Dreadlocks, dreads, locks, loc? Defining Dreadlocks.

Dreadlocks have a long and tangled history stretching back millennia, but they still enjoy prominence atop many heads today. Also known as ‘locs,’ they are strands of hair that are washed but not brushed and twisted together for religious, spiritual, and aesthetic reasons.

Stay tuned to discover more about the fascinating story of dreadlocks in the media and pop culture.

Historical roots

Dreadlocks were first described in India’s Vedic scriptures, and modern Yogis still wear them to demonstrate the divine connection and the denying of superficial needs.

Dreadlocks are also found on bas-relief sculptures from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, but no single culture or time period can lay real claim as it’s likely humans had messy ‘dreadlocked’ hair for thousands of years before styling products existed.

Jamaica to the world – the origins of Rastafarian dreadlocks

During 1930s Jamaica, the Rastafarian movement grew.

Rastafarianism fostered a culture of community values with Afrocentric Bible teachings, and ‘Ital’ vegetarian diet, and upholding Ethiopian religious days revering Emperor Haile Selassie, considered the Messiah to lead Africans and the Black diaspora to freedom from white supremacy.

Hence, Rastafarian locs symbolize rejection of ‘Babylon’ - white colonial-imperialist society that enslaved Black Africans for several centuries.

Fun fact: in Jamaican Patois, the term ‘dread’ is a term of respect used like ‘sir,’ which may explain where the word came from.

Bob Marley’s lasting influence

Think of famous dreadlock-wearers, and chances are you’ll imagine the 1970s ‘King of Reggae’ - Bob Marley.

Marley brought locs to the masses along with his music, spreading the Rastafarian message worldwide and creating an association with Jamaican culture that stands the test of time.

As Marley’s music gained popularity, dreadlock-wearing increased as a symbol of Black pride, especially within the Black nationalist movement as African Americans pursued a Pan-African sense of power and community while protesting 1970s police brutality.

Emerging in the 80s and 90s movies - and rap music  

Dreadlocks spread beyond politics in the latter 20th century, appearing in both Hollywood and rap music.

Whoopi Goldberg displayed a proud head of dreadlocks in the 1980s, but unenlightened movie executives reportedly “didn’t know what to do” with them onscreen. However, she still happily wears them today.

Locs were embraced in 1990s music videos by rappers Busta Rhymes and Coolio with striking pigtails and ‘pineapple’ styles, and even by white rock and metal bands as a rejection of the ‘mainstream,’ including Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine and Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley.

More musicians than have worn dreadlocks include:

·      Lauryn Hill

·      Tracy Chapman

·      Erykah Badu

·      Lenny Kravitz

The 1990s cultivated a new image of who wore dreadlocks, and this would continue into the new millennium.

The 2000s onwards, and cultural appropriation

As social media has exploded, concepts of ‘cultural appreciation’ versus ‘cultural appropriation’ have splintered – and although locs are now perceived as less ‘alternative,’ there’s still a stigma attached to them for Black wearers.

In 2015, musician Zendaya received disparaging media comments about her faux-locs, and famous white wearers or users of dreadlocks have usually since been quickly reprimanded for racial insensitivity, such as:

·      Kylie Jenner (2015)

·      Miley Cyrus (2015)

·      Marc Jacobs’ New York Fashion Week show (2016)

·      Zac Efron (2018)

·      Justin Bieber (2016, 2021)

As harmless as cultural appropriation might seem, it’s important to remember that attacks on Black wearers of dreadlocks still happen, underlining that if a white person can wear them without violent repercussions, a Black person should also be able to do so.

Locs for life

Locs continue to appear in the media, such as on Benjamin Zephaniah’s street preacher Jeremiah Jesus in the hit show Peaky Blinders, proving that they still represent the force of Black identity and influence.

But the unequal power dynamics that emerge when white wearers don them, still reveal a pertinent dilemma that many should perhaps examine when growing their starter locs.

By questioning white supremacy and beauty standards and honoring the cultural history behind dreadlocks, maybe someday they could hold sacred significance for anybody who chooses to wear them.

Now let’s get into the ten times Chloe and Halle gave us locs Inspiration for days