Being able to express yourself freely plays a huge role in the beauty of being an American citizen. That is why the fashion statements and trends that we create hold a much higher value than just looking “good” or “unique” within today’s society. Two highly popular trends that have resurfaced in today’s fashion are dashikis and protective hairstyles.
To give you a little “History 101” on American fashion, dashikis first became a fashion statement in America during the 1960s and 70s, in the mist of the Black Power and Civil Rights movement. These loose-fitting, vibrant, tribal-patterned shirts served as bold political statements, encouraging African Americans to not only embrace their ancestry and Motherland (Africa), but to also stand up against the racial injustices that they faced during this time.
Around the early 90s, during a time where hip-hop had a stronghold on Americans, rappers/rap groups such as Tupac, Queen Latifah, NWA, and Public Enemy used their voices as political platforms to speak out against social issues such as racial profiling and police brutality.
Many of these artists also revived the trend of wearing dashikis and other cultural African attire. As dashikis and other African wear started to become more present in music videos, movies, and even on album covers the public began to quickly partake in this trend.
Today, dashikis have resurfaced once again and are being popularly worn now more than ever- especially on HBCU campuses! Not only are many online vendors and boutiques selling this apparel, but with the help of celebrities and models rocking these beautiful shirts and showing them off on sites such as Twitter and Instagram, many young African Americans are becoming encouraged to wear them.
Also, with the reemergence of constant police brutality televised for the world to see, and the take-off of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, several young African Americans wear dashikis while being motivated to "stay woke" and have a better appreciation for black history. With the #BlackLivesMatter movement still at its peak, and many social media users promoting "black excellence" within the African American community, thousands of Instagram and Twitter uses partook in the first ever National Dashiki Day on October 30th, 2015.
On another note, women are starting to leave behind the permed hair, wigs, and 20-inch hair extensions lifestyle to become beautiful naturalistas. These styles range from women doing the “big-chop” (cutting all of their heat damaged or chemical-processed hair off), to box plaits, Ghana braids, faux locs, rope twists, bantu knots, twist-outs, or a simple wash-n-go fro. With the thought of self-love, women empowerment, and black empowerment in mind, many African Americans are starting to encourage each other to embrace their natural hair texture and to wear hairstyles that parallel with African culture.
Ultimately, though one trend is clothing-based and the other focuses on hairstyles, both trends successfully continue to share one main goal: to embrace African American heritage and to promote self-love.
