Dreadlocks: A Cultural Analysis

Culture is the perception and interpretations of the elements, symbols and values by members of a group, and how they are distinguished from another group in a society (Banks, J.A, Banks & McGee, 1989). Culture appropriation, based on Young (2015), is the adoption and appreciation of the aspects of a culture by the people from another culture. Dreadlocks, locs, or locks have been closely associated to the African culture as a symbolism of freedom and strength. In recent years, dreadlocks are being increasingly appropriated by the whites, and this has caused an uproar among the blacks. However, I believe that culture appropriation may not be as negative as how they have pointed it out to be. In this essay, I will outline how the problem of the whites being unable to show that they are appreciative of the dreadlocks culture reinforces the discrimination against the blacks and lastly, propose solutions to resolve this.
The reason why dreadlocks were closely associated to Black culture, was firstly, mainly because of Bob Marley, an African Reggae musician (University Wire, 2015; Carter, 2016).

In a recent viral video on the internet, a black woman confronted and pushed a white man with dreadlocks, Cole Goldstein, because she argued that it was her culture. Goldstein stated that "The fact I have dreadlocks doesn 't mean I 'm trying to appropriate culture, it means I love and respect their culture and it 's something I hold true to myself" and "These things should bring us closer together" (“Is it OK for white people to have dreadlocks?” 2016, para. 10). Culture appropriation is a multidirectional phenomenon as the different cultures blend in and synthesise together, and provides a cohesive force to develop a common identity in the society (Ziff & Rao, 1997). As such, when cultures blend and synthesise, it is inevitable that individuals start to appreciate and build a common identity using these