Dreadlocks and Individualism

Dreadlocks and Individualism

Imagine having the flexibility of wearing your hair loose and flowing. . .maybe pulled back in a simple rubber band, or allowing your long locks to swing expressively in front of your face. It's a natural feeling and style, that epitomizes your love for individualism, they are your Dreadlocks. The art of dreadlocks can be traced back to the Ancient Caribbean islands such as Jamaica where they were fine tuned to perfection by Rastafarians. Here at Syracuse University, students give a new meaning to what it is like to be a part of the dreadlock society without having to be a Rastafarian, a black radicalist, or politically correct. In fact, being able to be different and sculpt the hair away from the average trends on campus creates this off beat group--The Dreadlocks Society.

Before conducting any research on this group, I had many assumptions that I thought drew the boundaries for people in The Dreadlock Society. I believed that they all seemed to have an intense awareness and sensitivity for their roots and culture. But I learned this is not always accurate. Many of the people with "dreads" do have a strong awareness for their ethnicity. However, the art of a perfectly executed dreadlock creation is a testimony to one's individualism and creativity for the men and women who wear and contribute to the beauty of this style.

According to the recent survey, there are many stigmas attached to a person who wears dreadlocks. For example, a sophomore, Sam Wilson encounters prejudices often. He feels that people often associate his dreads with selling or smoking marijuana on a regular basis. The derivation of this stereotype stems from the Rastafarian culture. Smoking marijuana is a long tradition...

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...hem in, at the same time it is all mine and very natural."

In actuality, there are no specific guidelines or boundaries for being considered a dreadlock member. One's style, color, or fashion wear does not qualify you even more to be a "member." All there is to it, is having dreadlocks! From the recent study, people from outside The Dreadlock Society views those with dreadlocks as having a need to be different with a unique sense of identity. One questionnaire respondent expressed, "People with dreads are a reflection of Rastafarians who live with an ethnic style or mentality." What does this all mean? According to a cultural rap group Arrested Development, in one of there many hits exemplifying cultural bond, an excerpt from the song titled "Dawn of the Dreads" expresses, "The dreads symbolize the natural growth of not just the hair, but also of the mind. . ."