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honestly been contemplating talking about this for a long time n i feel like now is the perfect time to. i hope my perspective can help non-Black people in this community/sub culture understand why having dreads as a non-Black person is culturally appropriating & disrespectful.
in 2017, i got a partial head of dreads in my hair. 12 matted pieces of my hair. i got them as a way to enhance my image, aesthetic, & a way of making myself look “more heady” - this is wrong n not okay and not valid whatsoever n quite frankly fucking dumb looking back on it lmao
anyways -throughout the years I had a lot of really interesting (some tough, rightfully so) conversations with Black people and non-Black people about the dreads in my hair and dreads in general. Learning that Black people, both historically and in modern day, have been and still
are discriminated against, racially profiled, denied from jobs/school, and abused in many different ways for having dreadlocs made me realize that the dreads in my head weren’t okay. White people with dreads get looked at as “heady” or “hippie-like” or “earthy” while for
generations, Black people have been discriminated against in extreme ways for having textured hair and protective styles. Last year, I started brushing out my dreads which I am still in the process of doing. I have 6 left and each takes about 2.5 hours to brush out. No matter how
“cute” or “heady” you think they make you - it’s not our, non-Black people’s, hairstyle to have. We don’t need protective hairstyles and quite honestly, majority of white peoples hair doesn’t even dread, it mats together because guess what: it isn’t textured! I would also like
to note just because the Vikings wore dreads doesn’t mean they got discriminated against for them or makes it okay for white people to wear them now in current day. I think the most important thing that ANYBODY can do is LISTEN when somebody is telling you that something you’re
doing is wrong, disrespectful, and appropriating a culture. If you continue to wear dreads as a non-Black person, you MUST accept any backlash you get. You MUST accept any “negative” comments you get. You MUST listen to Black people. You don’t get to wear a hairstyle native to
Black people and Black culture and ignore everything they’re telling you. An ally, an activist, an advocate, a empathetic and compassionate person fucking listens. White silence is violence. White compliance is violence. It’s easy to say “it’s just a hairstyle” when you didn’t
have to experience hate, racism, discrimination, or prejudice against for wearing a hair style that is made for your hair type! and literally protects your hair! It’s not just a hair style. It’s culture, it’s tradition, it’s heritage that isn’t ours to inherit. Respect and
LISTEN to Black voices and brush out your fucking dreads. I am in no way any better than any of you, I still have them in my head. But I don’t sit here and invalidate Black people when they’re telling me that I’m doing something harmful and disrespectful. END THREAD
I also want to apologize for the years of having them while being naive and ignorant and ignoring the historical and cultural roots of dreadlocks. I now understand and i’m taking accountability for my actions in the way of speaking up about this topic as a white personal and by
brushing them out. Black lives matter and Black voices matter. Not just during a climax of a movement or social media frenzy - they always matter and it’s important to always listen.
