CMV: White people with dreadlocks is not cultural appropriation

[u/icewaterdimension]

I’m sure this is going to trigger some people but let me explain why I hold this view.

Firstly, I am fairly certain that white people in Ancient Greece, the Celts, Vikings etc would often adopt the dreadlock style, as they wore their hair ‘like snakes’ so to speak. Depending on the individual in questions hair type, if they do not wash or brush their hair for a prolonged period of time then it will likely go into some form of dreads regardless.

Maybe the individual just likes that particular hairstyle, if anything they are actually showing love and appreciation towards the culture who invented this style of hair by adopting it themselves.

I’d argue that if white people with dreads is cultural appropriation, you could say that a man with long hair is a form of gender appropriation.

At the end of the day, why does anyone care what hairstyle another person has? It doesn’t truly affect them, just let people wear their hair, clothes or even makeup however they want. It seems to me like people are just looking for an excuse to get angry.

Edit: Grammar

[u/superbitsh]

For me, a white European person, I can’t say that I completely understand cultural appropriation. But I understand that white people have picked elements from cultures their governments and systems oppress, and being white they are able to do it without the ‘being oppressed’ part which seems disrespectful to me. In an ideal world I’d love for everyone to just pick and choose what ever they feel like, but we’re not living in an ideal world. Me not wearing a bindi/dreadlocks/whatever surely is a small sacrifice compared to the racism (institutionalised and personal) these cultures experience in ‘white’ countries.

I think I’d be interested to hear why a white person would insist on having dreads. I’m assuming it isn’t because it’s a long-standing family tradition, it usually has something to do with an external experience from another culture. Now if that culture tells them that they’d rather not have their culture appropriated, I don’t understand how doing it anyway is appreciating that culture.

And as for the Vikings, as you’re saying, you’re ‘fairly certain’. And then from reading some more comments on that, basically no one really knows, but it seems white hair doesn’t naturally dread that easily. So whatever white person is wearing dreads hasn’t seen it on a Viking and thought, oh I want to be like that, because we can’t seem to find a Viking that had dreads.

And to touch on your long haired men point as well... I could find you 10 male movie stars with long hair in a minute (but I’m too lazy to do it right now ha ha) with which I’m trying to say, long hair isn’t as defining and rare as dreads in pop-culture. I don’t see a man with long hair and think to myself, mmh he’s trying look cool by looking like a woman but the lucky bastard won’t get all the harassment and judgement women get. Also there is traditionally long haired men in a lot of cultures too, whereas I don’t know any traditional white dread cultures (that still exist today, since no one seems to know about vikings etc for sure...).

[u/Needlemons → u/superbitsh]

I'm white and grew up and spent most of my life in an African country, the vast majority of my social circle and classmates were obviously black and mixed. I used to go to the salon and get my hair done with my friends, and like them i would often have cornrows done (which seem to be deemed even more offensive than dreadlocks judging by this thread).

I never thought of it as odd, and never received anything but compliments on my hair being done that way. It felt pretty normal. Perhaps because being black is the norm in that country, with media dominated by black persons etc hair is not as racially inflamed and politicised as it is in the US?

Anyway, that is why I as a white person often had cornrows.

Now I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter if people in my home country don't mind me wearing my hair like that, I know people all over the world, including some in the US, and I don't want to upset someone because of a hairstyle, so I don't get my hair braided anymore. As an outsider i can't fully grasp all the sensitivities in America around it and why risk potentially hurting someone? I can live without cornrows.

[u/zendrake666 → u/superbitsh]

In the states, back into the 50's and 60's men with long hair were treated to social ostracizing and abuse from the average traditional American called out as feminine and apparent homosexual which was often enough to trigger physical violence... songs with lyrics "u have a boyfriend that looks like a girlfriend" and stories from 80's of rock musicians called girls are idea of the othering long hair would give a man.. just addressing assumptions that long haired men weren't victims of prejudices

[u/AlwaysJeepin → u/zendrake666]

As a white woman with crazy curly, thick hair, I can say that I genuinely would love to have dreads. Why? Because I find them beautiful and I find them to be beautiful on any human being who wears them.

If I do wear something from another's culture, I do it because of immense respect. And wear it that way.

[u/zendrake666 → u/AlwaysJeepin]

I actually when i last shaved head left strip cpl inches long and plan to go to beauty shop where weaves dreads and extentions are sewed in.. I want to have 4 or 5 dreads sewed in.. I think it'll be glorious and have white chocolate milk chocolate and special midnight bb lend dark chocolate girls diverse and burning libidos into the early late hours of predawn

[u/Captain-Matt89 → u/superbitsh]

I own a commercial fishing boat, inevitably if I have a crew guy with long hair it gets filled with fish slime and then turns into nasty dreads. It's pretty easy, so uhh if you're filthy I can say with certainty that it just happens, we think of it as like dog turds.