As we know, hair has often been used as a symbol of identity. Dreadlocks are more than just a style; it’s an attitude, a way of life, inspiring passion and disapproval in equal measure. So why is it more popular than ever. What do you think when you see someone with dreadlocks? Maybe you assume that they are rastafarian or Jamaican. Some think those who likes dreads or wear them might take a liking to raggea, if they a re white, might be anti-capitalism and road protests. And all these are based on a person’s choice of hairstyle. In this article we will be discussing about dreadlocks.
Things To Know About Dreadlocks
Hair has always carried a special significance of the wearer’s sense of self and the image they are trying to project. Hair also have been long connected to religion, just like the Sikhs, orthodox Jews, Buddhists monks are all identifiable by their hair. However, dreadlocks are not just about religion; in fact, most of the locked hairs you see today have got as much to do with the Rastafarian religion as a short back and sides. To dismiss these newer dreadlocks as just ‘fashion’ dreads also misses the point. Try speaking with a black or white man and they will eulogise their locks. They will tell you that it’s more than a hairstyle; it’s an attitude, a ‘dreadhead’ mentality, a way of life!
Most peopl always see dreadlocks as a positive hairstyle, and also a brave one. They come with a burden of responsibility. To youthey might be no more than a fashion statement, but others won’t see them that way. One thing we know for sure is that thows with dreads talk about them emotionally, passionately even. And I’d like that passion – feel as if I’m missing out on something.
Furthermore, in regards to people who wear dreads, the concept has changed as well as diversified – they’re not just a black thing anymore – so, they meaning has also changed. A black person with dreads is no more likely to be a Rastafarian than a white person with a skinhead. And as for white people with dreads, well, these days they are just as likely to working in an office as demonstrating outside starbucks.
Dreadlocks became a outward expression of rebellion – just as they had represented a reactiion against colonial society in jamica – and, predictably, were met with hostility schools refused to teach children with dreads, Rastas in prisons had their dreadlocks shaved off.
The Ideology behind dreads that forbes was creating couldn’t have been further from that of Rastafari. Forbe’s dreads had nothing to do with being at one with nature. They were deliberately artificial. But whether you were a young black man wearing them to show your affinity with a motherland you had never visited, or a white pop star wearing them with make-up, to celebrate your sexual ambiguity, dreads make a statement!
Finally, there’s that word again, responsibility. That’s what it keeps coming back to. That’s what makes dreads so different from any other hairstyle. No matter who has them or why, everyone who has dreads brings it up.
