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THIS MORNING I am proud of my connections to North Carolina. I am an alum of Wake Forest and Duke University. My ex-husband's family (whom I still adore) are from Wilmington, NC. My best friend teaches at NC State University. My adorable young cousin, Dani has been volunteering for Barack all over the state and sending me text messages to let me know how things are going.
LAST NIGHT I saw King Lear at the Globe, Shakespeare's theater on the South Bank of the Thames. I've seen the play before, but now that I'm a parent I was especially struck by the idea of love and loyalty between parent and child gone terribly wrong.
IS HILLARY REALLY ROCKY? At first, I dismissed it as yet another ridiculous attempt to paint herself as a working class underdog rather than the delusional underachiever that she's been this election season. Upon closer examination, however, I remembered something interesting about Rocky. Although he fought to the bloody end, the stubborn pugilist lost the first time around. To whom did he lose? That's right, a cocky black guy. That's when I realized that there's probably more truth to this Rocky thing than I imagined.
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Discuss:
Hair Tactics: Why I Cut my Dreadlocks
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Posted By:
Imaniassata at 05/07/2008 3:42:55 PM
Comment:
WHAT??????????? -
Posted By:
Imaniassata at 05/07/2008 3:42:30 PM
Comment:
what??????????????? -
Posted By:
Red Moses at 04/30/2008 10:42:14 AM
Comment:
Whatever -
Posted By:
Nubianspirit at 04/29/2008 9:18:03 PM
Comment:
I've had my locks for 13 years. They have a birthday every August. I've been a dancer with an African dance company and my locks were perfect for this profession. For the past 2 years I have turned to acting. I was recently told that my locks will keep me from getting cast in print adds and commercials. I've even had to hide them under wigs for some plays I was cast in but because of the length which is past my lower back, wigs don't work too well. I'm not sure at this time I can cut them off but I love acting and want to continue on that path. I started my locks after attending a week long spiritual retreat with Africans and Native Americans. I'll just take one day at a time........... -
Posted By:
SG at 04/09/2008 8:46:10 PM
Comment:
A very good article. I have had my locks for 6 years now. I am really close to cutting them off, but I am a woman it is hard to think about having short hair. Just being honest. -
Posted By:
rumbera at 04/06/2008 3:44:13 PM
Comment:
I still have my locks.
They were born on November 31, 1999. I use December 1, 1999 as my first day as "Me" They have been taken care of with the best natural products. I really do love them and what they represent in my political and spiritual self. At this writing, where I could consider myself only 8 years old. I can easily say that I am still growing, as I expect to until I die. And so is it with my hair.
Last month, for the first time since they were born, I decided to trim them. I was a year or so past the realization that my original plan "never to cut it again" was not going to work, because as slim and beautiful as they are, my fine hair was shredding and breaking at the point (I now realize) it was when I first locked it, a dreadful time in my life that I knew I was emerging from. I think it was time to be done with that part of my life, entering the crone stage of existence, regardless of how much my general appearance belies my 53 years.
Once at the salon, I got to see just how much it wasn't "just hair". I didn't want it to fall onto the floor and definitely did not want it to end up in the garbage with the rest of the chemicalized trash that used to be on someone's head. I have it in a plastic bag in a drawer of my dresser and I am still trying to decide what to do with it.
It's going to get buried. Along with the former life it represents. And if the day comes that it gets so long that it bothers me--or I die. I thought Locks for Love or another such organization would want it. But my information says they don't want African hair, and especially not locks. My guess is because "We" don't want our hair. The obsession with "good" hair, with spending thousands over time on wearing someone else's straight version means that there would be a tiny demand to wear what is "Ours" And who else would be appropriate to wear it??
I guess my locks will be buried with me. But this, too can change... -
Posted By:
hendleysmith at 04/04/2008 12:26:05 AM
Comment:
I've had locks for 10 years now, this week in fact. And though it is tempting to say that it is "just hair," my locks have come to symbolize who I am and what I stand for. They did not start as a political statement -- a financial one beacuse I was tired of ripping off 20's for the barber every other week. But now, others recognize me and my beliefs when they see these locks. I do trim them every now and again, and I am preparing to trim the in preparation for the Arizona summer. I know that I will cut them off some day, but I can't imagine what will lead me to that deed. -
Posted By:
chaselton at 04/03/2008 9:47:48 AM
Comment:
You're exactly right. It is just hair.
I'm not planning on cutting my locs any time soon...I'm still waiting for them to grow longer...but I'll probably get the urge some time in the future. And when I do...off they come. -
Posted By:
cancan at 04/02/2008 11:26:19 PM
Comment:
My daughter just cut her locks after having her daughter and finding them hard to maintain. They are also expensive. She now has a meidum-short, curly fro and has gotten more grief about that then any other style she's worn (including straightened). Hair grows out of our head and, in every society, people manipulate that hair. Even among people who wear locks there can be disension between the people who have their locks manipulated to fall in a mannered way and those who do it like the brothers and sisters in the mountains of Jamaica did originally - letting the locks do their own thing.
It's finally hair and if anyone in 2008 believes that looking at someone's outside shows who they are inside, I have some land I don't own to sell them. I can't tell you the number of locked, African-attire wearing folks I've met who do not read, support the arts, support Black organizations, etc. I can also tell you of plenty of people who wear their hair dyed, fried and laid to the side who daily work to support other people of color.
Be free whatever that means to you at the moment you're in.
Candelaria -
Posted By:
honeybee natural at 04/02/2008 6:32:15 PM
Comment:
I loved your article. I must admit I really didn't care at first but I read it just to see if you where gonna go all deep. Im a natural hair stylist from TX and am now on my 3rd set of locs. "I totally feel you." you gave respect but stood your point very intelligantly. If it would'nt effect my business. I'd cut mines tonight. PS. I think you look even better without them... -
Posted By:
honeybee natural at 04/02/2008 6:27:55 PM
Comment:
I absolutely loved your artical. I am 29 yrs old now on my 3rd set of locks. I am feeling you completly and I love how you expressed your reasons behind them so intelligantly still with respect to those who oppose. Sometimes we take things to deep. I live in TX so you could only imagine the responses here. You look great brother. With them, but in my oppinion. Better without them. -
Posted By:
aliciabanks at 04/02/2008 3:02:39 PM
Comment:
I have locks that I adore and will never cut.
I also have a resume that is superior to any applicant of any race or gender with any hair.
I would never want to work for anyone who would reject me because of my neat and groomed locks. After 10 years, they are very thin and waist length.
I think you looked much better with your locks, as we all do.
Peace,
Alicia Banks
aliciabanks.blogspot.com -
Posted By:
Ardenal at 03/29/2008 8:37:36 PM
Comment:
This must be the year to cut dreadlocks. After 12 years I cut my locks last year, Sept. 26. I had been contemplating cutting them off for at least 6 months. 200 individual locks, maintained by me, washed, twisted and air dried once a week. I thought, before the big cut that I would cut them shorter. I was thinking about the big struggle of growing them in the first place. How I proved a lot a people wrong that locks would not keep me from getting a good job, that locks could be clean, that locks are beautiful. What would I be saying if I cut them? It's just hair and I can always grow them back is what I would be saying.
So when I cut them, the response was shock, to people being truely upset that I cut them. I have had people come to me and say "I wore my locks with more pride because of you." , "Why did you cut them?" "Do you miss them? I do miss them from time to time, but when I feel the brush against my scalp, that I can dry my hair quickly and how long it takes to use a bottle of shampoo with hair less than inch long, I don't miss them that much. -
Posted By:
bookeyes at 03/29/2008 2:21:26 PM
Comment:
Okay...I guess I might as well contribute to this forever on-going discussion about black folks and their hair. I locked my hair in '96, placing them quite near the crack of my ass. So of course, the agitation of its massive weight and subjectivity to linty fabrics, cigarette smoke and hair critics and admirers often cause me to attempt visions of cutting them. My reasons for "going natural" before locking my hair some years later were encouraged by a statement Kwame Ture made while I was a student at Dillard University. Kwame simply said, "If your head is together, your hair is automatically together." Though simple and vulnerable to a myriad of interpretations for some, it meant only one thing to me: my days of trying to convince myself that my reasons for placing chemicals in my hair had nothing to do with feelings of inferiority to a white standard had ended! Needlessly to say, if I ever choose to cut them, I damn 'sho do not plan on returning to any kind of chemical process. My truth is, LIKE YOUR BODY AND THE FOODS YOU EAT,YOU ARE YOUR HAIR AND WHAT YOU PUT IN IT! Those that want to convince themselves that hair has no relevance or connection to who they are, what they attract, and how they feel about themselves or either lying, in denial or just ignorant about their hair's ability to help them access their spiritual super powers and protection. Simply put, you are not JUST your hair, but it is a part of the whole. Do not blind yourself. For black folks, it's no coincidence that our hair salons and shops serve as social and political fellowships for feeding our connectedness and consciousness(as Robert Pierre admits) just like the dinner tables once did for most. So before we dismiss the spiritual power of locs or any other natural hair state (not style) of well being and living, strongly consider what you might end up replacing with it. -
Posted By:
DonnaBlue at 03/28/2008 9:31:23 PM
Comment:
I, too have cut my locks. Twice to be exact. I initially grew my locks, out of high school as a freshman at NYU, to assert my independence, creativity, and identity, and of course, to ruffle my parents feathers. I grew them for three years and decided to cut them when I ht a crossroads in my life. My boyfriend at the time was instantly attracted to my honey blond locks and when I stopped loving him I cut my hair. I wanted to make myself unattractive to him; it didn't work! I realized though, that cutting my locks gave me an opportunity as a woman who, in the words of Q-Tip, was "a little bit older and a tid bit wiser" to start fresh and reinvent myself.
The second time I grew my locks was because I missed them terribly. I had graduated from college and was in my second year of an MFA program at Howard. I loved my locks, my sister's locks, and the social scene that it afforded me access to. You know, the artsy, incense burning, Prince and Fela listening, open mic set crew. Fast forward three more years, degree finally completed, teaching high school photography and loving life. I was growing in my relationship with Christ and became frustrated with the assumptions that people make about me based on my locks. On a Saturday night in a trip to the video store with my girlfriends in Brooklyn, two of us stopped at the barber shop and cut our locks. It was impulsive, it was fun, and it was liberating.
I wore my hair natural for two more years and then decided to see what life would be like again with a perm. So I did it out of curiosity, but also to see what would happen if I crawled out of the box that I had placed myself in for years. What I encountered was frightening. I no longer got the "hey queen" greeting from black men, I was looked at with suspicion at the artsy sets I once got mad love in, and the stores that I frequented and was engaged by salespeople when I wore my headwrap or locks, didn't so much as say hello beyond my purchase.
Locked, permed, twisted, braided, weaved, afro, or wigged out, I love Jesus, my heart is big, I love black people, I am committed to liberation and healing through creative ministry, I make good art, I love a good poetry set, Prince and Fela are still in heavy rotation on my iPod, and that is all that counts.-
Posted By:
Red Moses at 04/30/2008 10:12:17 AM
Comment:
Whatever, all I'm hearing is, "Beyond my favorite beats, I am a bit whimsical; presume nothing." Chemical treatments in hair tear at the the roots of conscious growth. Those who say I know of 'box treated heads' that are doing great things for people of color are missing the overriding fact that these 'individuals' are still doing their scalps no favors. The children are watching, learning, thus the abusive cycle continues. Those with the ability to wholeheartedly ingest and perpetuate the sudo-worthiness of being an 'individual' by conforming to root causes of our cultural demise are delusional participants in the myth of a economically, socially, spiritually, physically, mentally controlled european world-wide view. Its OUR time, in this time; stop the hypocrisy and selfishness and get on with turning the foundations of the earth back into balance - remember, the children are watching.
-
-
Posted By:
Donna Blue at 03/28/2008 9:29:20 PM
Comment:
I, too have cut my locks. Twice to be exact. I initially grew my locks, out of high school as a freshman at NYU, to assert my independence, creativity, and identity, and of course, to ruffle my parents feathers. I grew them for three years and decided to cut them when I ht a crossroads in my life. My boyfriend at the time was instantly attracted to my honey blond locks and when I stopped loving him I cut my hair. I wanted to make myself unattractive to him; it didn't work! I realized though, that cutting my locks gave me an opportunity as a woman who, in the words of Q-Tip, was "a little bit older and a tid bit wiser" to start fresh and reinvent myself.
The second time I grew my locks was because I missed them terribly. I had graduated from college and was in my second year of an MFA program at Howard. I loved my locks, my sister's locks, and the social scene that it afforded me access to. You know, the artsy, incense burning, Prince and Fela listening, open mic set crew. Fast forward three more years, degree finally completed, teaching high school photography and loving life. I was growing in my relationship with Christ and became frustrated with the assumptions that people make about me based on my locks. On a Saturday night in a trip to the video store with my girlfriends in Brooklyn, two of us stopped at the barber shop and cut our locks. It was impulsive, it was fun, and it was liberating.
I wore my hair natural for two more years and then decided to see what life would be like again with a perm. So I did it out of curiosity, but also to see what would happen if I crawled out of the box that I had placed myself in for years. What I encountered was frightening. I no longer got the "hey queen" greeting from black men, I was looked at with suspicion at the artsy sets I once got mad love in, and the stores that I frequented and was engaged by salespeople when I wore my headwrap or locks, didn't so much as say hello beyond my purchase.
Locked, permed, twisted, braided, weaved, afro, or wigged out, I love Jesus, my heart is big, I love black people, I am committed to liberation and healing through creative ministry, I make good art, I love a good poetry set, Prince and Fela are still in heavy rotation on my iPod, and that is all that counts. -
Posted By:
DEWAYNE at 03/28/2008 4:54:11 PM
Comment:
I do recognize the need to assimilate. We all have to "conform" to something. It's just hair, which will never define who I am... I personally use a relaxer(Hawaiian Silky) to produce what my Barber and I call the - Twizan... which is my own personal cut and style unique in its own right and fitting by popular demand in my family, work and play.... Don't cloud your minds Ladies and Gentlemen... You are who you are, not what you wear, how you wear your hair(bald or faded), black or another color. You are You... be content with You. -
Posted By:
cytrus at 03/28/2008 3:32:32 PM
Comment:
by the way my hair was past my shoulders and all natural -
Posted By:
cytrus at 03/28/2008 3:19:27 PM
Comment:
I had NEVER cut my hair. People always told me I was the "role model" for black natural hair because "black people can't grow long hair". Mine was past my shoulders. I went into a hair shop with my cousin and asked them to cut it off? "you want it trimmed?", no i want it completely shaved off. People were shocked. He started in the front so I couldn't change my mind. It was a little scary. (when you consider i only cut my hair once in my life, by force.) Some people wouldn't talk to me. Others asked If I was a ***. Still others asked what man made me mad. I just wanted a change. I enjoyed that journey. I am not my hair. (thanks India Arie.) -
Posted By:
livinglifegolden at 03/28/2008 12:14:03 PM
Comment:
I cut my locks a month ago on my 35th birthday. I'd been growing them for 10 years and like Robert, would trim them occasionally. They were so long, down to my butt. They were always in the way, falling in my face despite my efforts to pin them back. Finally, they were so heavy my scalp began to ache with the weight of them. Especially when wet. I feel free with my short natural. Just in time for spring I'm reborn. -
Posted By:
phillysteak at 03/27/2008 11:44:58 PM
Comment:
I worked in a corporate environment for 35 years. Caught all kinds of hell for wearing an Afro back in 1970. By 1981 I grew a beard and caught hell for wearing a beard. I retired in 2007, and I've begun to grow dreadlocks. At 60 years old, there's no more hell for me to catch. I'm free to be me. As India Irie says," I Am Not My Hair." -
Posted By:
PeterMark at 03/27/2008 5:31:55 PM
Comment:
I cut my twists just as they began to loc. I'm a usually conservative, some say preppy, kind of dresser and I was going through a little bit of a mid-life thing. The twists were "edgy" and "artsy." I was dating a really nice lady who thought the twists were kind of cool. However, when they began to loc, that's where she drew the line. She wasn't going for the Buffalo Soldier Dred-Loc Rasta thing. Hey, it was just hair. But she wasn't just any woman! And now she's my wife. -
Posted By:
flyntmunky at 03/27/2008 11:17:32 AM
Comment:
I started growing my locs in 1999, just before I started law school. My family was mortified. "Aren't you worried about getting a job?" "I thought you wanted to work in 'big law'?" My response was that I didn't want to work for anyone who would not hire me because of my hair. It's just hair!
It was, in small part, a statement. I had thrown down the gauntlet: Judge me by the content of my resume and my academic achievement, not by the color of my skin or the style of my hair. Two years later I had an offer from one of the most prestigious firms in the country, if not the world. The hair could not overshadow my accomplishments, work ethic and personality. It's just hair.
During my tenure as a "dread-head" I committed the "sin" of cutting my locs regularly. I was never a big fan of long hair, and the locs, though beautiful, were heavy and hot, so I always kept it just around shoulder length. Now, years later, I have finally, after almost two years of contemplation, let go of the locs and gone back my short, natural 'do. I feel free. Still not mainstream -- no weave, straightening or chemicals. And to the folks who ask, "Why?" "How could you?" "Dont you miss it?" I respond: It's just hair. -
Posted By:
sabrafox at 03/27/2008 9:34:21 AM
Comment:
I think you look better withouth them, but that's just one woman's opinion. -
Posted By:
jericho4119 at 03/27/2008 8:28:48 AM
Comment:
I started to lock my hair in 1998 and I remember all too well those anxious months before my hair locked in - people pulled me aside at work and asked me "what was I doing?"
I kept them through Thanksgiving of 2006; although when I started with locks it was not through any religious motivation, it did become very spiritual for me. Truth be told, I liked how I looked with locks and I liked how people looked at me - even the strange and uncomfortable glances. Then I was diagnosed with MS in 2004.
While I will not say that I felt invincible while wearing locks, to have the aura of natural health pierced was a wake up call and the allure of locks began to lesson. -
Posted By:
dthierry49 at 03/27/2008 8:27:35 AM
Comment:
White men with long hair are at a disadvantage getting employment too. It's not just about braids. African men don't wear dreads. They just cut their hair short. African American men have created the issue. -
Posted By:
Shibumi01 at 03/27/2008 6:21:20 AM
Comment:
Statement, ugly, counter culture, "makes me popular with the women..especialy black women," "thugish," popular, all valid views of personal expression, internal and external. Double helix, a naturally occurring congruency with the universe, DNA, PHI and the "golden mean." I would no more cut my locs than alter the course of the universe. -
Posted By:
tstubbs at 03/27/2008 1:52:21 AM
Comment:
I moved to California in January 1996, by July I had started my locks, by September I had entered San Diego City College. By June 2003 my locks were down my back and I had amassed four degrees. (Two in film and two in Black Studies.) I call this the conscious period of my life. As my consciousness grew as a Blackman, so did my locks. Every inch of hair represents a class, an essay, a test, an event, or a book I read. I associate my locks with my growth toward African Centeredness . Having locks puts you in a secret society where we share our own handshakes, dress, and, culture. When I started my MFA I decided to cut my locks. Not without ceremony though. I picked a special day, and I burnt some sage, had some wine, put on some Coltrane, and had two of my closest female friends cut them for me. I still have my locks in a cigar box tucked away in my closet. The last time I looked at them was when I took one out, and put it in my Grandmothers casket. It was a piece of me I wanted her to take with her so she could tell all my other ancestors that finally somebody in the clan did good. -
Posted By:
M_Sim at 03/26/2008 11:07:43 PM
Comment:
good for you sir...I love how you say that you did them for no particular reason...I was trying to understand why in the world my little brother wanted dred locks, and I guess he just wants to make his own personal statement. I admire your stedfastness when you wanted to keep your hair...and I admire the fact that you decided to cut it...looks really great. -
Posted By:
sundance22 at 03/26/2008 10:36:46 PM
Comment:
I grew locks because I was tired of paying to have my hair done. But I didn't want a huge 'fro. That was 20 years ago. They now hang to my rear (I also cut off a few inches occasionally). In that time I've been a medical student, a resident, and a practicing physician. Medicine, one of the most conservative professions around. And I never felt my dreads made people think that I was any less professional than anyone else. They never figured into me not getting a job, although I though at first they might. They just never did. I do live in California though, maybe that makes a difference? I just thought they'd gained mainstream acceptance over the years.
I have thought of cutting them recently because they're hot and heavy. But I've had them for so long. And...I get so many compliments. Some from those in what I call the "dreadlock admiration club". You know, "hey, nice dreads.", from someone who also has dreads as we walk past each other. Others comments come from people without any obvious reason to admire the dreads.
I'm sorry to hear that dreads have become associated with thug life, and negativity. It's true that they used to be a freeing alternative hairstyle choice. And they used to be rare. The Whoopi Goldberg jokes were abundant when I first had them. Now, never. I thought that was progress. But, who knows. Nevertheless, I'm still not ready to cut then off yet. -
Posted By:
ebogjonson at 03/26/2008 10:22:25 PM
Comment:
when i lived in brooklyn there was a lite skinned cat (i.e., about my complexion) who wore locks just like mine. the main difference is that dude was about 20 years older than me and had lost most of his hair. he was completely bald at the top of his head - just shine and freckles - and his remaining locks hung by thin, fragile looking threads. It seemed like he had them velcroed on, we used to call him "the predator" like from the Arnold movie.
Every morning i would go get tokens and we would stare at each other ghosts of XMAS future and past.
Cut your locks! I would be thinking to myself. Give up the ghost!
and I am pretty sure he was thinking: that's okay, son. We'll see meet again in a few years, once your hair starts thinning. then we'll see who's laughing.
That was 10, maybe 15 years ago, and every time i find l lock in the bottom of my bathtub, i clench my fists and scream at the heavens: Damn you balding token clerk! Damn you! -
Posted By:
sundance22 at 03/26/2008 10:15:15 PM
Comment:
I grew locks because I was tired of paying to have my hair done. But I didn't want a huge 'fro. That was 20 years ago. They now hang to my rear (I also cut off a few inches occasionally). In that time I've been a medical student, a resident, and a practicing physician. Medicine, one of the most conservative professions around. And I never felt my dreads made people think that I was any less professional than anyone else. They never figured into me not getting a job, although I though at first they might. They just never did. I do live in California though, maybe that makes a difference? I just thought they'd gained mainstream acceptance over the years.
I have thought of cutting them recently because they're hot and heavy. But I've had them for so long. And...I get so many compliments. Some from those in what I call the "dreadlock admiration club". You know, "hey, nice dreads.", from someone who also has dreads as we walk past each other. Others comments come from people without any obvious reason to admire the dreads.
I'm sorry to hear that dreads have become associated with thug life, and negativity. It's true that they used to be a freeing alternative hairstyle choice. And they used to be rare. The Whoopi Goldberg jokes were abundant when I first had them. Now, never. I thought that was progress. But, who knows. Nevertheless, I'm still not ready to cut then off yet. -
Posted By:
Patrick Matheson at 03/26/2008 9:58:08 PM
Comment:
Dreadlocks and hair that is twisted are two very different things with
very very different intents
So... you got a haircut... congratulations
Although I am not sure what the big deal is -
Posted By:
Patrick Matheson at 03/26/2008 9:56:46 PM
Comment:
Dreadlocks and Twisted Hair are 2 very different things...
So... you decided to get a hair cut... congratulations... not sure
what the big deal is -
Posted By:
jomama at 03/26/2008 7:52:18 PM
Comment:
I have to agree with grandmother-- you are much cuter sans locks. -
Posted By:
lemondaisy at 03/26/2008 7:22:44 PM
Comment:
Interesting. I find it interesting that black women who have long hair tend not to even consider locking, while those of us cursed with no grow hair do. Don't get me wrong, I love being a black woman and I love the texture of black hair, I just despair that our options are so few: perm, straighten,weaves, braids, or cut it short. At least there's some dignity with locks, but they're unpredictable in that they thin out and then break off.
Myself, I have locks but they break off so much it's frustrating, and I don't care for hair dye, but the salt pepper thing strikes me as unattractive. (That said, Toni Morrison is baaad!)
I've noticed that most black men (Robert is a good example) look good with short hair, but not all black women do. I'm sorry to hear that wearing locks still affects careers. Is it just men who have this problem? It seems to me that women have more styling options and might be able to slide a little further. Tell me what you think. -
Posted By:
mattman2011 at 03/26/2008 6:16:53 PM
Comment:
I can understand the desire to get rid of dreads or braids. but someone explain to me what the big deal is? why are they looked down upon so much...last time i checked it was the decision of the person to grow their own hair and be responsible for those consequences thereof....personally i believe that society is wrong for throwing dirty looks to those who choose to be different. and i also find it offensive that people would jump on the band wagon for everyone to have low cuts with nice shap ups. God made you, you!...not to say that low cuts are not nice...but come on everyones doing that,,,,that isnt any fun! lol i say let them look. let them stare and let them talk....even with a low cut....the steroetypes still exist...a haircut does not shave those off.... -
Posted By:
SilverHawk at 03/26/2008 6:01:31 PM
Comment:
Nothing to discuss???it???s a personal choice. Everything does not have to be part of a political platform. Although, by dint of being social beings everything falls under the political umbrella. As for the issue of the perception of locks vis-??-vis procuring employment, getting promoted, obtaining referrals, etc., it is up to the communities in question to change things. Communal notions of beauty will be harbored as long as the various interlocutors refrain from acknowledging???if they recognize that there is a problem???that there exists a socio-cultural deformation as concerns what is and is not considered beautiful, visually acceptable, or aesthetically appropriate. Which is more important, one???s societal contribution or one???s appearance? Obviously, neatness and cleanliness count. However, is one to assume that an individual is a thug because she or he sports a spiked looked? Is one to call for an investigation of an individual who dons the locks that spawned this discussion thread? Is essence not what we seek? Is not form merely one of the means by which to attain aforesaid essence via function? Once we embrace thought and truth these issues will have been rendered moot. Until then, the discussion goes on. -
Posted By:
Locs4Life at 03/26/2008 5:45:34 PM
Comment:
You look great without them. it's a smart look for you. I considered cutting my loc about a month ago. It was out of frustration with up keep and styling. Put i choose to wrp up my hair and once i got over my busy season at work. I'm glad i didn't cut them. -
Posted By:
problemwithcaring at 03/26/2008 5:44:34 PM
Comment:
I think you can file this with Gary Daupin's article on stuffwhite people like -- the hyper-anxieties associated with responsibility of being the self-appointed Purveyors and Adjudicators of Blackness.
Its just hair - messy, dead, rotting, tangled, unmanagable, smelly, hard hair. -
Posted By:
Locs4Life at 03/26/2008 5:38:35 PM
Comment:
Nice look without the locs. I thought of cutting mine but past on the idea. I love my locs they create a presences when you see me. -
Posted By:
s3ad@comcast.net at 03/26/2008 5:24:04 PM
Comment:
I had locks for a few years. I've always tried to be 'good,' stay out of trouble and present myself in a professional manner. Then I got a job with no dress code!
I felt that growing my hair out was a way to declare my independence and fully embrace who I was as a man, as a (mostly) fully realized person.
It was fun until sold my car and bought a motorcycle. Fitting all that hair under my helmet (and I already got a large head) wasn't gonna happen. But I'd rather have the bike than the hair! -
Posted By:
SilverHawk at 03/26/2008 5:21:54 PM
Comment:
Nothing to discuss-- a personal choice. Everything does not have to be part of a political platform. Although, by dint of being human-- social beings at that-- everything falls under the political umbrella. -
Posted By:
7233145 at 03/26/2008 4:59:17 PM
Comment:
Back in early '90's, it was a safe assumption (stereotype?) that someone wearing locks was usually a thougtful, intelligent, politically and culturally conscious individual. whether Black, Asian, Latino and even White (foreign students from Eastern Europe for some strange reason). It took a lot of forethought and introspection took make the decision to "Lock." NOW, ha, like getting a tatoo, every knuckle head who want to make a superficial fashion statement or look 'hard' has one. Mention the word "Rastafari" and you get a blank stare. Haile Selassi who? I -
Posted By:
7233145 at 03/26/2008 4:48:55 PM
Comment:
I was just remarking the other day that back in the early '90's, a safe assumption (stereotype) of someone rocking locks was that this was mostly likely a thoughtful, intelligent, "conscious"- poltically and cultural, brother or sister. Heck, even if they were White (usually foriegn, like from Russia), Asian, or Latino, u knew you were about to engage in some deep conservations if you approached them. Since 2000, however, something went horribly wrong. That stereotype has evaporated. Along with tatoos, "locks" seem to be worn by any knucklehead wanting primarily to make a fashion statement, or give the appearance of looking "hard." Mention the term "Rastafari" and you get a blank stare. Haile Selassi who? -
Posted By:
Lyonside at 03/26/2008 4:13:49 PM
Comment:
JimCat: Nobody, hunh? It's so sad when people don't get out much. -
Posted By:
erinmagoc at 03/26/2008 4:07:51 PM
Comment:
i feel that cutting your dreads is a momentus occasion, and i think that if you could part with them that easily, you must not have cared that much while they were growing. some rasta's grow their dreads with a story, and others grow theirs and formulate a story with their life. their dreads have been with them all through their good times and bad so they actually represent who they are as a person. i feel that if dreads are forced to come together, they aren't grown right. a friend once told me that if you are growing them for cosmetic reasons, you're a fake and shouldn't have the right to grow dreadlocks. appreciate your dreads! -
Posted By:
jimcat at 03/26/2008 3:30:26 PM
Comment:
Good for you. Nobody looks good with dreadlocks. -
Posted By:
Bedmonds1325 at 03/26/2008 2:50:57 PM
Comment:
It's an uphill battle. In virginia beach, Va. a new restaurnt opened up. some patrons wer denied entrance because they wore locks. they wer instructed to go to the manager's hip hop club in another location. locks were against the dresscode. the owner was taken to court. the court ruled this was discrimnatory and ordered the owner to change his policy and to apologize -
Posted By:
Noni at 03/26/2008 2:35:38 PM
Comment:
In 2003 my Locks were down to my rear end and I love my girls. I always saw Locking as a spiritual discipline so after my mom died I felt that stress of being a caregiver and the energy around her death caused my girls to drop off and my hair to thin so I shaved bald. Now I am growing my babies back...there is a beautiful energy to Locking that I love but truly it is not for everyone. Noni -
Posted By:
Imani at 03/26/2008 2:10:03 PM
Comment:
What is the point of Mr. Pierre's hair story, other than to show that locks have been reduced to just another hairstyle devoid of "political or religious" meaning? -
Posted By:
Lmoya at 03/26/2008 1:23:33 PM
Comment:
I have never been able to understand why, as a Black Woman, I have to change my hair to become employed. I am 57 years old, wear dreads, and wear very little if any makeup. Unfortunately, I am unemployed at this time and finding employment has had road blocks. Not because of the color of my skin (in some cases yes), my education (I am a senior in College), the way I talk, but because of my hair. It is very sad because on one of my first interviews, after two phone conversations with a potential employer, once the individual had face to face contact with me, the interview was over almost as quickly as it began. Unfortunately, the man was black which made it all the more frustrating. I am neat in appearance, my hair is clean, and my speech is articulate in interviews, so do I cut off my hair, perm it straight to assimilate, or do I remain the woman I am? Does my hair make me who I am? No! I have years of experience in the Human Service field working with women used in prostitution, domestic abuse, homeless women and children, working with people with disabilities, and adolescents.
I will never cut my hair. Louella -
Posted By:
analogirl at 03/26/2008 12:33:38 PM
Comment:
I cut my locks two years ago after five years--and I have yet to regret it. Wasn't try to make a statement, but that didn't stop random people from trying their damndest to make it one. What's funny is that I looked forward to wearing my hair in a short fro--a style I've worn all of my adult 37-years--and, quite consisently, black people (both male and female) strongly disapproved, while white people (male and female) loved it.
When people asked why I cut my locks, I'd always respond that the funny thing about hair is that it grows back. I'm so happy to be in a psychological place where my hair--or anything else besides my actions--defines who I am as a human being. -
Posted By:
browneyes at 03/26/2008 12:31:45 PM
Comment:
Change is an on going process to living. I'm sure when you made the decision to get dreads you may have been in another state of mind. Now that you've had the experience, which as you say "It's only hair", you are most likely ready to move on to another chapter of your life. I have never had dreads though I may try it after I retire. I'm probably from a different generation so dreads at work just doesn't work for ME. -
Posted By:
deduction at 03/26/2008 12:10:52 PM
Comment:
Binkabi, you are living in the past or in a rural backwords area. If an 11 year old wants to have his hair any kind of way, let him! it is ridiculous to act as though there are some kind of social expectations that go for an 11 year old. -
Posted By:
The Lion at 03/26/2008 11:13:42 AM
Comment:
I'm a white boy with 6 year old dreadlocks that almost reach my waist.
I have a college degree, a full time job and in my spare time I record, produce, and mix hip hop and reggae.
I didn't grow dreadlocks to be part of any counter culture.
I didn't grow them to stand out or attract any attention.
I'm not a hippie or a rasta.
My dreads aren't a political or social statement.
I basically grew them out of boredom.
I spent four years at a Catholic High School where our hair wasn't allowed to touch our collar or grow over our ears and I was sick of "normal" haircuts.
I happen to like the way they look and feel. I wouldn't have them if I didn't.
I could not care less whether anyone else likes how they look or not.
I have rarely gotten any negative comments about them, and it's worth noting the negative comments I have gotten have all come from white people (black people have given me nothing but respect, especially women).
Despite the fact that I love everything about my dreadlocks, the day that I decide I've had enough of them, they'll be gone with no remorse. I have no timeline for dreadlock removal, but I know that day will come where I will decide to end this years long experience.
Although I don't expect anyone else to understand the deeper meaning they hold for me, they have in fact helped shape who I am.
Even though I had no significant reasons for starting my dreads, they have grown into an unintentional experiment on social interaction that I have learned volumes from.
It's amazing how people treat you differently when they think they know exactly who you are and what you do by looking at your outward appearance.
Some people take one look and assume I'm a drug addict while others see me and automatically assume I must be cool because of my hair.
For the record, I'm neither.
Anyway, point being this; I have dreadlocks, you have a buzz cut, he has a mohawk. Who cares?
It's just hair. -
Posted By:
OldYed at 03/26/2008 9:40:20 AM
Comment:
Loved this article. I have had many discussions about the political/spiritual/social/cultural relevance of locks with my peers. Ultimately, it is just hair...but then again, we wouldn't be repeatedly engaged in this conversation if locks were truly insignificant. Though I do not wear locks, I resent any suggestion that we should avoid wearing them in order to advance in our careers, avoid "unwanted attention", fit in, or in otherwords assimilate. I silently cheer when I see a beautiful brother or sister wearing business attire with a head adorned in locks. The spirit of resistence expresses itself in many forms. How we wear our hair is very symbolic. -
Posted By:
DarrenB at 03/26/2008 9:30:37 AM
Comment:
I also cut my locks and realized nothing important within me had changed. I no longer had the ego-satisfying moments of being looked upon as "different" but I was the same alternative minded person, just a bit "under cover" now.
Nice dome! -
Posted By:
paavery at 03/26/2008 9:06:09 AM
Comment:
Iam stll debating, I enjoy them even though they are now getting in the way, they get streched so I have to cut off the pulled parts. when Iam driving I tell the invisable person in the back to stop pulling my hair. and my head drinks a lot of Oil. I space my visits to the hairdresser, sometimes doing it myself but to me I want to feel closer to God and he had Dredlocks (wooley hair) Iam trying.
You should have donated them that is what Iam going to do when I do decide to cut them. I'll feel better. that all the trial and tribulation Iam going through will not be in vain. -
Posted By:
rootboy at 03/26/2008 8:35:49 AM
Comment:
Hair today, gone tomorrow. -
Posted By:
Greg B at 03/26/2008 7:29:00 AM
Comment:
After I was released from Federal Prison in July of 01, I had the dreadlocks that I'd grown since the first day of my incarceration cut off. For me it was a symbol of newness a fresh start. The weight of my active captivity was shorn from my crown and lay in piles on the Barbershop floor. I resisted the urge to keep one. The daily grind of returning to society with a scarlet F(felon) on my chest would be reminder enough. Mine were a symbol of a rebellious spirit behind the walls. But "in the world" the rebel mane was a fashion symbol. Practicallt, it was easier to get a job without the flashing Rebel Symbolism scaring prospective employers away.Now I wear my hair cut close. The 9 ether is gone but the revolution lives on inside.. -
Posted By:
Greg B at 03/26/2008 6:55:17 AM
Comment:
I had my locks shorn in July of 01, shortly after my release from Federal Prison. I had let mine grow for the entire time of my incarceration and had them cut for two reasons. Firstly as a spiritual move to celebrate a new beginning and return to society. The locks were a symbol of captivity and I wanted to start a new life with the weight of prison behind me or rather piled on the barbershop floor. I resisted the urge to keep a loack for posterity since I wanted a break fron the past. And secondly, in a practical move I knew that it would be easier to find gainful employment without the flashing the symbol of rebellion in every potential employers face. It was easierr to get a job without them. -
Posted By:
samorris40 at 03/26/2008 6:54:02 AM
Comment:
I read the comment below and laughed. What does wearing locs have to do with your nephew getting into trouble. We have been so conformed to look like the europeans that we discriminate against each other. Black women hair is falling out so much so that they are wearing fake hair to make up for the difference, but most of them have the nerve to say something negative about locs and braids. Until we as a people get our head on straight we will never catch up with other ethnic groups. What get's me is that there is a white boy on american idol this season with dreads and no one has said anything, but let us stop perming our hair and black folks act like someone slapped their momma. We really need to get that plantation out of our brain. Physical slavery has been gone for over 400 years, but mental slavery is still alive and well living in our community. At the end of the day I take pride in wearing my hair the way god gave it to me nappy, or kinky which ever way you want to call it. -
Posted By:
Johnny Duncan at 03/26/2008 4:53:58 AM
Comment:
Good for you. On the other hand, I cut my hair for fifty years, hoping to look neat and satiisfy the nowm. Twenty-one years in the army/reserve, college, political candidate seven times and a seven time loser with the neat black walls and crew cuts, military style. All to no avail, The hair cuts did not make me any more acceptable. I could chamge my hair style, but I could not change the color of my skin. So, two and one-half years ago, a friend started my dreds. I must say that it is the best hair style that I ever sported. I call it a hair style of hope, one that forces you to hold your head up, otherwise you will be blinded by the locks. It is further rumored that Jesus will pull us up to heaven by our locks. I am ready, because I have been pulled down by the chewed-up grass far too long. I cite the Nazarenes, of whom Jesus and john the Baptist were associated, in defense of dred locks. Just call me Dred (dread) because I dread the things that I and others like me have had to suffer; I dread the hyprocrisy of America toward Black people and the world; I dread the existence and promulgation of injustice in America for varying reasons. And, I guess the whole dreadful story was summed up by the U. S. Supreme Court in the DRED Scott Case (1857). I dred this dreadful dream! -
Posted By:
binkabi at 03/25/2008 11:56:25 PM
Comment:
Just this week my 11-year-old nephew asked his mother if he could get his hair twisted. I remember asking him why he wanted to get twists. He really didn't have a reason other than just liking them. I tired to talk him out of them by telling him that locks/dreads could bring him unwanted negative attention at school and in the community. I engaged him in a conversation about perception. I explained that the perception is that people who wear locks are thugs or gang members. I preached to him about how most of the criminals you see on TV are wearing dreads and that he just didn't need that kind of attention. He's a smart kid, makes good grades, but also has the tendency to misbehave. I just had the fear that he would be negatively influenced and gravitate in the wrong direction. I don't think that locks are a bad thing. I actually like them. I just fill strongly that they have become synonymous with "thug life". There was once a time when dreads were funky and even peaceful. However, with all of the other problems that our kids have to face on a day-to-day bases, I wanted to convey to my little nephew that getting twist is not as cool as he thinks it is.
My sister allowed him to get them, but two days after he got them he got in trouble. His consequence was a trip to the barbershop. Now he's sporting a sweet low low with a nice clean shape up.
Binkabi -
Posted By:
celea at 03/25/2008 11:22:56 PM
Comment:
I cut my locks for a position, didn't get it.Was it my hair or something else. Who knows -
Posted By:
Jake_Witmer at 03/25/2008 10:39:46 PM
Comment:
Yep, I chopped mine a while back too. They looked even goofier on a white guy. Plus, I realized a profound truth that day: no look can identify you with the counterculture, because the truest and most radical of the counterculture looks mainstream and conformist, but isn't.
And the converse is true as well: the "counter culture" in the USA is largely philosophically weak and self-contradictory. In fact, it is vastly too comfortable to even question the status quo, much less come to any kind of truth. You never know what an anarcho-capitalist will look like -They might look like a nerd, a punk rocker, or a rastafarian. ...But the ones who look like conformist nerds and "family guys" will actually be able to work from a position of trust and respect, towards implementing their ideas among the masses of conformists.
What could be more radical than that? The dreadlocked youth of today are asleep at the wheel. They haven't even found the Libertarian Party or Ayn Rand yet, let alone held down a real job. I'm all for self-expression, and I like to see variety, but meaningful words and deeds say a lot more than a haircut ever will. -
Posted By:
AJDade at 03/25/2008 6:41:22 PM
Comment:
I find it difficult to believe you took those great photos with a cell phone but it's all to your credit and hip-hip-hooray for high technology. Your photos just absolutely made your fine article Complete with a capital C! -
Posted By:
AJDade at 03/25/2008 6:31:29 PM
Comment:
Your revelatory article was fun reading. I too cut my dreadlocks some months ago,but immediately realized I had done the wrong thing. The issue was dyed hair and the constant coloring jobs that were necessary to keep up with. I too had enough (and just when my locks were falling, to my shoulder some of them and others well on their way) but should have maintained a certain amount of locked hair after clipping because ; I have been trying to lock mine ever since. I have to start all over. My hair is heavily salt 'n pepper, okay, but now I have to redo the whole thing, apply the goop (beeswax) and all that twisting. Women and their (our) hair issues, there never seems to be any end to the changes we go through when it comes to hair. My sisters have their hair cut short monthly because; they can't be bothered at this point in life, but as for me, I'm growing mine back again, this time completely salt n' pepper, no matter how long it takes. and until the next time. A. J. Dade -
Posted By:
AJDade at 03/25/2008 6:22:27 PM
Comment:
Fun reading. I too cut my dreadlocks but immediately realized I had done the wrong thing. The issue was dyed hair and the constant coloring jobs that were necessary to keep up with. I had enough but should have maintained a certain amount of locked hair because I have been trying to lock mine ever since and although my hair grew back heavily salt 'n pepper, I still have to redo the whole thing, beeswax and all to have locks again. Women and our hair, there never seems to be any end to the changes we go through. My sisters constantly have their hair cut short but as for me, I'm growing mine back again, this time completely salt n' pepper. J. Dade-
Posted By:
Makania at 03/26/2008 8:50:43 PM
Comment:
If you want to rock locks there is a new way (for women at least) nappylocks/sisterlocks are very manageable and can look polished enough for most work environments. You also don't have to do all that bees wax and yuchy stuff. Nappylocks are simple and beat the other choices for sisters I think that having my hair together every day is more polished than the come and go of the relaxer.
I got my tiny micro locks a couple of months ago and I like my hair for the first time!
For
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Posted By:
MizzTee at 03/25/2008 2:09:57 PM
Comment:
My husband just cut his hair after 16 years. He works in Corporate America and he had realized that the dreds had become an obstacle to his career.He cut his hair 3 months ago and since then, he has gotten a promotion and he is on a management track. He is even getting to meet more with clients. I am happy i dont have to cut my hair to conform or assimilate into the corporate world. I am an independent flimmaker. -
Posted By:
alpha1906 at 03/25/2008 11:29:47 AM
Comment:
Wow, I could never imagine cutting my locks. It would be like cutting off my nose. -
Posted By:
jcan at 03/25/2008 9:11:42 AM
Comment:
By chance, I was in the barber shop when Robert had has locks cut off. It was a different experience for me. I am naturally bald so i didn't get to make a statement of my African-American experience by wearing my hair in the long , beautiful , and natural tradition. Before locks became mainstream they were seen as a symbol of cultural awareness. Now unfortunately I see youth being locked up with locks flowing but no sense cultural awareness. Locks like any expression or tradition that's done without meaning just becomes too heavy or in the way. In the African American community too many times we are reduced to making statements of who we are and whose we are. If I could I would wear my locks with pride, cultural awareness, and the love of God for making me a black man. By never having the experience of growing locks and caring for them I can only continue to imagine the feeling the pride of having an opportunity to wear them. I hope that our children and community would learn the cultural importance and value of being who God made us. And realizing that your hair is only one way making a statement of who you are.-
Posted By:
bylinediva at 03/31/2008 12:25:04 AM
Comment:
i have locks and i love it. i work in entertainment so it's not that big a deal, but i would only cut them for a job if i was absolutely desperate. i wore twists for two years before i locked. i have always had superthick hair and wore braids for years. at one point i was perming my hair and braiding it, since it was so thick that it made braiding it more manageable. i was spending two days and using two hairdressers and spending $150 on extension hair. i realized it was ridiculous for me to keep putting fake hair into a head full of abundant, thick hair already on my head. i live in a city where i see beautiful locked sistahs every day. i love my locks and feel much more beautiful than i ever did with any other hairstyle.(my only issue is the gray at the hairline!) as far as locks only being worn by thugs and criminals, that's ridiculous. did konks and caesars denote criminal behavior when they were in style? if brothers have expanded the concept of locks outside of rastas and afrocentric incense burners, that's a great thing. (though i do have to wonder why so popular in florida, you'd think locs would be the last thing they'd want in all that humidity). i can only thank lil' wayne and those that proudly sport their locks for expanding the consciousness of a others who can now see it as a hairstyle choice. as for the aunt of the 11-year-old, i suspect your nephew had issues before he wanted to twist his hair. that's very narrow-minded of you to think that had something to do with it. i say lock, don't lock, celebrate yourself and be comfortable with who you are and what choices you make that work for you. i didn't like the self-righteousness of the "lock mafia" any better than those who felt locs were dirty and ugly. i say, do what feels right for you. i did and i feel great, but if i ever cut them, that will i'm sure be the right thing for me at that time, too.
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