "I buy them two at a time at the market." Coquetry—and choosing what you wear is a form of coquetry—in evil is always disturbing. And even more so when it's such a commonplace coquetry, like wearing pants that are baggy, like a fake young man. We don't see his face or smell him, but who knows if he shaves carefully and wears expensive cologne to feel good in the videos? Who knows if he left those pants on a chair and showed off some fantastic underwear too, before brutally assaulting his daughter on camera?