Let the record show that I am not a hair person. Never was. Probably will never be. For most of my adult life, I have been searching for an easy do. I was the first person in line at the beauty salon when the "geri curl" came out. When I grew tired of that, I joined the "bring a hairpiece" to lunch bunch. After decades of harsh perms, hairpieces, wigs and other assorted efforts, I decided to grow "dredlocks" after nearly a decade of wearing braids.
There are a lot of myths about dredlocks . . . and for the purpose of this blog . . . I will drop the dred and just refer to them as locks. First of all, locks are a reflection of an individual's lifestyle and sense of beauty. Dreds are not for everyone. It takes a certain amount of guts to wear locks and it is not the hair style of the timid. Secondly, dreds are not dirty or smelly. Many professional hairstylists are trained in the technique of maintaining beautiful locks. Proper maintenance is the key to healthy locks! Now, I know that Bob Marley's locks probably soured mainstream America on locks. But rest assured, most people who sport locks and hold down professional jobs would never wear Bob Marley locks in the work place.
For generations, black people have tussled with the issue of our hair. Remember the phrase, "oh she's got good hair?" Well, I maintain that all black people (and all of my brothers and sisters on the other side of the color line) have good hair. We can wear our hair in numerous styles, i.e., straight, blow-dried, curly, braided or locked and we are beautiful. Many of my colleagues have issues with my locked hair. Does wearing locks mean that I look "thuggish"? I don't think so. I'm one of the most girly girls I know. Men who lock are simply gorgeous! And sisters who can really experiment and style their locks are simply fabulous. I count myself in that number. My hair is clean, conditioned and more beautiful today than it was when I was perming the heck out it!
A colleague, who also wears locks, said that may be it's a generational thing. It's okay for young folks to wear locks, but for old professional fogies -- not so okay. When are we going to stop judging each other by the way we look? Aren't we mature enough to appreciate each other's differences? I love my locks. Thanks, Black Butterflies and Ms. Marquita for taking such good care of my long, luxurious, healthy and fabulous dred locks.
We as a people come in many hues, have many types of hair textures and sport individual styles in fashion and dress. We are not monolithic. We are a cloth of many colors. That's what makes each of us unique. Let's acknowledge our differences while celebrating our commonalities.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said it more eloquently. You truly have a gift for using language effectively. And, thanks for checking on the PR DVA.
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