BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Hair Dreadlocks and Politics

Jeanne was saying that when she served in Kenya in the peace corp, that peace corp people weren't allowed to have dreadlocks because it was making a very serious political statement about supporting rebels.

I saw a sign about that at the Natural History museum -



When you see someone with dreadlocks in modern times, do you assume it's a political statement - or just a fashion decision?

I like this one - men can be proud, but women should be modest

I find them to be both actually. Depends on the person and what they "look" like ;0)

In my city is it's such a fashion statement! They rock it because they feel it looks hot.

I imagine the clothing someone wears tends to help in guessing what their hairstyle means - if they are dressing in a Rastafarian type of way, or in a modern type of way ...

Are there other hairstyles that seem to "indicate" a certain religion? I suppose the serious Jewish men tend to have a certain hairstyle which probably would identify them even if they were nude (i.e. forced to be not in their traditional clothing).

In the city where I work, I see dreadlocks mainly as a fashion statement. There was an educator in the salon recently who had her blond hair in some very impressive dreadlocks.


I think that Hasidic Jews (males) are always known by the side locks of hair. I can't remember the true name for the side pieces of hair that they wear.

Lynne, the sidecurls are called payos. They refer to the commandment in leviticus to not round the corners of the head or beard (the sideburns or right at the ear.

Only the Chasid usually adhear to this custom. Some conservative Jews do as well.

Thanks for the information Jase.

no problems Lynne. Might make for an interesting article on spiritual.ritualistic hair ;0)

I think that looks very attractive, but I've never dated a guy from that religious group (for probably obvious reasons).

I wonder what other groups have specific hair styles ...? I suppose there are monks who must be bald, right? And then a type of monk that shaves a little circle (tonsure?) in the back top of his head?