Looking smart with dreads!?

Hey everyone,

just a quick question, this is the one thing thats stopping me getting dreads at the minute. I need to know if you can still look presentable with dreads, eg if you tie them back (my hair is past my shoulders),
or is there any kind of headgear available to men to keep them covered up and smart

By smart I mean, to wear with a suit, eg at serious Job Interviews.

I realise this may turn into a "dont care what people think of you etc" debate but thats not really what im looking for.

Like I said this is currently the only reservation I have about getting dreaded. Any advice is much appreciated,

Thanx

Jag, UK

 

The business world is a very first-impression based field and, unfortunatly, dreads do not fit into the status quo(if i spelled that right...). Neither do hats or headbands, as i've seen it. yes, you could get a tam to hold all your dreads up or a headband to tie them back and neat, but the fact of the matter is that you wont be "that guy in a suit", you'll be "that guy with dreads in the suit". not to mention that it takes a long for dreads to look "neat" and "presentable" and I dont know how that dichotomy would work out for you.

Just a little food for thought before you start your dready journey.

 

If an employer HAD to choose between a woman with dreads or a man with dreads.. The man would get that job hands down. I'd bet on it.
Men are chosen over women all the time just on the basis of gender - and a woman with dreads.. fat chance.

But yes, what Casanova said. First impressions are (unfortunately) used to judge you in businessland.
Unless of course you're a graphic artist. Companies expect that in artists lol

But hey, if anything I'd say just tie em back with a camo hair tie and try to keep the frizz down

 

start your own business!!!
haha
no, seriously...i think you can still look professional with dreads, you just have to pull it off with personality, and be cool...MOST people in this world will ignore physical appearance, and go with a good personality.....if it's good enough

 

Thank you all for the advice!

Yeah most firms advertise how its your personality theyre looking at. I still have 2 years before I graduate and everything, its just interviews for work placements and stuff I'm worried about at the minute (very competitive).

My hair is very dark (black), and long. I have no intention of cutting it for interviews as I think it looks perfectly smart tied back. I'm just wondering whether the fact that its dreaded (tied up in a bun and everything, wouldnt leave them hanging out) would "tip the balance". Surely if theyre neat enough and not massively phat it wouldn't make much difference to look at..? anyone got any pictures of their black/very dark dreads??

Also I come from a Sikh family (traditionally Sikhs have long hair in case you didn't know that). Maybe employers would put it down to that? Especially if covered up??

Keep your opinions coming, as I've said they are very much appreciated!

Jag

 

the only thing stopping you from getting dreads is the thought of that they´re not accepted in the business world. make them a non-issue. if an employer seems to have weird thoughts about them, make it a point to say that they do not affect your professionalism, your work, etc. PROVE to them how you´re smart. tell them that you dont waste effort trying to look "smart" - you just ARE smart.

when i graduated college, i couldnt even fit my mortarboard (hat) on my head because of my dreads. i just carried it, then balanaced it on my head for the picture. after reading your name over the loud-speaker, they also mention if you have academic honors. so my name got read, then.... "cum laude" (the lowest of the 3 levels of honors - still, not too many people in my graduating class had them). pretty good feeling with dreads swingin´ more than half-way down my back.

to get back to the point, dont let other people´s "fears" affect you. my parents were always telling me how i´d get set back in life with dreads, how i couldnt get a job, etc, etc, etc. but the only thing i had to overcome was them! they were always afraid that i´d get called bad names, be seen in a poor light, etc. but the worst i EVER heard was from them!

you decide what YOU want to do. then make it happen. would you even want to work for someone who would judge you THAT much because of your hair?

 

ive seen some smart looking dreads, take a look in my gallery at my grad escort
if they are pulled back and maybe smoothed down with some aloe, they can look fine. also, im sure if you tied them or wraped them up, they could easily put it down to your heritage. go for it!

 

One thing that might be worth doing, is if the interviewer asks about them at all, it wouldn't hurt to mention the amount of time and dedication that went into them and how that is reflected in your personality and the way you work. You know all that rubbish that employers wet themselves over Just make your dreads a positive thing. But if its past your shoulders you can get away with it, if its tied right back alot of people don't even notice you have dreads until you turn around. Well they didn't in my interview anyway, they thought i was someone completely different when i came to sign the contracts haha.

 

If you maintain them like once a month, you can keep them kinda neat. But then you need someone to take care of them, going to a shop every month will be very expensive. There are nice black headbands for sale like this one. Big elastics work too.

http://www.dreadspullen.nl/getproduct.php?pid=132

 

my brother in law has dreadlocks and he works for a very big company.
he had dreadlocks in the interview but they were so impressed with the work that he could do, that they overlooked the dreadlocks.
he usually ties them back then when they got long he tied them again in the middle so they wouldnt puff out

 

i have quite dark hair, and when i had to go to a wedding and meet people i didnt know, i rolled em up and pinned them into a tuck. i had people ask me where i had my hair done cos they thought i had gone to a posh salon and had my normal hair styled like it!
twas great fun pulling out the pins and proving that it was in fact dreads!
so yeah, with dark hair and a little creativity i see no reason why you shouldnt be able to disguise them

 

Actually a VERY good question. I've studied MOST religions during my 45 year term on earth and the people that practice them.

Dreads and being un-clean were the MOST Holy of signs in those true to those/the/my/your CREATOR. And still in the Rasta/Lion of Judah Earth parts to this day. In America's they are frowned upon by Babylonian's and in the Rasta/Lion parts people NOT of colour are considered disrespecting the religion. This I never understood as Ethiopians with pink palms consider themselves NOT of colour (The bloodline).

The only true means (to them) to attain dreads is by sleeping/praying/etc close/on/with the ground we walk. Rolling around in caves eating plants and herbs praising Jah I have seen and spent many a night doing myself watching the true Rasta form their Dreads. "Mall", quick or FAST Dreads are considered an insult.

I watch in Jamaica that its the kids/adults with the mall dreadies the NOT-SO-KIND tourist vultures attack the whole time. Consider that when traveling to such a country OR any country.

So as a whole I would say I have seen People with the most BEAUTIFUL personality, reference's and "true" dreads loose that job because of. I would present them as neat as possible and pray that Jah will bless corporate thinking, better than the Jones's american way of acting.

Sad way the business world still is.


Tradin' Bill a.k.a. Fla_Hippy


http://ohhotrod.tripod.com/rainbow/rainbow.html

 

Right, i'd just finished a 14 hour night shift so i wasn't very awake when i posted that, forgot to ask. What sorta jobs and companies are you going for? Alot of modern companies are so terrified of insulting someones religion they don't even ask any questions about them and have very intensify diversity courses to maintain this (Well in the UK anyway).

So you might find, if you apply to the right companies they'll be quite accepting of your appearance. I work for Ford and I haven't had a negative comment about them and it's in no way held me back. The only thing i have accquired is the nicknames marley and sideshow bob. But that's just cool haha.

 

I have dreads (now) and I am a company director and some of our clients are quite large companies and I don't think the fact that I have dreads makes all that much difference to the way our clients treat me.
Most are quite interested in how they are done and how I keep them clean.
I also have a few piercings (lip and flesh tunnels) and clients are also curious about these.

I think it is all about the way you carry yourself and confidence.

mamos

 

Thats EXACTLY what its about.

 

yeah dude, echo, echo. Carry yourself well and have confidence and you'll be fine. Heh, at my job now someone mentioned that I dressed very different on the interview than I do now at work (i have 1 suit for such occasions). To which I replied... well I'm not stupid. I'm the only guy around here with long hair and I guess you could say I'm the office weirdo to a certain extent, but it's not a problem I get on with everyone fine and my outward appearance has never been an issue... and I'm working on natural dreads with no combing.

 

Thank you all for the very positive advice! Its reassuring to hear of other dreadies being successful in the Corporate world...

...Probably gonna go for it..I'll defo put up some photos and stuff if I do..

 

Hey, MurdaHorse what kinda work do you do?

mamos

 

I'm still a student at the minute but am (with any luck) going to be a Solicitor, most likely specialising in Intellectual Property..

 

Cool

Copyright and such is a minefield that's for sure.

We have quite a few issues with infringement from time to time but we are not really big enough to fight it.

I hope you will be doing some pro bono work

mamos