Why I Wear Dreadlocks?

For the last eight years I've worn what some refer to as - dreadlocks. I personally do not to call them dreadlocks because I see nothing dreadful about them. Instead I refer to them simply as "locks". If you're not familiar with this hairstyle, it is worn mostly by people of African descent (although the youth of today seem to love them no matter what their ethnicity). Locks are created by hand twisting the hair with a substance like beeswax, honey or shea butter. The hair is trained and formed into these twists until they "lock" in place.

Although many associate locks with Bob Marley and the whole Rastafarian religious movement, locks were actually around far before Bob Marley and his crew were ever thought of. Many historians say that dreadlocks first came about as a result of slave ships. It is said that slaves were unable to comb or brush their hair, thus the hair began to grow into what looked like ropes. Some say this was the first record of dreadlocks. Others refer back to the days of Moses and a group called the Nazarenes. One vow of a Nazarene was to not cut their hair. It is believed that instead they would form the hair into large roped sections and that they were the first to wear locks.

To this day, many wear dreadlocks because of their religious affiliations. Namely the Rastafarian religion. Others wear dreadlocks as a symbol of racial pride and strength. Some others view their locks as somewhat of a statement of radicalism. Consequently, everyone who wears locks is sometimes assumed to fit into one of these categories.