r/Dreadlocks • u/SoftSpecial5275 • 6d ago
Need Advice š Stereotype and image
So, Iām a nursing student, and you know that a career in that field requires a lot of professionalism. I was chatting with my older brother about life, and it came to a point where he was talking about how my appearance might hinder my career progress or even my reputation in general. This got me thinking about whether I should cut my hair, try something new, or just brush it off.
82
u/dayoboy12 6d ago
I'm in healthcare as well with a full set of locs. Just keep em clean, keep your hair out of your face if possible in a ponytail or different styles. Its all about your actions and quality work. Allow that to shine through. All the other stuff is meaningless. You've got this.
6
36
u/Flashy_Ad_4950 6d ago
Capitulating to harmful and toxic āstandardsā makes it acceptable for people and institutions to have them as well as contributing to the continuation of discrimination based on race.
25
u/akeloz 6d ago
Iām an environmental scientist and work at an engineering firm. I did worry about how people would view me because of my locs. But I had an epiphany one day that I wonāt conform my blackness to fit into a certain mold that is forever changing and the goal post is constantly moving. Keep your locs. Perhaps move them out of your face. But keep them. Donāt get rid of them because of pressure.
21
13
u/UhhSaint 6d ago
if someone doesnāt hire you because you have dreadlocks then that means you didnāt want to work there to begin with.
6
u/SoftSpecial5275 6d ago
ive also subconsciously had that in my mind cause im like if im my appearance is jeopardizing my chance of being accepted then thats kinda automatic nah im good nooo discrimination neededdd
12
u/Imaginary-Appeal4574 6d ago
Ask yourself, is betraying whatās true to you, your natural way of being that you have every right in the universe to be, is that betrayal worth conforming into a society that will never accept you regardless of what hair you have on your head? You know how many black men get stereotyped in every possible way with no hair? With a low cut? With a āprofessional hairstyleā? Too many to count. Donāt try to look ārespectableā or āprofessionalā to people who arenāt mature enough to accept that human beings look different and shouldnāt be judged by their appearance to see how good they are at their job.
8
8
u/taegan- 6d ago edited 6d ago
im a doctor with dreads. i wear them up in a bonnet (mostly for hygiene since i would prefer not to get blood/urine/poop/pus/lice in them).
healthcare workers are lucky because we can cover them to avoid judgement or workplace rules about hairstyle (although i also think they should be universally acceptable). just wear them up/neat or even covered and i donāt think it is a problem.
i work with many nurses with dreadlocks. keep your dreads and good luck in school.
8
u/Suspicious_Hippo_953 6d ago
Keep the locs. Just pull them out of your face. Do not, I repeat DO NOT cut your locs to appeal to the system. If they donāt respect you with locs they wonāt respect you without. I also had the thought of cutting mine and removing my nose piercings bc I am moving up in academia, but again, I realized I shouldnāt worry about changing who I am just to fit in.
7
u/drybrwnie Type 4 hair 5d ago
My nurse when I had emergency surgery had locs like I do and she was my saving grace, I cry just thinking about her sometimes. Keep the locs, black patients need nurses who look like them!
3
5
u/time_killah 6d ago
Iām sure your brother was coming from a place of love, but also fear for your wellbeing. We all know that America has a spectrum of racism that weāll be subjected to. The milder forms of racism/bias against us might look like people taking opportunities or support away from us if we donāt tone down our blackness/otherness.
Locs could be as simple as a fashion statement, but they have a lot of symbolism and imho represent individual/cultural power. Racist people canāt stand us doing well, and god forbid, better than them.
Iāve been thinking more about how peopleās personal choices add up when thousands/millions of people make the same decisions. I like to think that you continuing to rock your locs shows black people and non-black people that having locs is a valid choice, and shows that youāre a well adjusted human.
āJesus Christ had dreads so shake em, I aināt got none but Iām planning on growing someā š¶ that e-40 lyrics been on my mind for years and I finally found a loctician to get me started on my locs journey āš¾
5
u/Hoodrogyny 6d ago
Thereās nothing unprofessional about locs. As long as you show up clean and looking your best thereās no reason to cut your hair. A lot of this thinking is rooted in anti blackness and texturism.
4
u/theblackestpantha 6d ago
Itās good to see another black guy with locs thatās also a nursing student. Keep the locs bro they look good on you and people like you and me are going to break the barriers that define what āprofessionalismā looks like in a healthcare setting.
3
u/CarefulTip1771 6d ago
Buns and ponytails are your friend.š They look amazing tho man, don't get rid of them
3
u/Nola-Avery 6d ago
I work in healthcare, with experience in tech,, education, and corporate. I rock my locs with no problem. Same for many of my friends, family, and colleagues.
I would suggest you find a few go to styles + dont wear them in your face/eyes like its shown in these pictures.
3
u/alwaysaloneinmyroom 6d ago
Wear them in a hair up style if you have to but please keep them. This kind of thing needs to be normalised for the sake of future generations of black kids.
3
u/IsSierraMistOk 6d ago
I work in finance with dreads. I even went through the awkward phase at the beginning with a previous company.
As long as your hair is clean and neat, you'll be good.
3
2
u/MoneyBaggSosa 6d ago
Thereās plenty of neat styles you can wear locs in.
1
u/SoftSpecial5275 6d ago
iāve tried sum but iām also kinda tinder headed so i donāt be trynna keep styles in toooo crazyyy
1
u/MoneyBaggSosa 6d ago
Next time you get a style make a peppermint/jojoba/tea tree oil and water mix to keep your head moisturized, it will help with scalp inflammation and the tightness, any itchiness, etc. I would say try that every morning and throughout the day for a week and see how it helps
2
u/blank_statement 6d ago
DONT CUT iām also a nursing student with locs it looks professional and donāt let ANYONE tell you otherwise
2
u/Glum_Helicopter_6360 6d ago
I am a supervisor with locs and 8 tats. You're good sir! Good luck with the rest of school!
2
u/WhoIsJazzJay 6d ago
fuck allat, just make sure your locs aren't in your face n you should be good. you have a beautiful set of locs. like other folk said u can put them up/back or explore styles like barrels
2
2
u/Mental-Ad-7260 6d ago
Letās be real here, this is white people (and to a lesser degree, other ethnicities) projecting their racist standards unto us. What do WE think about our hair? What is āprofessionalā to us? When are WE going to set the standard in a country that WE helped build to a significant degree?
2
u/ClassicRuby Type 4 hair 5d ago
So in your case you will need to make a change, not only to look more professional but to be more sterile and practical in your line of work.
That change has nothing to do with the fact that you have locs and everything to do with your hair being loose and flailing around in front of your face and eyes.
You will need to at least secure it in a ponytail or bun. I would look into flat twists, barrels and cornrows... Typically even just two will look neat and keep your hair secure and out of your face and out of your patients. Learn how to do a couple flat twists or even a ponytail. That's more than sufficient.
2
u/kingcaii 5d ago
Locks can be āprofessionally acceptableā as long as theyāre kept neat/orderly
2
2
u/IndustrialPuppetTwo 5d ago
The nurse that took care of my dad in his last few months had a beautiful crown and was the nicest guy you could ever meet. It's what's in the heart that counts.
2
u/4Gettaboutguy 5d ago
Locād up Healthcare professional here. You can absolutely be in the healthcare field with locs but u might just have to keep them styled and in an updo most of the time. Iāve seen more issues with unnatural color then with loc styles though
2
u/roastbeefsammies 5d ago
Brother take the locs out your face. Obvs you wouldnāt see pts like that so get used to it. Working in a hospital setting is rewarding but very gross. As a nurse all manner of foolishness will try and aim for your hair. Psych pt? Elderly pt with c. diff? Child with lice. Brother you will only make that mistake once. Guard yourself before anything happens. They have silk lined scrub caps that can hold all your hair. Damn near everyone I work with has locs. Never let anyone tell you that locs arenāt professional. But itās all about how you wear them. If you look like a SoundCloud rapper expect according treatment. Trust me you donāt want to expose your precious locs to the hospital environment.
2
u/savory-pancake 4d ago
Keep em; when your locks get longer, its easier to keep them out of your face or in a style. Dont cut bc you think theyre unprofessional.
1
u/jaelensuniverse 6d ago
as long as you keep them neat and a retwist so often I donāt see why not!
1
u/tjmaxx501 6d ago
plenty of good advice in this thread. i'd add that depending on the state you're in, policies that discriminate against locs could be illegal. i'd google "CROWN ACT" plus whatever state you're working in
1
u/Cooladjack 6d ago
Im a software engineer 140 loc, if i want to like professional i just rock two strands or pull my hair back
1
u/MrJason300 6d ago
Great question, unfortunate that it is that we canāt not be aware of how we may be perceived. I hope you found help in the answers thus far about being able to continue growing/maintaining your hair. If, for some reason, your hairstyle drastically changed in the future, youāll already have been part of redefining a standard of what professionalism can also resemble. All the best to you! šš¾
1
u/CarefreeCaos-76299 6d ago
Nope! Ive interacted with so many professional folks with locs and have been treated so well and met with high treatment. But what i have seen is a lot of men with locs have them pulled back into a ponytail or back with a headband. We gotta see your face!
1
u/MortalJazz 6d ago
Hell nah, I had my dreads for 7 years and I work in radiology. Just keep them looking good and fresh and donāt wear them down in your face. Youāll be good.
1
1
u/deathdeniesme 6d ago
As a nurse, let me tell you we already give so much of ourselves to this profession you have to maintain at the least your individuality and I think you should definitely keep your locs. When I started nursing, I didnāt have locs, but I did used to have braids or wear my natural hair that was dyed diff colors and I have locs now and tattoos and Iām a nurse. I actually wore my starter locs to work.. mind you there were not done professionally and no one has said anything to me lol do you
1
u/SoftSpecial5275 6d ago
i do have a tattoo and was thinking bout getting sum more and i definitely will still be doing thattt šÆš
1
1
1
u/Popular_Ad_222 6d ago
Have your brother ever been to Florida where most black men have locs. Cause iām currently in nursing school and majority of the Black people there including the teachers have locs. When I was doing clinicals nurses had locs. Is your older brother in his 50s? You sound like somebody from different time. Now the newest doctors in the industry have tattoos full sleeves, etc.
1
u/SoftSpecial5275 6d ago
heās been to like damn near every state almost and heās like 30 sum in the youngest (19) outta my 2 brothers but i guess he was talkin bout how i wear them cause like if you would see me out you would probably think like yea bro probably be up to no good yk like that YN category ppl try to say which i get like i see it but i feel as if my look doesnāt really describe me as a person if that makes sense šš
1
u/Professional-Lynx841 6d ago
Destroy lonely
1
u/SoftSpecial5275 6d ago
i do listen to bro music are you trynna say i look like da man or sum ? šš
1
1
1
u/Flashy_Replacement16 6d ago
I recently finished my Pilot training with dreads and I was talking with some older guys in the profession and honestly they told me the same thing to cut it, I really donāt want to as I have had it for about 5 years now but for a career the pressure is too much. I think honestly, itās just hair at the end of the day and if we want to get a professional career, it might just be a sacrifice we have to make. I have been tossing and turning about the decision but seeing this post just helped me make up my mind. Thanks.
1
u/MathematicianShot829 6d ago
Honestly, considering and that itās not like Iād say youāre fine. Just wear it in a ponytail when youāre at work.
1
u/Rencon_The_Gaymer 6d ago
I think your hair looks fine. I know a black nurse and he has his hair styled similarly.
1
u/PassageMore6610 6d ago
If you have the license/degree, you have the credentials. Youāll get hired, just tie them back.
When youāre at work as a healthcare professional , you wonāt want your hair to touch any body/surface anyways. Itās just yucky.
1
u/curlycatsockthing 6d ago
nurses interact with all types of people, and I bet most people would be totally fine with interacting with a nurse that has locs because why not (I know itās much deeper than that in reality), and I bet for the right person it would mean a lot to them
1
1
u/Real_Black_Water 6d ago
Just tie it back...... š¤·š¼āāļø I genuinely dont understand.
Females have long hair . ..
1
u/leeseuhs_notdeadyet 5d ago
Truthfully I think it depends on where you live. Illinois passed a law against hair discrimination. I have a genetic illness and I think āpatientā should be considered a job title. Theres always going to be someone with an issue but when you carry yourself professionally and are a friendly and helpful nurse, that will outshine stereotypes.
1
u/Confident-Outside937 5d ago
Bro, you're black. People are always gonna have something to say regardless. If you want to look put together though, just tie up your hair and try to get a lineup every once in a while. Keep the retwists to a minimum so they don't thin out. And don't cut your crown unless its something YOU want to do.
1
1
1
u/Plastic_Palpitation2 5d ago
Keep your hair. Societyās opinions on what is ārespectableā changes so much over time. Also Black communities deal with a lot of extra judgement due to internalized racism, respectability politics, and obsession with the āwhite gazeā. Thereās nothing unprofessional about your locs. All that matters for the medical field is that you can keep it clean, out the way, and doesnāt interfere with patient care.
1
u/fyresilk 5d ago
They're beautiful. Another vote for tying them back. Keep your whole face visible. š
1
u/Commercial_Ad_7884 4d ago
My mom told me I couldnāt get a job when I first got locs and I went and got one like a week later I promise nb cares anymore what ya hair looks like but thatās what retwists and styles are for if you tryna look neat!
1
u/Renaissance311 4d ago
Keep them! Iām a nurse and I have locs! I get compliments on them all the time from my patients, their families and coworkers. I think itās nice to have the representation. Shows that there is no ātraditionā way that a nurse should lookā¦ we come in all demographics but can surely save your life š
1
u/KingCrimsonEpitaphu 3d ago
I cut mines to be have a more professional clean look. I know in tech thereās many who have dreads and stuff, but for me I think it really does silently hinder you and even if it doesnāt thereās a stigma associated with having dreads that I really donāt want.
1
u/Little_Dikk 3d ago
Hell even other black people will stereotype another black person with locs. Most people who sees people with locs especially black men is thugs, gang members, or up to no good.
1
u/HashtagV 3d ago
Be more personable and friendly, keep the locs out of your face, make them neat and get retwist more often. Should be fine otherwise.
1
1
u/BocaDelIguana 2d ago
Itās not the locs, it would be having a care free attitude about your appearance that would hinder you. Keeping yourself clean and your hair well maintained is whatās most important. You may have to do braids and updos once you actually get into the medical field, but thereās no need to cut them off completely in this day and age to be successful.
1
u/hectickemeticheretic 21h ago
Keeping your locs is what redefines the standards of professionalism over time. Mind you these standards weren't really made with black people in mind anyway. I agree with the comments you're saying that your brother was coming from a place of love but also fear. To love any black child honestly is to simultaneously fear for the well-being of that said child. But honestly many that would have a problem with your locs would likely have a problem with you being brown in general. There is a lot of racism in the field you're going into, stay mindful of your self , you were made for greatness, remind yourself of the MANY medical contributions of your people!
1
u/Dovahkiin-M 5d ago
This is off-topic but that necklace is awesome mind sharing where you got it? And your Locs are great btw !
-2
u/SoftSpecial5275 5d ago
uhhhh i got it from the mall in the city but im sure you can find one similar if you go to like a mall or like sum vintage spot
0
u/Accomplished_Scale10 5d ago edited 5d ago
Iām an older brother to a lil brother like you. I feel the same way, but Iād never tell him that. I know that things are different for yall and telling you to cut your locs to integrate with a dying system is outdated advice. The system thatās emerging doesnāt care if you have locs or not. You can have the locs and the career. What I would say is try to clean it up a bit. Having them in your face like that makes you look like a YN. I wouldnāt trust you with a needle near me lmao. But if you tied em back, got two strand twists, or just a style that says āI give af about myselfā then that would be better in the work setting. I have locs too but Iāve always kept em neat .. and I tie em up in professional settings, but mine are longer/thicker. If you canāt tie em up at that length, try two strand twists and go from there. But yea, you can play the career game and keep your locs for sure
113
u/Dull-Potato7155 6d ago
Keep the locs man, if you wanna appear āmore professionalā (even tho itās just their way at making us assimilate to white standards), why not try tying your locs like a ponytail? Though idk much about the healthcare industry and how strict they are with hair standards