Who Says I Can't Wear Dreadlock? And Who Made You King?

I wanted people who wear locs to be able to voice their opinion, style, story, and picture with others who may or may not like the hairstyle. Each voice is an added addition to me and I have such respect for those willing to participate. I saw this posted on tumblr and had to have it in my book project for it's honesty. taweelah said this when I asked for permission to use the post 05/23/12; "yeah, that’s fine as long as you use the piece in whole, and don’t chop it up and take single lines out. good luck with the book!"

Here it is in it's original form the way, in the way it was meant to be read. Thank you so much for allowing my readers a chance to see all aspects of what this choice of hair style means to a wide range of people.


                                                          White People and Dreadlocks                                 


I understand the idea of “cultural appropriation.” I really do. I understand the idea of minority versus majority, oppressed versus oppressor. Yet, I still think that it’s totally okay for white people to have dreadlocks.

First, “cultural appropriation” implies that a white person wearing dreadlocks is somehow hurting black people, and that’s simply not true.

Second, there’s a double standard. For a black person to think that a white person wearing dreadlocks is “cultural appropriation” is somehow an acceptable idea. Yet, if a white person said that black people getting their hair straightened was cultural appropriation, they’d be immediately deemed a racist.

Third, while I understand that dreadlocks have a deep, religious history, I don’t think that means that they’re reserved entirely for people who believe in that religion, or who are somehow connected to that history. Many monks shave their heads, but that doesn’t make it inappropriate for people other than monks to shave their heads. In the same way, it’s okay for people outside of the Rastafarian movement to have dreadlocks.

Fourth, cultures are shared, and they change. A black kid can study Japanese, and a white kid can wear a sari. We’re all just people, regardless of our race, nationality, or so on. The only problem comes in when this “cultural sharing” turns into “cultural mocking.” A white person with dreadlocks should only be a problem if the white person is being rude or insulting as a result of their dreadlocks, and 99% of the time, they’re not being rude about it at all.

Fifth, just so we clear this up, not all white people with dreadlocks smoke weed. So don’t assume that every white person with dreadlocks is being disrespectful to Bob Marley or something, and just jumping on the bandwagon to get drugs. Because that’s really, really not the case.

Finally, it’s a compliment. White people wear dreadlocks because they think it’s cool, not because they’re trying to invade black traditions or anything.

So, in the end, I don’t think that white people wearing dreadlocks is a bad thing, at all. Sure, sometimes they look like fools, but some people always just look like fools, regardless of their race or hairstyles.

Tina Tucker Interview

Here is an interview of a woman coming full circle with her hair and her spirit. Living life is a journey. Living life loving locs is a journey filled with surprises and enlightenment about self and how you interact with living life. So, let's all say thank you to Tina for sharing her life living and loving locs.

I've had my hair every way imaginable; long relaxed hair, short relaxed hair, micros, cornrows, kinky twists, weaved up, TWA, braid and twists outs, even an attempt at locs. I mean every way!

I first went natural in 2002 at the age of 19. I was ready for it. I still defined my beauty by my outward appearance and I hated it! I covered up my TWA with hats and scarfs but I began to get more comfortable as it grew out and began to experiment with different natural styles. The task became too much for me so I relaxed my hair again in 2005.

Within months it began to break off! So I went back to a short relaxed style. The cycle of cutting it, wearing braids and weaves while it grew out for it to break off again continued.

In 2010, after wearing a weave for about a year, I was ready to loc it up. A tragic event in my life is what pushed me to do it. I had to let some things about myself go and give the rest to God. When I started my locs I was finally free from others judgement and opinions of me. I loved me for real for the first time and I finally understood God's love for me. I accepted me. I was free to be me the way God made me. And oh how my sprit has grown right along with my babies and I'm so very thankful.

Keisha Felix living life loving locs

Thanks for your support and pictures 05/20/12

i kinda feel like a prostitute for this job. . .

This is a great story many loc wearers can relate to. I have asked the question: "Do you like it when people just reach and touch or grab your locs?" I have received many responses, but this story really goes to the core of the question and I am so pleased that iaminkwellj from tumblr.com gave me permission to share this with you all here and in my book. So enjoy.

i kinda feel like a prostitute for this job. . .

aight, so my temp job is cool right. I can text, listen to my ipod, wear whatever I want, including my Angela (my locs).

today…my boss felt inclined to do several things that made me uncomfortable:

1.I’m certain I heard her having phone sex…no, really.

2.she “just had to” play in my hair…

Basically, my back was turned to her, I had one earbud in, and was facing my computer screen…I heard her voice getting really high pitched as she said, “I know we’ve only just met, but I just love your hair.” *begins caressing Angela*

Now, initially, I feel UTTERLY UNCOMFORTABLE! I kinda don’t like when people I don’t know play in my hair, wait, no, scratch that, I DON’T LIKE WHEN PEOPLE I DON’T KNOW PLAY IN MY HAIR WITHOUT PERMISSION! I’d just like…a heads up? ehh.

but then when she walked up behind me, I really didn’t mind because, for some things, I’m still in training and she helps me out and shit. But I really didn’t expect her to touch my hair…then she asked some questions that many people will, “do you wash it?” “how does it stay like that?” yada yada yada…

but when she walked away…i felt like a slut. because I need this job, like, I NEED the money for myself and to help out my family and such, so…I kinda just…went back to work…but I can’t lie, I felt bad. like I let my whole culture down! lol. ehh…

Permission given 05/20/12

Absolutely! Feel free! It’s crazy because i”m a college graduate, and it’s the first job (though, temp) that has welcomed my hair. so I felt like I couldn’t say or do anything because I needed the job, and I needed the money…ehhhh

The Exotic Black Woman now wears locs

EXOTIC:  strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusual.

I did not know until I left America, while serving in the Army, that I was considered an exotic beauty. All of my life I had just been a black girl with nappy hair and big eyes and a tiny frame (Olive Oil from Popeye, frame).

Then I went to Paris and Spain and men were buying me drinks just for entering the club. They thought I was a black beauty and the word 'exotic' did come up. I finally realized I was exotic just for being black and female. I felt dubious about this complimet, yet not so much of a complimemt. I wondered why I was not viewed as such a beauty in my own country - almost the polar opposite.

I later told my daughters: "Don't believe the hype, black women are beautiful; just step foot out of America and you will find out just how beautiful you really are."

That was years ago. Times have changed. With the 'Browning' of America, the definition of beauty is going haywire.

But, it seems that women with locs/dreadlocks have stepped into the realm of EXOTIC. Seeing a woman on the catwalk with long locs brings cheers and ohhhs and awwws. Great.

I ran across this article that also ponders the reason the word 'exotic' is used to describe a woman and whether if it ever made any sense to use the word when it came to women.

Beauty Feature

Nov 22, 2010

Not Exotic Enough: Are Black Women Falling Out of the Spotlight?

“All the other Black girls were cute, but this one was fine. I mean gorgeous! The girl was bad!” the young man exclaimed. His friend quickly responded, “I mean how bad could she be?” “Man, she was Black and Asian, enough said.” And the anxious friend responded with a big grin on his face, saying, “ Yeah, she was fine then! She must have had that exotic look down packed!”
Now you would think this conversation was between two young boys, maybe in high school, discussing the girls they’ve seen. Nope, not at all. These were two college-educated Black men who have traveled the world, and if you saw their resumes on paper they would seem like “great catches.”
Being friends with males always gives me a chance to eavesdrop on such honest conversations. Oh, the perks! Usually I dismiss half of the foolishness that is said, but for some reason this remark lingered in my mind. After that comment,  I started to realize that more and more men and media have a thing about the exotic look. Even in media, and on red carpets, the majority of women who are dubbed as “Beautiful” are racially ambiguous.
Now, I understand that in today’s day and age we are all mixed with different cultures and ethnicity backgrounds. For example, my father is Nigerian and my mother is Black from the States (with a mix of ethnicities going back generations). So I know that the term “Black” incorporates a wide variety of cultures. But it is extremely interesting when I see in the media that when Black is mixed with Brazilian, Asian, or Indian, it is instantly termed “exotic,” which a lot of times equals instant beauty. This is not only in the media. Often men will first describe a woman by pointing out her cultural background, if it’s a mixture.
All women of color are truly beautiful. Having different traits, figures, and personalities is certainly empowering—but is only a specific part of the beauty of women of color being appreciated? Media shows us a slew of racially ambiguous women in the section for Black hair care, on magazine covers, in ads, and on the right arms of numerous men in the entertainment industry.
It’s funny. Even when I was a young girl, if a Black girl was asked what ethnicity she was, she would quickly name off five different other races. My personal fave was when a girl grabbed her hair and remarked, “Well, technically, I have Indian in my family.”
This is not to dismiss or diss any woman coming from mixed cultures, or another country. The reason why women of color are so fly is that we come in so many different shades. It just seems that more and more, in lyrics and the media, I’m beginning to hear and see the description of a woman’s race being called out to prove how fine she is. As my male friends were talking, I realized that they did not state anything about her face, body or personality—just strictly her mixed ethnicity and she received instant beauty approval. If my friend had said the woman was simply Black would his friend have pulled out the stamp of approval so easily?

I have to say that I’m happy to see that more women of color are getting shine, but is the spotlight specifically skipping over Black women?

-Ellisa Oyew

Black Hair Care for American Slaves; A missing link

                                                                                                                            
When deciding to write a book about Don't Dread Dreads The People Speak: How to live life loving locs, I wanted to add a chapter about how the first slaves who arrived in the United States cared for their hair.

After over 3 years of research I have come to the conclusion that there is a big chunk of African American history missing. Sure there are many articles discussing the hairstyles, meaning, and pride of the African person, but, merely a patchwork of assumption about the first slaves who lived and worked in the United states.

Authors Ayanna D. Byrd & Lori L. Tharps has done a fine job in detailing the story of black hair in their book HAIR STORY, Untangling The Roots Of Black Hair In America.

In the book they note that a Dutch explorer said he saw over 16 different hairstyles in the country of Benin; each hairstyle indicating a combination of gender and status within the community. then their heads were shaved after arriving on the shores of America, turning Mandingos, Fulinis, Ibos, and Ashantis people into anonymous chattle. Thus, no written history of black hair care practices for years. When we do come to dicussions about black hair care, the practices were about transforming the wooly hair into straight European style hair.

There is a gap from the first shaving of the African hair to the wearing of head rags and homemade hair care products that came after two centuries of bnondage.

The chapter I intended to write has now become somewhat of an obituary or homage to the first slaves of America. Some where from the slave ships to enslavement the soul of black hair was lost to be rewritten at a later date. And as an author, I will just report what history wrote in those early years; which was nothing about a human listed as property without a name.
                                                        

Richmond, Virginia (CNN) -- A historical society in Virginia, where slavery began in the American colonies in 1619, has discovered the identities of 3,200 slaves from unpublished private documents, providing new information for today's descendants in a first-of-its-kind online database, society officials say.

Many of the slaves had been forgotten to the world until the Virginia Historical Society received a $100,000 grant to pore over some of its 8 million unpublished manuscripts -- letters, diaries, ledgers, books and farm documents from Virginians dating to the 1600s -- and began discovering the long-lost identities of the slaves, said society president and CEO Paul Levengood.

Documents citing slaves go back to the 1690s: "That's when slavery starts to grow fast in Virginia and other English colonies," Levengood said.

When the United States banned the importation of slaves after 1807, Virginia became the largest provider in the nation's internal slave trade, Levengood said. Slavery was eventually abolished at the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865. That means many American families with slave ancestors could have roots in Virginia, Levengood said.

****Read the complete article:

Long-lost identities of slaves uncovered in old Virginia papers By Michael Martinez and Athena Jones, CNN updated 3:10 PM EST, Mon February 6, 2012

 http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/05/us/virginia-slaves/index.html

Coffee and Locs on her mind

mindoncoffee from tumblr.com submitted her photo to me and thank you so much for doing so. She said "I wear locs because they make me look like myself. And I think they are gorgeous."

In my humble opinion, going natural has proven over and over to be more than just a hairstyle choice for many. It has become a doorway to finding self and new 'glasses' to view the world and self.

Thank you mindoncoffee for sharing your photo and your feelings with us.

Dreadlock expression can be works of art

Oh awesome :D
To me, dreads give off the presence of strength and independence yet beauty at the same time. Almost every time I run into someone with dreads whether they be extensions, real, wool or synthetic, they always turn out to be some of the most interesting people I meet.
(05/113/12)
You can quote me on that ;D

x-harleyquinn-x photos of herself
                                                                               
                                                                                      

 

Being Bootylicious

When it comes to beauty, it is subject to change and is always in the eye of the beholder. No matter what a culture, society, or an entire nation deems beautiful, a woman will do everything to embody those designated standards of beauty.

Members of the Long-horn Miao people, China, believe that very long hair and an elaborate hairstyle that involves many folds are essential for female beauty. The women of the tribe wear huge wigs made of hair strands that belonged to their ancestors, making them a very precious beauty accessory. However, this gorgeous but complicated hairstyle can be very heavy, so it’s worn only on special occasions, not on a daily basis. In the United States, the hair weave industry is estimated to have over 9,000 businesses. On average, a pack of hair weave costs around $95 in the United States. The hair weave industry has created approximately $190 million in sales of hair care products.

For the Mursi tribe, large, colorful lip plates are a symbol of great beauty. This interesting accessory is more frequently worn by newlywed and unmarried women than by older married women who have children. Teeth blackening is an old tradition mostly present in Southeast Asia and Oceania, but it was also common in India as well as Japan before it was prohibited in the Meiji era. Facial tattoos and bright red blush that accentuates the cheeks are considered beautiful among Moroccan women, especially those who belong to Berber tribes. Aesthetic surgery is immensely popular with South Koreans, especially among young adults. There is a common belief that looking attractive increases the chance of landing a good job. Having crooked teeth is considered youthful and charming in Japan, so much so that girls go to the dentist with a somewhat strange request to make their teeth purposefully uneven. Nose surgery is such a popular beauty proceedure among Iranian people that the country holds the record for rhinoplasty. 

A relatively new trend of growing out and dying armpit hair has taken Western countries by storm. After decades of being taught that women should shave their body hair if they want to look attractive, the rules are changing before our eyes. Many women chose to treat their hair as a beauty accessory rather than an obstacle to feeling and looking attractive.

It is interesting that during certain times in history, a woman with a little junk in her trunk was highly desired. Then the plump woman became ridiculed for her excess fat rolls and the stick thin woman became the standard of beauty. Then, culture could not decide which feminine form was most desireable and men could lust after both physiques at the same time in the era of PARIS HILTON and KIM KARDASHIAN. Not only the men believed each body was desireable, women could CHOOSE which one they preferred and the KIM KARDASHIAN butt became widely embraced.

Of course African American woman had been sexualized during slavery and that carried over for generations in America. Long before Kim Kardashian used her 'behind' to gain fame, Black women had shapely backsides and as the rap song testified, "I like big butts and I cannot lie" The song, Baby Got Back, by Sir Mix-A-Lot, released the song in 1992. The song caused controversy because of its outspoken and blatantly sexual lyrics objectifying women, as well as specific references to the buttocks, which some people found objectionable. Mix-a-Lot defended the song as being empowering to curvaceous women who were being shown skinny models as an ideal for beauty.

Black women were known to have plump backsides, but Kim Kardashian made White women having a huge butt a spectacle and if surgery was needed to obtain or gain attention, then so be it. 

May 6th 2024, will mark the 32nd anniversary since the remains of Sara “Saartjie” Baartman were returned to her homeland, in the Gamtoos Valley, South Africa.

For those who are unfamiliar with Sara Baartman, she was born in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. By the time she was a young adult she was enticed by a British businessman to sail with him to England, where she could display her body at exhibitions in exchange for a better standard of living. Sara, the “Hottentot Venus,” being a “Hottentot” woman (a derogatory term given), from the Khoisan tribe, had exceptionally large buttocks and genitals. This physical structure was synonymous of the women from that region.

After a few years of such exploitation in the UK she was probably sold to some other businessman, this time in France, where the mockery and abuse started all over again. After the French public got bored with her she was forced into prostitution and alcoholism. She died of a disease associated with that profession at the age of 25. 

After her death she was carved up and had her brains and genitals preserved in bottles by one of Napoleon’s surgeons. These parts, along with her bones were put on display in a museum called Musee de L’homme, for almost 200 years. After public outcry over the years, the artifacts were taken off display and replaced by casts.

When Nelson Mandela came to power in 1994, one of the first things he requested was to have her remains brought back to South Africa for a decent burial.

Out of embarrassment, it wasn’t until May 6th 2002 before the French finally followed up on that request. Sara’s remains were finally buried near a small town called Hankey, on the Eastern Cape three months later.

Because of the touchiness when it comes to race, it was rarely uttered that this whole experience had surpassed the notoriety of the Elephant Man.

To Sara, there is life after death… The ancestors still speak.

One thing that is for certain, like I said at the beginning of this post, history is circular and one day the big booty is in and the next day the big booty is out. For many women, shapeliness is not a fad. Curves are a part of their DNA. The female body will continue to be picked apart and elevated at the whim of changing standards of beauty. Beyonce let everyone know she was Bootylicious.

One enduring sign of beauty is the character (kind, forgiving, loving) of a person which never goes out of style. A person will be miserable trying to keep up with and embody what culture/society stamps as attractive and desireable. 

Loc'd in battle over the word 'dreads'

I have talked to so many people who say they cannot stand to hear their hair referred to as DREADS or dreadlocks because there is nothing dreadful about their hair or hairstyle choice of being natural.
In my research I am familiar with the story that the first Europeans who saw the African slaves called their hair dreadful, insinuating that it was ugly in some way.
But, there is another story about the use of the word 'dreads' that is a story of power; and it has to do with a group of people banding together to take back what belonged to them 

                                          

The Mau Mau movement was Kenya's militant resistance against British Colonial rule. It began in 1946 as a movement agitating for the return of African land and political rights. The term Mau Mau is believed to be either a Kikuyu or swahili term, buts its meaning has been the subject of numerous speculations. No one really knows where this term originated, or the kind of mesage it was meant to convey. The best interpretation I ever got was that it was originally meant to read Uma Uma which is swahili for continually biting. Apparently that was meant to imply biting at the colonial administration. But again, that is just my interpretation. I've heard more ridiculous versions.

All we know is that Mau Mau was a rebellion of landless peasants and low paid labourers who had noticed a significant difference between their pay and their white counterparts. The british labourers were paid approximately five times what their African counterparts did and this is one of the things that hatched the African dissent. The Mau Mau became very powerful because it was more of a spiritual movement than a political one. They were famous for the dreadlocks they wore, a phenomenon that would become very popular long after their demise. The spiritual leader of the Mau Mau was Field Marshall Dedan Kimathi Waciuri. http://kenya740.tripod.com/maumau.html  

Throughout the diaspora, particularly in America, dreadlock styling and maintenance for Africans has grown and evolved to be increasingly stylistic. In the early 1990s, Dr. JoAnne Cornwell launched a versatile hair care system that involved creating fine dreaded tresses called "Sisterlocks" or "Brotherlocks." The company Sisterlocks has promoted the spread of the techniques of sisterlocking since 1993.

Another interpretation among the Rastafari is that "dread" refers to the fear that dreadlocked Mau Mau warriors inspired among the colonial British.[citation needed] The Mau Mau, a largely ethnic Kikuyu rebel group in Kenya fighting to overthrow the state government of the British Colony and Protectorate of Kenya from 1952–1960, hid for many years in the forests, during which time their hair grew into long locks. The images of their rebellion, then broadcast around the world, are said to have inspired Jamaican Rastafari to wear locks.

Dreadlocks on a Rasta's head are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which is sometimes centered on the Ethiopian Flag. Rastas hold that Selassie is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, through their son Menelik I. Rastas also believe African people are the descendants of the Israelites' Tribe of Judah through the lineage of Kings of Israel David and Solomon, and that he is also the Lion of Judah mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

So, in the final analysis, is the word 'dreads' a word of defamation or a part of African history lost? The Mau Mau group were dreaded for their violent fighting strategy and they became dreaded. To take the power from the powerful-you mock something of power to make it meaningless-to change the topic. So the hairstyle became a joke or something ugly instead of a hairstyle that warriors wore to take on a super power.

We have the choice of the glass being half empty or half full. The word 'dreads' can be seen as a horrible word or it can remind you of a group of people willing to fight to regain what they believed belonged to them. Interpretation makes a world of difference and as a Libra- I can see both sides of the ongoing battle of locs versus dreads. I choose if the glass is half empty (negative) or half full (positive)