The practice of dreading first came about in indigenous cultures. One common example is the religious ascetics the Sadhus who let their hair dread in an attempt to remove themselves from society and connect deeper with God. Dreading has always existed in these cultures as a religious or spiritual practice, it was done in a way to accept oneself in one’s most basic and natural form. Indigenous cultures did not practice dreading because they thought it was ‘cool’ or because of a trend.
Time has gone on and this practice has been carried out for various reasons by different groups. One very powerful one is the use of dreads as rebellion to slavery during the slave trade. Many Africans forced into slavery dreaded their hair to show solidarity between each other and to protest the horrific treatment they were receiving by white slaveowners. The one that most people are familiar with is the Rastafarian movement, which started in Africa and traveled to the U.S. during the rise of the ‘Hippy movement’. What many people do not know however is that the Rastafarian movement itself was very much inspired by the practices found in these indigenous groups, whether they be Indian, African, Islander, or what have you. People of all different races and cultures who were inspired by that notion became interested in dreads as well and through that it has become a common stereotype that all people with dreads are hippies or stoners or that most hippies or stoners have dreads. Of course this is not true and many people have dreads for various personal reasons that may also not be related to being a ‘hippy’.
So as you can see, dreads are something that have attracted hippy culture as a whole, not just among whites. The only reason why blacks for example are not immediately signaled out as being hippies when having dreads is because dreading is much more common on average in the black community and has stronger ties to African heritage than lets say those with Asian ancestors.
Why white people in particular are interested in dreads I cannot tell you for sure because every individual has their own reasons and beliefs, as with any topic. I know you didn’t ask but I can provide you with my own reasoning for having them so that you can learn from a personal account and maybe understand it better.
Yes, I am of European heritage, I do not have kinky, afro-textured hair. However, even though I will NEVER NEVER be able to relate to or understand the struggles and discrimination that many with that hair type do face, I too had my own struggle with my hair and self-acceptance through my life. Yes I am white, but I have 3b textured curly hair and it took me years to actually like it. I can remember being a kid and having my mom try to brush through it and that I would cry for over an hour at how painful it was. I remember getting a straightener in 6th grade and being so happy that I could finally ‘fit in’ and look as beautiful as the popular girls. I remember being told by other students that my normal hair was ugly and out of control. From then until high school I spent at least an hour every day blow drying and then straightening my hair. It became exhausting. Of course this is not the same degree of hardship as let’s say, a person being denied a job over their hair and I am not claiming that it is or that those hardships aren’t worthy of complaint.
Thankfully, I did move on during my high school years to finally love and appreciate my hair for what it was and dreading in my eyes was simply the next step to recognizing my hair in its most natural form.
I used the freeform method and in less than a year I had legitimate mature locs in my hair. They didn’t even have bumps. They has passed the ‘teenage’ stage and were solid, uniform locs. I never made this decision because I saw some music video of a black person with dreads and wanted to be ‘black’. I wanted to have a similar experience that those original wearers of dreads, whatever the culture, had and I saw it as a way to grow into a more mature, patient, and accepting individual.
Yes I am white but I do not claim to understand dreads from a black perspective because I am not black. Not everyone has dreads for the same reason as I. People of all races have them as a trend. People of all races have them because they like the aesthetic and others have them for more spiritual or religious reasons. Those dreading cannot just be narrowed down to bland categories because it so much more complex than that. I hope this helped shed some light, and if you have any questions or would simply like to discuss feel free to contact me.
izzy806
origamiaround
jacobvanloon
dailybridgerton
