The history of dreadlocks will vary depending on which historical reference you site. But the truth is that dreadlocks have been worn by almost every culture at some point in time, regardless of its origin. It is a popular fashion staple for many people today, and in some cases, not at all linked to culture or religion (as in Australia, for example).
There has been a lot of debate over the recent ruling that it’s okay to discriminate against an applicant or employee who wears locs. Unfortunately, some of the reasons behind this ruling may be due the misinformation and misconceptions regarding the style of dreadlocks.
With all of the incidents happening in which people have cried “cultural appropriation,” it is important that we educate ourselves as to what it actually is.
Cultural appropriation: the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of another (often more dominant) culture.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on behalf of Chasity Jones claiming that dreadlocks are a “racial characteristic” and have been historically used to stereotype African-Americans as unfit for the workplace. They stated that dreadlocks are a hairstyle that is “culturally and physiologically associated” with African-Americans, so claiming that locs don’t fit the grooming policy is discriminatory and based on these stereotypes. The court of appeals disagreed, ruling that dreads are not “immutable physical characteristics” although they are “culturally associated with race,” and therefore the company’s policy is not discriminatory.
This is where things tend to get cloudy. And I’m about to say something that some may find shocking given the fact that I wore locs myself for over 10 years in the professional arena…
An employer should have the right to choose to hire employees that are in alignment with the representation of his/her brand.
The interwebs would have you think (if you don’t refer to the actual verbiage of the ruling) that discrimination against dreadlock styles in the workplace is discrimination against a particular race (i.e. Black people). But that is not the case.
The problem with the recent ruling that allows dreadlock discrimination in the workplace are the facts surrounding the case. According to the case file, a human resource manager commented on Chasity Jones’ dreadlocks saying, “They tend to get messy, although I’m not saying yours are, but you know what I’m talking about.” The company then revoked her job offer because she refused to remove her locs.
The company’s decision seemed to be based on stereotypes rather than the work place itself — the stereotype that locs are “messy” and “unkempt.”
Surprisingly to many, the fact is dreadlocks tend to dread faster the cleaner they are. People with dreads are encouraged to wash their hair more often depending on hair texture, to quicken the locking and matting process, so it’s really inaccurate to assume that people with locs do not wash their hair and keep it messy.
In 2015, Guliana Rancic of “E! Fashion Police” caused an outrage on social media when she joked that Zenyada’s Locs smelled of “patchouli oil” and “weed.” This prompted Zenyada to write an open letter where she said, “…There is already harsh criticism of African-American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair. My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough. To me locs are a symbol of strength and beauty…”
This incident was able to spark a national discussion about locs. For a hairstyle that has been revered and reviled, it’s important to have these discussions in order to dismantle every stereotype about locs for good.
We can all agree that there are certain looks that are more appropriate and expected in certain environments. For example, you would not expect to find a lawyer or political figure sporting bright red or purple hair. It is very unlikely that you would take them seriously if they did.
Also, if your hair looks like you just rolled out of bed, it shouldn’t be surprising to you if your employer deems it unacceptable, unless you are in a work environment where free-form, creative expression is encouraged (these tend to be more entertainment and/or artistic types of work environments).
You have every right to wear your hair as you please. However, if you are determined to sport a look that is deemed “too extreme” for a particular work environment and are unwilling to compromise when employers advise you to change it, it is probably best that you go and build your own empire.
For example, I decided to stop relaxing my hair in 1996 and instead wear it in its naturally curly state. This was obviously way before it was a trend or a movement or common. As a soon to be college graduate, everyone (read: adults and elders) advised me to straighten my hair because it would not be accepted in the work world.
I was begrudgingly permitted this “creative liberty” as a free-spirited student, but choosing to go against the norm in corporate America would put my career prospects in serious jeopardy. I had a decision to make.
Want to know what I did?
I decided to stay natural. I decided that I didn’t want to work an any environment where I would be pre-judged and/or discriminated against because of the texture of my hair. It was a personal decision.
Where there consequences? Yes.
Did I get turned down for some jobs? Yes.
But that was a consequence I was willing to accept because I felt my self-esteem was more important that someone else’s prejudice. Instead, I sought out work environments that would judge me based on my ability to perform and produce and not by the texture of my hair.
The truth is manicured locs can be just as professional looking as any straight textured style. Manicured locs are attractive and neat and can assimilate into any professional environment.
What we should actually be focusing on instead is erasing the false social stigma that links dreadlocks with weed subculture and being unkempt.
A video surfaced which appeared to show a black student in a heated discussion with a white student who wore his hair in dreadlocks at San Francisco State University. In the video, the white students says, “You have no right to tell me what I cannot wear.” The woman started to refer to his hairstyle as an act of cultural appropriation and proceeded to tell him that he couldn’t wear dreads because it was a part of ‘her’ culture.
Although I can understand the young female students’ passion, it is misdirected and unfounded. The fact is that dreads don’t ‘belong to black people’ just because it’s a popular style worn by African-Americans in the United States. Many different races and cultures have been known to wear locs.
Egyptian mummies that were recovered with dreadlocks still in tact were the first archaeological evidence that dreadlocks existed, but Vikings, Germans, and Celts were also known to wear their hair in dreadlocks as well. They have also been worn by Nazarites of Judaism, the Sadhus of Hinduism, the Dervishes of Islam, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Australians, Pacific Islanders, the Aborigines, the New Guineans, the Somali, the Galla, the Maasai, the Ashanti, the Fulani tribes of Africa, and many others. Even Sampson, an early Christian of the bible was said to have had seven locks of hair.
Marc Jacobs sent his (predominantly white) models down the runway wearing pastel-colored dreadlocks. This sparked a social media backlash; many people criticized the designer for styling the white models in dreads. They pointed out his appropriation of the style, and expressed that black culture was not even credited as the style inspiration.
Marc Jacobs quickly dismissed these responses which angered people even more. On his social media page, he wrote, “And all who cry ‘cultural appropriation’ or whatever nonsense about any race or skin color wearing their hair in a particular style or manner-funny how you don’t criticize women of color for straightening their hair. I respect and am inspired by people and how they look. I don’t see color or race- I see people…”
His comments sent the internet into a tizzy. By writing that, Marc Jacobs made the mistake of fusing appropriation with assimilation while also claiming that he was colorblind. Jacobs’ comment about black people straightening their hair, proves that his “colorblindness” statement is untrue.
In response to Jacobs, someone tweeted pictures of the Marc Jacobs Beauty Collection which contains numerous shades that more closely match European complexions and only three shade options for people of color proving that Jacobs clearly doesn’t “see color,” as he stated but in a negative context. After a few days, Jacobs issued a formal apology for his “lack of sensitivity.”
Celebrities like Amandla Stenberg posted an in-depth explanation of cultural appropriation on the internet on a video entitled “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows.” In it, she touches on the misappropriation of black culture, from hairstyles to music. Grey’s Anatomy star, Jesse Williams also shined a national spotlight on the issue of cultural appropriation during a speech when he said, “…We’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil- black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit.”
Despite the recent discussions on cultural appropriation, some are still confused as to where appropriating stops and where appreciating begins. The United States is made up of so many different ethnicities that cultural groups rub off of each other, and it can be confusing as to what the practice is.
Typically, cultural appropriation involves the exploitation of the culture of less privileged groups by members of a dominant group. Groups often targeted for cultural appropriation tend to be African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans.
The reason why white people wearing dreadlocks is not cultural appropriation is due to the fact that dreadlocks have been around for thousands of years in many different societies all over the world including European countries.
Dreadlocks also predates Rastafarianism although the term “dreadlocks” comes from the culture. The significance of locs varies from culture to culture. Given the rich history of dreadlocks, it is very difficult for one group to claim them.
Instead of being angry about what is perceived to be the cultural appropriation of dreadlocks, we need to be upset about the debilitating stereotypes that come with it. By openly discussing locs and educating ourselves and others, we can hopefully erase the stigma for those who choose to wear them and help our society to be more open-minded when it comes to differences of all types.
Your thoughts?
28 Comments
Well said. I’ve been trying to express this within my own circle. I wish I could share this to my Instagram.
Hey Mitchell, thanks for stopping by the blog. Feel free to share via screen capture if you’d like:)
Europeans do not have an across the board culture of wearing locs. the few instances of their appearing to be locs in ancient but not modern populations is because they had an african influence. secondly, many of the ancient populations mentioned in the article were of african descent. when it comes to america and modern whites, it is cultural appropriation as it is not pervading and continuous cultural phenomenon. it is not of their culture, which is why you stopped seeing it appear after certain ethnic groups died off. the african influence was gone.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. When referencing African influence, let us know when it touched Vikings, Germans, and Celts? With regards to modern culture, the matting of one’s hair is not an exclusive characteristic. Simply because it is popularized by or worn dominantly by a culture does not make it exclusive to that culture. Have there been instances where the style was used inappropriately or thoughtlessly? Yes. But the broad categorization of “cultural appropriation” affixed to any outlier of African ancestry wearing the style does not make it so. Our energies can be more productive elsewhere than with this argument.
i think that the topic of cultural appropriation is not one of ability to don a characteristic. By suggesting that the ability for hair to matt is the same as having a cultural history of it, it is reducing the cultural history of locs within the black community for the convenience of allowing other cultures to appropriate it without feeling guilty. also I think it is important to recognize that the link you cited for your point that “many different races and cultures have been known to wear locs” is a white-run business that employs no people of color and cites zero sources outside of the bible.
You do realize locs came *before* you attached any sorta cultural history to them. You can’t attach something to a long standing thing and then from that moment on say it’s only yours.
To dumb it down, I can’t take jesus on the cross, use it for whatever history I plan on making with it – Then tell all the Christian’s that they can no longer use jesus on the cross as it’s taking away from *my* meaning/history.
The only thing that’s new, is the name the RASTAFARIAN’s called them – But they still go back further. Not only that, but last I checked not all black people are rastafarian, which they did attach meaning to the hairstyle.
“Black” is not a culture, nor is “white”, color of skin does not have a culture.
Thank you. Cultural appropriation is a real concern. White people wearing dreadlocks is not one of them, ffs.
The vIkings aNd celts did not wear dreads, especially The vikings. They worE muddy braiDs and combed their hair meticulOusly. ASk a modern day celt about this and theyll tell you Themselves.
Very well thought and reasonable.
No blackS do not own the style, but soecifically in america it is a hairstyle that is relresented by black people and socialized and racialized as a black hairStyle in which black people suffer discrimination when they choose to have locS. Yes it is CULTURAL appropriation when whites have dreads because they do not experience the same discrimination, demonization or oppression. Instead they are praised for their looks. Meanwhile blacks cant Even walk at graduation because they have Locs. Thats not culTural appropriation or racism? Hard to believe people cant see that
Disagree. Black people did not invent the dress lock. Many of the Barbarian tribes that fought rome had dread locks. And no, every white person that wears dread locks is not told how great they look. To most people dreads are s sign of being unclean. Not my opinion but this is the way many people feel. So when black women wear blonde wings is cultural appropriation as well you can’t eat your cake and have it to.
“blond hair” is not apart of a culture. It is simply a hair color. There is no culture behind that, anyone could have BLONDE hair, BLACK hair, brown hair etc. YOU’RE argument lacks any Ground you’re just itching for a way to defend cultural appropriation and Racism.
ThE info regarding barbarIans isn’T accurate. And the bIRthplace of “dreadlocks” is afRica. Your non-UnDerstandinG of Black women and their idenTity in this country and the use of woRLdwide eurocentric standards as a means to oppress is the problem aS your usage is cultuRal appropriation.
Genetics are not culTure. ThEre are black ppl in africa wIth blonde hair ive seen them myself. This Is a racist white supremacist talking poInt. You have to be extremEly uneducated to assume blonde hair belongs to a specific race.
Have you been a white person in dreadlocks? They are discriminated against…they are referred to as”dirty hippies” and assumed to be drug addicts and lazy.
I was just about to say this, as well. Not one of the Caucasian folks I’ve met who wears locks gets “praised” for their look. Every single one has stories of discrimination and harassment by folks of all racial backgrounds for wearing their hair in the style they choose. And only one of them works ar a traditional “big company” where the dress code is more inclusive. The rest have decided to be their own bosses, whether it’s through gig work or starting their own business, BECAuse they’d rather be true to themselves and their own self-expression… And cultural appropriation goes beyond just hair. MAJORITY (though not all) of cases where I’ve seen people cry “cultural appropriation” have been misdirected anger at best and abuse or even violence at worst… When my Chinese boyfriend’s parents gifted me a beautiful QiPao dress, I had to explain to them that I could not wear IT except for when we travel to China together… Out of fear of harassment by angry Asian-Americans (and more often than not – other Caucasians). I had to accept that my explanations of WHERE I got the dress from amd how much it means to me would likely fall on deaf ears… My fears were confirmed when I saw the verbal abuse and threats received by that girl who chose to wear a QiPao to her high school prom… Whatever happened to the notion of becoming world citizens, of sharing what we love, of expressing OURSELVES genuinely, of loving and caring for one another, of having compassion and understanding and approaching strangers with love not fear..? Maybe I was raised an idealist… The history of racial injustice in America runs deep and is truly despicable, no doubt about it. But am I wrong to think that we should fight this issue with love, mutual respect, and supporting one another, rather than misguided anger, fear, and tearing each other down?
Many of the barbarian tribes that fought the roman empire had dread locks. Dread locks are not African. For a race to claim a hairstyle is absurd and it needs to stop.
The video is funny. Why? The black hair activist seems to think Jamaica is occupied by black people only. My mother was born there in 1938. They are white, black, mixed, chinese (byron lee) and east Indian JAMAICANs..this hair style nazi was calling him a liar. So many Americans are ignorant as to west Indian culture. Here is an example. For example in the early 19th century many Mediterranean JEWS immigrated to Jamaica including my Great-great-great-great grandfather, david Andrade. And some of them mixed with the black population. Our family is one of them. This confused, hateful and ignorant black girl needs to learn some jamaican history before she goes harassing jamaicans over hair style.
I am Jamaican, born and raised and for many locs are much more than a hairstyle. I dont agree with her approach of trying to speak to hIm but i do BELIEVE locs and braids are REDUNDANT for non black people to wear for many reasons. I feel The need to protect the history of Black hair, it has become a fashion statement and whitewashed and it is so much more than that.
Beyond the conversation on locs – why bring braids into this? Braids are even more widespread across all races, cultures, and continents than locs… Please explain why braids are redundant for non-black people to WEAR? I grew up in Eastern Europe, and braiding has a long and valued HISTORY in our culture. One of my earliest memories is braiding my mother’s hair when I was only about 6 years old…
I am a 52 year old white woman. i have worn long hair all my life. i have been suffering for a few years from terrible arthritis. I am unable to comb or brush my hair and i don’t have anyone to brush it for me. my hair turns into a tangled mess that i wear under a scarf. i don’t want to give up everything because of arthritis. i want to keep long hair. i would not even be able to care for a short hairstyle because of my hands. i would have to shave my head. i am also low income, although i manage to work 20 hours per week only. i’m receiving no disability or financial help so i can’t afford to hire a caregiver to come in and brush my hair. i don’t want to have to shave my head and wear extremely short hair (like Army style hair) for the rest of my life, i have decided to have my hair cut (it is now to my waist) and get dreads so it is shoulder length. i would be extremely hurt and offended if someone approached me and told me i should not have dreads because i am a white woman. i think a disabled person of any race should be able to wear a hairstyle of their own choice. no one knows better than those with arthritis how difficult it is to brush hair. i’m tired of wearing a scarf to cover my horrible, tangled hair. it has turned into a total birdsnest which is emparrassing to me. i want to get dreads so i can have a hairstyle that is more manageable for me. Again, i do not want to wear a short hairstyle. i don’t want to give up having long hair because of arthritis. i have had to give up so much already. could you please just have compasion for the disabled? i worked as a cna for most of my life until i could no longer do it. i cared for many clients in their homes who were upset at having to cut their long hair because it was too difficult to manage. i’m sorry if my choice will offend some people, but i sincerely hope i do not get called out in the grocery store or something. it is my hair, my choice.
I see that my comment asking for consideration to a 52 year old white woman who cannot brush my own hair, was not approved. I feel shorter dreads are a good hairstyle option for the disabled of any race. The more vocal the disabled are, the better. Everyone has a right to make such lifestyle choices without backlash. I do not want to steal a hairtyle from any race or c ulture. My hair naturally dreads anyway, because it is curly and I am unable to use my hands to brush it. Subject closed I guess. It would be painfully funny if I did get called out for it, I guess. I really hope that the disabled that do have dreads are not criticized. They do not deserve it. it is food for thought.
Rock your locs with confidence.
hi! i recently read this article because I myself have been thinking on installing synthetic dreads to wear. I’m a white person and didn’t want to offend my friends who are poc. this has been a really helpful article and I just want to add that my intention of wearing dreads was never to use it as a way to show my privilege or even degrade my counterparts. i completely understand the discrimination of poc when it comes to hair style and how employers may act towards those who chose to wear their hair naturally or style it as so from their culture roots. my main intention with me wanting to wear dreads was simply of the fact of that I enjoy how awesome they would/do look on people. I’m a very spiritual person and heavily believe that locks are simply a way of expression and they also are a art to me as well. I hope Im not sounding ignorant in this speech lol but ive been on a search of information to make sure i don’t offend or hurt my counterparts with this. thank you for this awesome article.
No, you don’t sound ignorant. Rock your locs with confidence. Be open to dialogue with those in your circle that take offense and seek to understand one another’s perspective but your right to wear your hair as you wish is your own. However, if you consider it a spiritual journey, why synthetic dreads as opposed to growing your own? The growth process is a primary part of the spiritual journey…
From my experience as a white female who wears locs – The ONLY time I’ve encountered negative feedback on my locs, is online. In person I get stopped and COMPLIMENTed all the time! I’ve never once had someone walk up to me and tell me I’m doing something wrong. I’ve had plenty of decent convos with coworkers who are not white, who I ask for *real* feedback on their thoughts, and none have told me they find my hairstyle of choice offensive or demeaning. I do however stay away from using the terms “Dreads” and “Dreadlocs” as over time, I have found those TERMs carry some NEGATIVity. I also highly suggest to educate yourself if you plan on wearing locs, because someone may just want to challenge you, and it’s best to be able to stand firm on why you wear them and why you should be able to wear them.
Just remember, skin color is not a culture.
THis is a wonderful article and it is exactly what I have thought about when it comes to different cultures and hair styles- especially dreadlokcs- and I never knew how to express it so thank you so much for the great conversation about it here! 😀
Every summer I would visit dad in Florida his Mexican American wife would corn row my hair and put braid in dreads in the underneath. She said it helped keep you cooler with our type of thick heavy hair. My family is Native, Irish, and Norwegian and I don’t know where this heavy dark hair comes from in that but it’s alot. I am having braid in dreads put in and came across this article in care for them research. Hope I don’t fimd people who are so narrow minded or hateful like some can be. I don’t mean anything against one culture or another but want to be expressive for myself. I pray we all can get past this division our government has wedged in us cause this ugliness is tearing families apart. Thanks for the good read and dread on everyone.
Just wanted to say this is a great article.
My son, 15, has dreadlocks. He has always had long hair but wasn’t the best at talking care of it… I convinced him to let me give him dreadlocks and he agreed. I did some research and one day sat him down and begun. It was not easy, dreading hair is not easy and apparently Caucasian hair is even harder. So kudos to all that have dreads of any hair type, it takes time and love for the style to keep it going and looking good. I believe that for someone to want this hairstyle, they would need to have alot of love for it… so I would hope that a person supporting dreadlocks WOULDN’T have any negativity as to the cultural history of it. I don’t think a person with ill thoughts towards other cultures would even support a hair style with so much history… so I find it really sad that people of non color would be accused of cultural misappropriation for wearing dreadlocks, knowing they have deep cultural and historical roots. And yes I do understand that there are exceptions. I know, well from what I’ve seen and heard, that this is a very strong topic in the USA. from what I see here in Canada, not saying we don’t have problems in this area aswell, i see people who support dreadlocks are in all areas of employment and tax brackets. Not saying discrimination doesn’t happen here. Just saying I want to believe that as a society we have come to be more accepting of how people choose to present themselves to the world. I’m just saying from my experience growing up in the heavy metal community, meeting alot of people of all colors supporting dreads, not one of them, that im aware of, hade any hate towards the history or culture of dreadlocks.