I often have this conversation/debate with my boyfriend, he believes dreads on white people are a form of cultural appropriation - in all forms; synthetic and real.
I would like to relay his argument but I don't think I would do it justice and I don't think it's my place to articulate something which is culturally not my place to speak with authority.
From my understanding, is that wearing the dreads to mimic a form of aesthetic or culture that you do not in fact belong in, ie to look like a white black/afrocentric person is cultural appropriation. You are taking an aspect of culture and history which you do not have the right to participate in nor have been invited into, without regards to the historical impact white culture and systematic racism has done to black/afro culture, in this case to the very nature of hair.
Synthetic dreads can be a form of appropriation, just to separate them due to their synthetic nature is disregarding the fact that a lot of people with black/afro hair have them installed too. Which leads on to lots of white people have them installed to mimic black/afrocentric culture.
I guess it depends on to what purpose the individual has them installed because I make the argument that cyber/goth culture is separate. The style is not to mimic afrocentrism, and its roots with synthetic dreads aren't disregarding the historical context of dreads within black history, it's just its foundation is outside of this. They're not mimicking or even stolen, they're from an idea of futurism and well cyber/robots inspiration. Looking like cables, springs, tentacles etc originally, they have just morphed into a different style as cyber has evolved with goth and punk.
Natural dreads are also found within this style, punks and goths wear them a like, to be apart of an ideal outside of mainstream hair.
The points to be made with this argument goes on and on, and it's a lot more complicated than just a simple synthetic = not cultural appropriation and natural = appropriation.
The history of white people with dreads is often not regarded, not that it's really applicable unless they follow a white northern Scandinavian Viking lifestyle.
And I don't really feel like i know enough to speak for all the hippy, psytrance psychedelic culture. And if I am going to be honest, I feel like that is a form of appropriation. But I do not know enough about its roots to say that with any real certainty just that they are a large mixed group of individuals into which I can't say what purpose or intention that the individuals hold behind having them installed.
And of course all of this is just from what I have absorbed from the conversation about culture around me. I am not saying any of this with authority, nor do I believe that what I have said touches the sensitivities or obstacles that black/mixed people have faced with their natural hair at the hands of white culture.
If any one feels like I have missed an important point or disregarded something that is essential to the conversation then let me know. I'm always up for being educated on this. Also note if you feel like the terminology or words I have used are also not appropriate, again pls let me know what would be more suitable. I am trying to be as inclusive and appropriate as possible, and I am always open for learning.
