- Question
Should white people have dreadlocks?
Throughout history, dreadlocks have been significant to cultures around the globe. The matted and locked hairstyle was a way for people to prevent or slow positive energies from leaving the body. More recently, dreads have been an important aspect of Rastafarians and African-American culture in the United States. Yet, when white people try dreadlocks, there is often backlash and accusations of cultural appropriation. Should anyone be allowed to have dreads? Is it cultural appropriation for white people to have dreadlocks?
Yes, white people should be able to have dreadlocks
This position holds that white people should be free to wear dreadlocks. It argues that people should be able to express themselves as they wish, that cultures are meant to be shared, and that dreadlocks in fact originated independently across numerous cultures, not one alone.
No, white people should not have dreadlocks
This position holds that white people should not wear dreadlocks. It argues chiefly that doing so is a form of cultural appropriation, and adds practical objections — that dreadlocks can make it harder to get a job, attract others' judgement, and be unhealthy for the hair.
Dreadlocks are irrelevant
This position holds that whether white people wear dreadlocks is irrelevant. It argues there are far bigger and more pressing issues of racial inequality to address, and that the debate over hairstyles distracts from the structural injustices that genuinely matter.