Dreads

I just peeked at your pictures, and I think you would look good with them. Your hair already almost has that shape since its curly/wavy.
But really, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, if you want them, go get them! :)

I know there are caucasion mamas on here who have dreds, but I don't think that it's really culturally respectful for PWOC to get dreds, especially on purpose.
I have a friend who is a primitivist, with looong dreds that happend naturally and he calls them by an Irish word for dredlocks (I can't remember what it is), which seems to be way more culturally sensitive to me.
In American society, dreds are assosciated with Rastafarian culture, and to take the hairstye because it seems cool, sounds a lot like cultural appropriation.

I want to add, that althought the celts and many other societies throughout history wore dreds, most viewed them as symboles of their religion. I guess that I would feel offended if folks started wearing stars of David as though they were a "fashon" rather than a symble with a lot of meaning behind it.

agree with kat.

dreads have a spiritual, political, cultural significance for rastafarians & some people of color. its partially about reclaiming naturally kinky hair in the face of (white) dominent cultures power & beauty myths. if you are white, you are not rasta which is a specific spiritual & cultural identity. beyond simply hippy-smoke weed-listen to raggae-fight the power.

not all people of color have dreads. not all are rastas have dreads. not all POC with dreads are rastas. not all agree that white folks with dreads are culturally appropriating. but many folks have said to me that white people with dreads is a form of cultural appropriation that is not cool with them. that's enough for me.

and to me, even the white kids who id with the irish dready thing, i don't agree with because how many people are gunna look at that kid and go "that's not a 'rasta' dreadlock, that's the white people irish hair thing! cool!" so even tho the kid knows the difference between the two, few others do & on the street it comes across as the same kind of cultural appropriation. even tho this kid does look stunning with dreads... ooh, minneapolis eye candy.

I hear what you're saying rebex, but I think that cultural appropriation is difficult like that.
For example, if I buy a ... let's say a sling, from a company that is not run by Native Americans but claims that "Native folks are more pure" or some such, it's way different than if I buy the same type of sling from a company run by Native Americans, or another indigiounes culture, that used that kind of sling. People seeing me use it won't be able to tell, but I will.

I think that because dreds have such a spritual meaning, and did to celts as well as most other indiginious groups, it depends on the meaning behind them for you personally. The friend I have who has Irish dreds won't let folks call them dreds, he corrects them and tells them the Irish name and will explane the significance for him. I do think that it making it very clear, to those who ask, that he is not taking another cultures symbol and using it because "it looks pretty" or some such.

I have dreads. I've had them over a year. I didn't do it to be cool or to disrepect a culture or anything like that.

I like my hair this way. I did them naturally, I didn't go to a salon and get them done. I wouldn't pay to get dreads put into my hair.

i don't think any white kids have dreads intentionally to be culturally appropriating. people don't *mean* to offend.

and we all have our own opinions on what we do to ourselves and what others do, etc

Your intentions are generally irrelevant in this context. It IS cultural appropriation whether you want it to be or not.

We, as the (unjustified) cultural superpower really need to stop thinking that we can do whatever we want. It's this attitude that keeps racism thriving.

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them"

you want it, do it.

Is that what you would say to someone buying a New Native product in light of Naivete's thread? You want it, you buy it - fuck those whom it hurts and disrespects?

my hair dreads naturally (im iroquois/irish), like i dont brush it for two days or i sleep on it wet and viola, instant dreads. the amount of energy i spend avoiding them is out of hand. im missing huge clumps of hair from having to cut them out. so while it would be natural for me to have dreads, i get rid of them daily cause i just dont think its proper. i dont want to be in a situation where rasa folks see me and think im ripping them off, or white hippie kids think its ok to do. its ripping off a really important part of peoples culture and religion. no one does it to be offensive or a jerk, people do it caause they like the way it looks. or it means something to them. but that seems like a pretty weak reason to walk around flaunting something in peoples face that can be taken so so wrong.

rasta folks (whom its pretty much a religious requiremnt for) get their dreads hacked off in prison, because if stupid racist laws that prohibit long hair. having dreads is a symbol of real hard struggle for an extremely opressed peoples. its like all those white jerks who sport bindis cause they like the way it looks. you as a white person are not going to be seriously persecuted for expressing your culture, and youre not going to be seriously persecuted for having dreads or wearing a bindi. but people of those cultures risk their lives and safety every day for folowing their beliefs. to me it seems like trivilaizing their struggles by wearing it as a fashion statement.

it doesnt really matter if they look good on you as far as im concerned. or if you like them lots. it seems really disrespecful to me. find other ways to express the look youre going for. im sure youll be beautiful no matter what your hair is doing. why offend and insult a culture if its avoidable?

I didn't realize dreads had a religious/spiritual meaning to groups of people, so thanks for the info.

Different symbols come in and out of fashion. I'm unsure what is appropriate. If I have a mini Zen garden on my coffeetable because I like it, is that disrespectful to Buddhists? If someone wears a rosary without being Catholic (not sure if other denominations of Christianity use them, sorry), is it wrong?

Is there a way to adopt select traditions of a religion or culture with respect?

I think the problem with dreads is, a lot of people are doing them for the fashion purposes, only. Too the people who have them for spiratual and cultrual reasons, it can be insulting that their beleives are the "fashion of the week" type of things.

I guess an example of this, was when there was a punk phase going through my school. I lived in a small town, and the kids liked to mimic what they saw the kids in toronto doing, but unsucessfully. I talked this kid wearing a Pink Floyds "the wall" t-shirts. I said something to the effect of how much i enjoyed the movie...the kid looked at me and said "what movie?"-----he was wearing the shirt to fit an image, not because he enjoyed the movie....with dreads its like....some kids have them to fit the "stoner" or "hippy" image...but have no idea what they actually mean...it kinda spits on the rasta culture.

I dont know about Zen gardens. If you are learning about buddhim, and using the thing properly...then i wouldnt see a problem...but if it was just a conversation peice....i could see how that would be a offensive. Same with roseries. I know a lot of people who wore them to be cool. Well, while you are feeling cool, someone else is feeling like garbage, because its their culture you are exploiting for fashion. Same goes for that Jesus is my Homeboy stuff. I dont follow that religion, but im not going to mock others for doing soo. *the only jesus thing i have thought to be halarious was Buddy Christ....i guess im a hypocrite, but I found that movie to be extremly well done*

I guess I'm confused now about whats offensive and what's not. Is it cultural appropriation if someones eat samosas, or wears those tops with the chinese style collar?

I am also confused. Many peope may do things for trends, but there's so much influence from outside sources that one can easily argue that someone does anything just because someone else does, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to do it. I'm wearing the pants I have on today because a store sold them, if they didn't sell them I wouldn't have seen them or liked the pants but I don't feel that I'm giving into every trend because I bought them or that my tastes are inappropriate...

I do think there's a difference between buying a New Native product knowing the offensiveness behind the name and having your hair in dreads. I can see how it can be offensive to wear a symbol of a person's religion when you aren't apart of it, but I wouldn't tell someone who isn't a Christian to not wear crosses or anything like that.

Well samosas are a food, and chinese styled shirts are just a style. They dont really represent anything. Dreds represent a lot of things to Rastas. Roseries represent a lot to catholics. Theres nothing wrong with learning about other peoples cultures, and expeirencing them....but when people do things, soley for the purpose of fashion, it can be offending to those who the culture belongs too.

But where do you draw the line as to what is fashion or what is what a person likes? I think it's easy to say someone does something for fashion when really you don't know the reasons behind it. Maybe they like it, maybe it's easier to manage, maybe it's something that represents something to them that may not hold the same meaning to someone else. I have friends who collect religious objects of many religions (from buddha to mary) and displays them together, it means something to her but may not be the meaning meant by others who use those symbols.

i draw the line when someone of that community has said that it is offensive. or i am told by others that it is offensive to people in that community.

its really not that hard to understand the difference between culturally appropriating and not appropriating, if you listen to the voices of the community who is being appropriated.

If you asked me (as a Catholic) if I was kay with you wearing a rosary, I wouldn't care. If You asked a stricter/more religious Catholic- they might.

What defines the community standard? I'm pretty sure you could find someone to get upset about *anything* if you look around.

agreed! I think it's important to listen to the voices of the group whose culture is subject to appropriation, of course, but within every group there are conflicting viewpoints.

I had dreadlocks for about a year, and spent that year (as well as a good chunk of time before going ahead and starting the process) pretty conflicted about this subject. I am still not sure whether it's "okay" or not for a white person to have dreadlocks. My best guess is that sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. Context matters so much.

Honestly, I think that having dreadlocks purely because of aesthetics or practicality is BY FAR more appropriate than trying to even vaguely approach some reverce for rastafarians. And for the record, I think the idea of a "white rastafarian" is f-ing ridiculous. Arcane, you said

but I definately don't think that "knowing what they mean" makes it ANY better. It might even make it worse.

Fashion and popular culture represent the movement of ideas all across the world. When limited to that sphere, I think these watered-down versions of cultural practices from around the world (call them appropriations if you see fit) are annoying fads that pass quickly. BUT when someone knowingly takes upon themselves a cultural practice that they have no prior experience with and applies bogus pseudo-spiritual significance to it or says something like "I'm doing this to be a more natural person" or whatever, then I think it is MUch more dangerous and offensive.

And another quetion for y'all: what of a black person with dreadlocks who isn't a rasta?

Cultural appropriation isn't an issue that's cut and dry. It's a really difficult one. I have to say that if someone tells me something is offencive, I am going to probably avoid whatever it is (be it lanugage, style, etc.).

Here's some interesting articles on the subject:
http://slingshot.tao.ca/displaybi.php?0085020

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation

http://www.makezine.org/mohawksdreads.htm:

Is there anything that poc cant do because it would be appropriation of powc?

also to the op: I just looked at your pictures and I personally think that you would look so much like ramonegirl with dreads! I already think you do look like her with your glasses on. You would look good I would go for it.

I wanna ask this question again, since no one has commented:

well i guess that would be considered cultural appropriation also since that isnt their culture. At least thats what i have understood from this thread.

the whole point of dreads isn't just a religious rasta thing, but also a politically inspired 'hey because i'm a poc my hair is naturally kinky and inspite of dominent cultural messages that say that straight hair is "good" hair, i'm going to dread it instead of straightening & relaxing it.' in this way hair is a part of reclaiming the dominant cultures defining beauty. poc with kinky hair who aren't rastas wear dreads, thats not culturally appropriating.

obviously, not all poc have kinky hair, & not all white folk have straight nonkinky hair.

and skykid, did you READ kats's posting about how its really not ok for white folk to wear dreads cuz one thinks its pretty...?

dreads aren't just a simple fashion statement. like a good analogy is the afro of the 1970s, a hair style that was political too. if white folks went around with a 'fro, it could be considered mocking of the black power movements.

i wonder if some of these questions are being asked to further understand this issue, or to diminish/ignore this issue? kat's article pretty much summarized more saliently everything i have to say on the matter.

yah i guess its still cultural appropriation.

Thats actually a really good question. I know of many black people, who arent rastas, who have dreds. But you look at them, and assume that its alright, because they are black. But thats bad too...because now people are being sterotypical. Huh. My main problem with dreds, is they are religious. I dont like to participate in religious, or spiritual things, that I dont beleive in. I feel like its taking advantage of one persons beleifs, and turning it into my gain. Its more of a personal thing...and as I dont have all that much of a problem with other non-rastas getting dreds, I dont think I could ever comfortably do it myself. Just as I could never go into a coffessional booth, and confess my sins, or go into a temple, and light some incense. Soo the answer the question, if I was black, and not a rasta, than no, I wouldnt get dreds myself. But is a black person getting dreds for the look of it, the same as a white, yes, yes it is, because black or white, if they arent sharing the rasta beleifs, than it should still be considered cultural appropriation.