Asked: Why is more acceptable for white men to grow long hair than for black men to grow dreads?
I've recently started growing my dreads im black and so far my coworkers have actually been very supportive and i get compliments. but i hear all the time how black men are discriminated or singled out for long dreads. In my opinion dreads are just the natural state of long african hair with no chemicals. Does this have anything to do with standardized European ideals of beauty? What are most peoples views on this? I'd like to point out the common stereotype of dreads which for my case is not true. TO have dreads people think you don't wash your hair, have lice, smoke weed, are a thug. There are just as many people with all hair types that can be described this way why do dreads get the most negative criticisms?
i found an article from france that is just one example(the link is below)
Answers:
no prob both can look good
Dreads are not a common experience to most people in this country but long hair on white men is quite common.
In a country where dreads were common I'm sure your experiences would be different.
People tend to stereotype Black people negatively with dreadlocks, but White people are rarely ever stereotyped. They often associate dreadlocks on Black people with being a thug likely because they might have seen a criminal featured on the news with dreadlocks, but White men with long hair is not often associated with anything negative.
The Western Standard of beauty and formality has demonized
Black Peoples hair, so much so that there are many Black Women
who genuinely fear wearing their natural hair or for it to be seen in public
because they will be ridiculed in their community, yes even by our OWN
people or if they go to a job interview their hair will not be considered "formal"
enough. Same with Black Men who grow their natural hair. This isn't the case
in every environment, but unfortunately it happens.
I mean I was just watching some stupid dating show called "millionaire matchmaker",
where a Woman chooses who is suitable to be matched up with a certain date. Three
Black Women walked in the room with their natural hair, and the Woman asked if they
would be willing to wear weaves instead, she said their hair was a mess. One of the
women looked distraught, because her natural hair looked perfectly fine the way it was
yet she was forced to wear a trashy weave. It's messed up that people like that wig
wearing piece of trash Wendy Williams try to make Black Women feel bad for wearing
their natural hair.