Why I Don’t Wear Dreadlocks
Spoiler alert: it’s because I’m white
Yes, I’m aware that multiple societies on numerous continents at various periods of history and with skin colors of all shades have worn the hairstyle currently known as “dreadlocks”. Hear me out.
I’m a researcher at heart. I like to get to the bottom of things. After one too many debates on the topic, I decided to dig in and explore my inner cringe surrounding white, non-Rasta people wearing dreadlocks.
Buckle up and get comfy, folks; it’s gonna be a long ride.
Where Did “Dreadlocks” Come From?
While the style of dreadlocks has existed for at least 2000 years, the word “dreadlocks” didn’t appear until quite recently — in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s. Before then, and still today, they were called “locks”, “Jaṭā”, “matted”, “plaits”, “Mpɛsɛ”, and denoted by symbols and art in various places throughout the world.
The most recent incarnation of the style, however, and the one repeated meme-style across modern Western culture, is called “dreadlocks”.
