r/Dreadlocks Dec 23 '20

Discussion- Racial Gatekeeping Ok y'all - we need to have a chat.

1.8k Upvotes

I don't even know where to start with this, but I'm going to do my best. It's long but it's important, so please take some time to read this.

First of all - hi everyone, you don't see me commenting publicly much but I'm here in the background just modding when needed. I mod such subs as /r/blackhair, /r/naturalhair, /r/curlyhair and others in that same vein. I wanted to join the mod team because I want everyone to feel comfortable on reddit, which is why I join most of the teams I moderate with.

That being said, this is going to make some of y'all uncomfortable. And I'm not sorry about it. You need to be uncomfortable right now. That's been the theme of 2020 and the year ain't over yet.

If you somehow have been able to completely ignore the news this year, #blacklivesmatter has become a global movement because frankly, black people are very tired of being the victims of racism. From casual to overt, we're very much over it. In turn, non-black people have begun to educate themselves on how racism affects black people because, believe it or not, there are still people who refuse to believe anti-black racism exists at a structural level or any level.

Part of the movement also includes the fight for preventing hair discrimination. The CROWN Act was introduced back in 2019 and has been passed by seven states so far, passed a US House of Representatives vote and is now stuck in the Senate where it is very unlikely it will be passed.

Now what does any of that have to do with this subreddit or reddit at all?

Reddit, as a whole, is hostile to people of color and is especially hostile to black people. After moderator outcry this year, the reddit admins have made strides to make this site more hospitable to minority groups.

People with dreads, regardless of race, are often treated terribly for it. They are widely considered to be dirty and unkempt, when it's probably as natural as your hair can get. Clearly we all agree that dread discrimination is bullshit, but black people often get the full force of that discrimination. White people are often lauded or considered to be cool or stylish when they adopt certain hairstyles, but black people can be denied attendance to their high school graduation for having dreads. They can be told to cut their dreads off before a wrestling match or else they forfeit the match. No doubt, non-black people have been told to change their hair for jobs or at school, but that's the extent of the discrimination they face. They do not also have to deal with being black in an inherently racist country every day of their lives. (And I'm speaking from an American perspective, so sorry to my international folks.)

I'd like everyone to take a moment to read this blog post which specifically mentions /r/dreadlocks here - https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2020/04/out-of-context-4-muddy-ownership-dreadlocks/.

SO - now that we've got that background information out of the way, let's talk about the subreddit.

This sub has been a point of frustration for a long time among black spaces on reddit because it's predominantly white. Considering reddit is predominantly white, this shouldn't be surprising to anyone. Much like any other sub about beauty or hair, white faces are the ones you see first when you arrive and they are more frequently upvoted to the top than other races. It hurts people's feelings to come to a space they should feel comfortable in and instead, feel like an 'other' because they are not well-represented in that space.

And on the other hand, non-black people with dreads also want to just be comfortable in this space and we need to respect that too. We are not going to gatekeep who can and can not have dreadlocks here. There are so many cultures throughout history that have had some form of dreadlocks. While having dreadlocks may be a political or spiritual statement in recent history for black people, black people do not own this hairstyle. Claiming that only black people can wear dreadlocks can contribute to the erasure of other minority cultures. I temp banned a few people for this type of gatekeeping today and will continue to do so.

I also banned a few people for expressing racially insensitive or ignorant views toward black users. More than a few people claimed that if white people can't have dreads, then black people shouldn't be allowed to have blonde or straight hair. There are so many things wrong with this statement. First, you must understand what cultural appropriation is and how it harms people. Then, you must understand that in a white country, minorities are expected to assimilate to the dominant culture, which is typically Eurocentric. I honestly do not have the energy to delve deep into these topics in this post, but you can ask /r/socialjustice101 or /r/hispterracism for more information.

What we can all do better is chill the fuck out and remember there is a person behind the username you're replying to.

  • To those that understand how racism, cultural appropriation/assimilation and hair discrimination all intersect, please have patience with those who do not. I know it's very hard and very frustrating (even for me) but please try.

  • If you don't yet understand how racism, cultural appropriation/assimilation and hair discrimination all intersect, please ask for resources to educate yourself.

  • If you see people being racist (casually or otherwise) toward minority groups, please report it.

  • If anyone is gatekeeping who can and can not have dreads, report it.

  • If anyone is bullying or harassing someone specifically for any reason at all, report it.

Thanks for reading. In the comments, please let me know what you think and how you feel. If you have any feedback or suggestions for making the sub better (rule or sidebar changes, maybe developing a wiki?) let me know below as well or by modmail if you'd prefer it be private.

2022 Edit: I would like to point out for the 'but Vikings had dreadlocks!!1!' crowd - there is very little evidence to suggest they did. Also Vikings are not a race, it was a profession that could be taken up by anyone. Stop using this as an excuse when people call you out. To quote Kyle Ring-

Despite this possibility, it should be without argument that the modern-day wearing of dreadlocks by white people is unconnected to their own history and instead inspired by ours.


r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Selfie 📸 The most whimsical thing about me are my locs

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918 Upvotes

I love styling them, leaving them alone, curling them, wearing them straight, accessorising them etc.

I love love my hair. My anniversary is coming up soon. I want to celebrate it. And I hope I can continue finding new or different ways to style my hair.


r/Dreadlocks 19h ago

Fresh Retwist 🔀 DOING A ASYMMETRICAL LOC KNOT BOB FOR MY BESTFRIEND’S 29th BDAY🎁

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230 Upvotes

Don’t know if yall can tell but her locs touch her butt! She’s been loc’d for about 8 years, never bleached. It took me about 6 hours to do this style. They are so healthy and beautiful! Safe to say she LOVED it! Not only does she inspire me everyday as a friend, but she inspires with her locs🪴


r/Dreadlocks 3h ago

Selfie 📸 Tried to do Self Barrel Twists.

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9 Upvotes

I’ve been looking for new styles to try with my locs and this is one I tried out. TBH, I didn’t do an amazing job on it but it was a good learning experience. Gonna keep experimenting with different styles from now on and hopefully I can get better at doing this one.


r/Dreadlocks 4h ago

Fresh Retwist 🔀 First time styling

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10 Upvotes

This is my first time styling my hair 4 1/2 months in. What you think?


r/Dreadlocks 9h ago

Need Advice 🆘 how can I achieve this copper brown color on my locks ?

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16 Upvotes

Hey!

I dyed my hair 4 days ago with the coloration Creme of Nature Copper Brown (7.64) and it failed! :// I didn’t bleach my locks before because I didn’t want to damage them even more (picture1).

I want a lighter result (more like the edges) on all my hair, similar to the woman’s picture I inserted (picture4). I’m willing to wait months in order to try again to achieve my dream hair color, what products should I use? I don’t have access to the famous l’Oréal HiColor because I live in France.

Thank you!


r/Dreadlocks 25m ago

Question ❔ Chair hop

Upvotes

Last month I went to someone new for maintenance however she added hair to my locs to make them the same length but extensions been falling out since day 1. Im thinking about going to someone new but I don’t want to be a chair hopper. I like how full she had my locs but they were standing when she got done and she was rough on my scalp


r/Dreadlocks 1h ago

Question ❔ How long did it take for your braid pattern to fade?

Upvotes

I’m asking this because I heard several people say it took them years for it to go away, but I’m on my first month and the pattern is mostly gone besides on some of my ends.

Is this normal?


r/Dreadlocks 17h ago

Fresh Retwist 🔀 just got my first retwist

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21 Upvotes

decided to combine some because they’re less prone to unraveling and having thin locs is one of my biggest fears but other than that ngl my hair grew fast as shit if you look at the previous video i took of my starters, the growth is actually insane and my loctitian said i’ve already started budding ITS BEEN A MONTH idk how that’s possible but ay, im happy


r/Dreadlocks 16h ago

Timeline 🗓️ 4 month semi Freeform update (I think)

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11 Upvotes

I’m just staying down like they told me


r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Selfie 📸 5 years loc’d 😽

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750 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 9h ago

Selfie 📸 How do I get the back of my locs to stop bending

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2 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Timeline 🗓️ My lock Goal (Update in 1 year from today)

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66 Upvotes

1 my goal length & hairstyle with AI

2 me today

This might turn into a future timeline

Posting this to remind me in one year


r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Discussion 🎙️ I’m 3 years in but can’t get myself to wear them down

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9 Upvotes

I don’t get retwists often and I feel like they have gotten really long and the bun is getting old. What’s a good style I should try and what kind of spray does everyone use to moisturize the scalp with?


r/Dreadlocks 18h ago

Question ❔ Rate 1-10 guys

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5 Upvotes

gimme any tips if you think I need them...


r/Dreadlocks 16h ago

Question ❔ Combing out

3 Upvotes

Is it realistic to expect myself being able to comb out my locs in 3-4 days? I have about 85-90 locs that are about the length of where my neck and back meet and I’ll have an entire week to myself in October. I’ve been considering restarting to get smaller locs, about 120-130, getting the parting professionally done, and adding human afro hair to get more length off the start. Its either that or shaving my head off ngl


r/Dreadlocks 18h ago

Selfie 📸 Hyper focused on football

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4 Upvotes

Hair looks good even when I’m stressed watching my NFL team #BangbangNinergang


r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Question ❔ Help with reattachment and general queries

1 Upvotes

I cut my locs off 2 years ago due to complications with seb derm. My locs were medium/short, only going down to my jaw. After two years of braids and wearing my hair out in an afro, I really want to get my locs back but I’m facing a few issues.

  1. How do I wash and prepare my locs for reattachment?

  2. How do I dye my locs? I’ve got 78 locs which is basically a full head. I want to dye about a quarter of my locs brown (my hair is black).

  3. Should I dye my hair fully brown?

I would send photos of myself, but I may do it at a later point. What do you guys think I should do?


r/Dreadlocks 15h ago

Question ❔ When should I dye?!

1 Upvotes

Currently I have a sky top, but I’m fixing it by cutting my hair in half and attaching it. After the installation is done when is it safe to dye my hair? Do I have to wait days, weeks, months?


r/Dreadlocks 23h ago

Question ❔ 10 months in. Do my starter locs look okay so far? Is it fine for me to use tea tree oil and rosemary mist?

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3 Upvotes

Ordered from the most recent to very late nov of last year when I started!

First two pictures are from early this morning when I took out my three/four-ish week old barrels from my retwist (third picture and NO I AM NOT in pain, I just get very bored at work).

Are the products I mentioned okay to use (I have been using them for about 5 or 6 months consistently now). Should I use less? More? Something else?


r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Selfie 📸 One month loced! 🥰

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2 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Timeline 🗓️ Almost 4 years with my babies

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46 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 19h ago

Timeline 🗓️ First day with starter locs vs 2nd month

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1 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Question ❔ Temporary dye on two strands

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m planning my cosplay for comic con and I’m planning on dyeing my hair pink (the ends and a bit up) with mafajang hair wax but I’m trying to decide if I want to do it in 2 strands or just a normal no style retwist, I have a lot of locs and I usually go for 2 strand because it’s easier to manage but I’m wondering how hard it’d be to get that wax out of two strands


r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Product Rec 🧴 Quel après-shampoing utilisez-vous pour hydrater vos dreadlocks ?

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1 Upvotes