But watch how good I fake it.
I'm not sure how I am supposed to say this. But, people have lots of issues with dreadlocks. I've come to notice that it's not just because of how they look. It's also a racial thing. I have read many letters that others have written in their blogs and things complaining about white people having dreadlocks and how they don't deserve to wear them because it's a "black" hairstyle. First of all, I would like to say that I DO NOT MEAN FOR THIS TO COME OFF AS RACIST, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME BEING RACIST, BECAUSE I AM BY NO MEANS, ...RACIST.
Now, I just think that dreadlocks have nothing to do with race. Yes, Africans have had dreadlocks for an incredibly long time. A big excuse that the people who are against whites with dreadlocks use is that Africans 'pioneered' or 'invented' the hairstyle. It's a lie. All of it! No one invented dreadlocks. At least, I will never believe that someone engineered the idea of matted hair. It's called knotted, matted, dreaded hair for a reason. If you leave any kind of hair alone for long enough, it will mat and become dreadlocks. White people have to do more work to get pretty, cool looking dreads, yes, but Africans also have to do work to keep theirs maintained.
I have a best friend who had dreadlocks. She had to roll her dreads every now and then from keeping them looking fuzzy and such. With my past sets of dreads, I had to spray sea-salt spray on it to keep it lock-able. But, if I just left them alone, my hair locked and matted just as easily as with the sea-salt. Now, I'm just letting my hair do what it wants to do.
I read a letter that some girl wrote, and said that she was "offended at white people wearing dreadlocks". Okay, well let's see, if African American women can wear blonde weave...then what's the difference. Honestly, I'm not here to say what hair belongs to whom, because it doesn't matter. Many people believe that hair is a spiritual thing, and it can hold many magickal, spiritual elements for a human being. Samson, in the bible was said to have had seven large locks. I'm not disclosing his race, but I am just mentioning that it is silly, and downright immature to try and classify someone as a 'wanna-be Rastafarian'.
I do not want to be a Rastafarian. I LOVE Bob Marley. I love the idea of Rastafarian culture. But I am by no means trying to become a Rastafarian. I am Pagan. I believe totally different than Rastafarian's do. I, however, believe in the spirit, and I believe that my soul is set free when I do not have to focus on what my hair is doing, and let it do whatever it feels like doing. Dreadlocks are for everyone, and I will wear them despite what anyone else believes.
Dreadlocks, are not for appearance. At least, they shouldn't be. They should be spiritual, and should be taken seriously. Some people don't really pull off the awesome boho look that comes along with having red and green and black and yellow and purple and earthy colored beads in your hair. Some pull off the cyber-punk dreads better than others. (I, for instance, would look like a retard with synthetic dread falls and such)
Another thing about people saying that Africans engineered the dreadlock style.... I'd like to point out that cave men are often depicted with dreaded,matted, knotted hair. They didn't have combs, or shampoo back then. There was no way that their hair could have kept from being matted at some point. Last time I checked, Cave people weren't all African. Also, the Norse, and Vikings were said to have worn dreadlocks as well--For many of the same reasons, lack of maintenence, or combs. There were some Greeks who also wore them.
Now, I am not trying to say that anyone's opinion of dreadlocks being better for black people is wrong, I am just saying that it shouldn't only come down to race. It should be a more valid reason to say that someone doesn't need them. Like.... balding, or super headaches because of the pulling at the scalp. Not because I'm white, and you are black. You're not the Thomas Edison of dreadlocks. You're a person, who might have them, and so am I.
Love the lovelies, Carpe Diem
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