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 29d ago

Discussion ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Please be careful when dealing with the attention-seeking users here

324 Upvotes

This morning I was bombarded with a series of $1 cashapp requests. The messages attached to the request became increasingly unhinged. The messages were, in order:

  1. "your a dumb cunt mod, drink bleach bitch"

  2. "we have plenty of white folks that'll burn the sub"

  3. "shitty ass sub, the whites will rein supreme"

  4. "my white dreads are better than yours"

  5. "you hate white people, you hate white people"

  6. "you are a racist piece of shit"

  7. "dumb ugly and black"

  8. "you are racist, and a dumb evil bitch"

  9. "your a piece of shit worthless woman"

Clearly I had pissed someone off. And I knew exactly who it was. She was a prolific poster here and in /r/locs. She's pretty so her posts get a ton of attention. But I figured out that she was using multiple accounts to post after being banned for thirst-trapping, and after I cut off her most reliable supply of attention she lost her damn mind.

She's a black woman, mind y'all. Why she decided to pretend to be a klan member, I don't know. Her full government name was on her cashapp account.

I'm posting this to ask y'all to PLEASE stop gassing up people who come post here every damn day. Needing that much attention and validation from other people is typically an indicator of a deeply hurt and insecure person and potentially personality disorders. They are crashouts when they don't get their way and when the mods confront them for their behavior, they like to hide behind their popularity in the community. Right now we only let people post once per day and I feel like changing that would do more harm than good for the rest of you who are nice and well-adjusted people.

So please, be a little meaner. Side-eye and call out the people who you see way too much of. Keep up the roasting. And use the report button! Thank you :)

edit: well she found this post and is still crashing out, if she is harassing you as well now please join me at /r/thelocbandit to keep track of her accounts so we can block/ban them as they come


r/Dreadlocks 2h ago

Question โ” Keep em or chop em ..they are free formed

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43 Upvotes

On the fence , what yโ€™all think ?


r/Dreadlocks 6h ago

Timeline ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Do these count as locs?

33 Upvotes

I have 4c hair that is thick thin in the way that when you put it in any sort of twist or braid it it looks thin but if I leave it out itโ€™s super big and fluffy so Iโ€™ve taken to wearing these to live out my loc dreams. I recently got the comment that these donโ€™t count as locs and Iโ€™m just faking it. To which I responded โ€œ,duh theyโ€™re called faux locsโ€๐Ÿ˜ญ๐ŸคŒ๐Ÿพ


r/Dreadlocks 1h ago

Question โ” Man what can I do to fix my hairline ๐Ÿ˜•

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โ€ข Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 6h ago

Timeline ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ 9 Months Later

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21 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 3h ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ NEON PINK LOCS!๐Ÿ’•

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11 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 21h ago

Fresh Retwist ๐Ÿ”€ UPDATE: Interlocking my hair for the 1st time by myself

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268 Upvotes

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreadlocks/s/VwIdjZSgem

Firstly thank you everyone for your advice! It was much appreciated and gave me so much more confidence starting this on my own for the first time especially after waiting about 3 months before thinking about doing this (when I was used to going to my loctician every 4-6 weeks).

It took my about 9 hours over 2 sessions (last night + this morning) but here are the results! My main focus was making things tighter without any pain or strain and making sure any stray hairs or new growth was reinculded into a loc. I think it came out really good! Near the end things started moving faster so I'm sure the more I practice the faster I'll get. And it was quite relaxing to listen to some podcasts and put in some self love and care.

Okay Illupdate yall when my hair finally moves out of this teenage stage lmao๐Ÿซก๐Ÿซก๐Ÿซก


r/Dreadlocks 7h ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ showing appreciation for my locs!

15 Upvotes

i swear the longer my hair gets, the more obsessed i become with being locโ€™d. seriously one of the best decisions iโ€™ve ever made. also just realized as im typing this that my 6 yr loc anniversary was july 31. idk how that slipped my mind but showing them love now.


r/Dreadlocks 3h ago

Question โ” Advice needed

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7 Upvotes

My hair looks dirty even tho I wash it. I know itโ€™s most likely built dirt, product and lintโ€ฆ Iโ€™ve started to comb some ends out but itโ€™s throughout the length of the loc. Is combing my locs out the only way??? ๐Ÿ˜ซ Any advice is welcomed.


r/Dreadlocks 2h ago

Fresh Retwist ๐Ÿ”€ first retwist

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โ€ข Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 46m ago

Timeline ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ 3 month update

โ€ข Upvotes

Started out with two strand. How are they looking.

I'm screaming for more length but I'm trusting the process. Had my loctician build me a middle part after starting freepart


r/Dreadlocks 5h ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ Color and Progress

5 Upvotes

Iโ€™m lowkey regretting dying my hair back black but it was for professional purposes. Itโ€™s harder to see the growth but the health of my hair is evident. I hadnโ€™t retwisted in awhile being that my hair is fine and I donโ€™t want thinning so early before my hair matures. Just a reminder to water yourself and take it day by day.


r/Dreadlocks 2h ago

Question โ” Help

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2 Upvotes

I got starter locs today and I want to know if this happening is normal?


r/Dreadlocks 3h ago

Question โ” I want a pop of color

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2 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 32m ago

Question โ” I'm glad I thugged it out ngl. Now I'm wondering if there long enough to now dye?

โ€ข Upvotes
B4
After

r/Dreadlocks 1h ago

Question โ” what retwist method would work best?

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โ€ข Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 19h ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ 8months in yall ๐Ÿช–๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿพ

29 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 2h ago

Question โ” Anything help lock ๐Ÿ”

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1 Upvotes

This is ruff


r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ Did my first retwist, I think I did good for a first time.

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86 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 21h ago

Question โ” Should I get a lineup and taper or keep it natural?

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29 Upvotes

Im a year and 4 months in. Should I get a lineup and taper to clean it up or keep my edges natural? Be feeling like i look homeless sometimes.


r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ It just a few days it will be goneโ€ฆ

84 Upvotes

Starting a new chapter in my life and the hair has to go. 7 years of free forming got me to this point.


r/Dreadlocks 18h ago

Timeline ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ 1 day in vs 3 months in

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15 Upvotes

Hows my progress and also when do you think I can get to eye length


r/Dreadlocks 1d ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ 4 year Freeform

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93 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Question โ” First time.What do yโ€™all think?

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5 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 5h ago

Question โ” Will getting a retwist fuck up my hairline even more (16)

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0 Upvotes

Also Iโ€™ve been sleeping without head protection for the first past week and i feel like they look better? I always thought sleeping without headwear would mess up the locs really bad


r/Dreadlocks 23h ago

Selfie ๐Ÿ“ธ ๐Ÿ’ž

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25 Upvotes