To be a college student is to learn. Not just about a certain field of expertise, but about identity and being an individual. There are a thousand and one lessons to learn, and forming a sense of self is one of the most important. However, when this occurs through picking up on expressions of selfhood that reflect an oppressed culture, self-evaluation is necessary.
The phenomenon of white people with dreads is a recent one, specifically appearing more often on college campuses where students are learning to express themselves. Dreads have found a place in modern-day hippie culture, and as well-intended as those hippies might be, their form of expression can be problematic. As minorities continue to struggle against institutionalized racism, some have to change their hair just to get on the good side of their bosses. Oppression finds its way into every corner of our society, and to see the privileged majority not only continue to oppress minorities, but take on their appearance without fully understanding the context they have entered, can be insulting and harmful. The act of wearing dreads on the surface can be seen as simply trying a new hairstyle, but the connection to race is undeniable.
Fellow Clark University student Skye Wingo reacted to the phenomenon, explaining his stance: “To wear something, you have to know what it means. White people who have dreads aren’t bad, but white people who think it's now including them in a subculture is. Specifically, white people sporting black trends isn't bad. It shows how interested they are in the culture. What isn't good is feeling like the lifestyle makes you suddenly in the culture. If I wear a leather jacket, it doesn't mean I'm in a biker gang. Why this is even more aggravating is that I can still be shot, killed, or taken advantage of for sporting my culture, while someone who is white is just looked at as someone experimenting with their identity.”
The problem with modern-day hippie culture does not end with dreads. Tribal print clothing, which is sold by nearly every popular clothing company, has taken off as not only part of the free-spirited hippie aesthetic, but also what constitutes average clothing. “Tribal print," which may include nods at Aztec, Indian, Native American, and other cultures, is sold everywhere. Native Americans specifically have experienced some of the worst oppression on American soil, and since they are most often excluded from real representation, to see their culture as something considered “trendy” can be offensive. An estimated over one-hundred million natives were killed in America, so to take from their culture without an understanding of its impact is not just problematic, but morally questionable.
So yes, individualism is important and yes, young adults should be trying new things and learning about themselves as much as possible. But next time you find yourself at Forever 21 looking at a “Native Print Maxi Dress," or considering adding dreads to your aesthetic, try to understand their origins, and the people who suffer for promoting their own cultural identities.
