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6 Comments

  1. funsize
    April 29, 2020 @ 8:03 am

    I love this, thanks so much for the inspiration!

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  2. Tanika
    March 12, 2021 @ 10:19 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing this article with us.

    Loved your explanation on locs vs dreadlocs. Also you couldn’t have said this any better!!

    ‘For me, not to use the word because the Western world used it against you, your values and everything you stand for, is giving the Western world too much power. That to me is oppression.’

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  3. margie
    May 5, 2021 @ 11:08 pm

    A woman’s hair is her Glory I love my locks and I call them dreadlocks,this us the hair we were born with,I got tire of wigs an now im all natural,think of SOLOMON, MOSES AND JESUS THEIR HAIR WAS AS WOOL AN OTHERS IN THE BIBLESo yea I love my natural hair

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  4. Ìyá Asabí
    May 23, 2021 @ 2:35 pm

    I first started dreding in 1971. I call my style dred/dreadlocks, dreds or locks/locs. For me there is no offense or denigration in any of those terms. I do distinguish dredlocks from sista locs and plaitlocks.
    Locks were/are also worn in Ghana distinguishing those studying for traditional priesthood among the Akan and marking children born with spiritual gifts. I started mine without ever having heard of Rastas or the Philadelphia naturalists group known as MOVE. As one African drummer told me then, it was spirit compelling me to lock. White and other folks opinion of my hair or the label they decide to affix to our hair is their business and not influential on my psyche.
    I’m not sure that Rasta women wear their locs freeform as we have our vanity wherever we are 😌.

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  5. Dani
    October 21, 2021 @ 8:16 pm

    So is it bad for white people to wear locs? I’m white and would love to get some loc extensions. I’ve heard from several people that they help protect your hair and allow it to grow longer and thicker, something I’ve always struggled with. However, I’ve hear mixed opinions on whether this is considered appropriation or not. Anyway, I would love your opinion on the subject!

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  6. JATOCA
    January 8, 2022 @ 6:27 am

    It’s frustrating when those of us white people in our 40’s and 50’s who grew up in mixed communities. My high school was 93% black, 3% white, <1% Latino, and lower from there. Anyways, as a good intentioned white guy that doesn’t wear a history lesson on my shirt, I have been accused of cultural misappropriation as well as other things that teeter the subject of race with zero negative intent, malice, or even knowledge. I never knew the term “dreadlocks” (funny how spellcheck just fixed my spelling) came from a place of humility. As you (the author) yourself pointed out in your 4th paragraph, “the last thing I ever want is to disrespect…”, so why can’t we all be given that same sentiment? I (like I assume most) don’t want to intentionally disrespect anyone, ever, yet a single word I may use in an otherwise positive dialogue can turn ugly REAL quick before I/we even know what happened. Lately it’s become more and more uncomfortable to even have a conversation because so many are waiting for someone to say the wrong thing; (not “someone” as in race, but all backgrounds to be clear… UHG see?). I’m not looking for a pass, just some of the same understanding everyone expects when words are given new/different meanings before I got the memo. It’s not just cultural, black, white, etc. it’s in almost ever facet of life. I guess I could go on and on with examples but not like I can change the minds of everyone on my own. My point is simple and this topic specifically is just a single example of a huge problem with so many being angry all the time. It’s 2022, I own a fairly large business and am on the frontlines with several ethnicities, races, genders, political positions, LGBTQIA+++, etc. and have learned so much just by having an open dialogue with everyone. I came of age in the late 80’s and back then they weren’t “dreadlocks”, they were actually called “dreads”, not because us white people were being disrespectful (regardless of where it originated in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s), but because that’s what the guys and girls that were wearing them called them. It’s not a learned behavior, it’s a learned WORD to describe the style. Now that I’ve read your opinion and that it is almost equivalent to the “n word” to some, you can bet I will always remember that, and never use the word in a real-world conversation again. Not because I think it’s bad, but because it may hurt someone else whether that’s truly the case or not. My issue with all these words I just knew as words (not insults or derogatory) is that they keep changing and in another 5-10 years it may turn right back the other way. Talk about confusing!! Maybe if we judge people more on their character and maybe even tone and/or demeanor instead of picking out the negative after re-defining words all the time, we’d all get along so much better. I’m willing to bet that even the ones getting offended 90+ % of the time KNOW there is no bad intentions, but actually turn the conversation negative just to be confrontational, which makes the one picking everything a part the one with the ill intentions, there-by making an otherwise normal conversation awkward and unpleasant.

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