how has dreads affected you

So... im just curius, since alot of people get dreads for spiritual reasons, or to represent a change in life style, how do you feel dreads have affected your life and personality. And why did you get them?

ill start. ive wanted to get it for many years, but i was too afraid of what people would think, and that i would not suit them. i also have always had very low self esteem and take insults very bad.

then i started doing reaserch on dreads, and i realised that this was whats going to change my life. i was in a very depressing stage of my life. i had just moved to another country with my family and was bitter, and sat at my computer all day and night for months, and pretty much had no life, or friends.
and my relatinoship with my parents was realy bad. all we did was fight becuz they were frustrated that i was 18 not doing anything with my life. playing pc games was the only thing that made me happy so you could say that was my addiction.

as i said i started doing some reaserch about dreads and one day desided i was gonna change my life, and fix the miserable selfesteem that ive always suffered with.

after spending about a month doing them on myself, i decided i was gonna make peace with my parents by going to school.

i made friends, went to the beach, had barbeques.
and what do you know i was enjoying life, and i felt for each day i was growing more and more as a person, and for the first time i was not afraid of just being myself.

8 months has gone since i got dreads, and i have never had as many, or more importantly, as good friends as i have now. i feel the reason for that is dreads have thaught me too get to know people instead of judging the book by the colour, and become more real as a person. and not care about the people who judge me by my appearence, beacus their not worth it.

so please share your stories on how dreads have affected you and what your reason and goals were for getting them.

peace

 

i got dreads because with my lifestyle my hair just began dreading on its own and i just didnt see the need to keep fighting it..

they have done absolutely NOTHING to change who or what i am.. anyone that thinks a hair style can change who they are doesnt understand enough about spirituality to claim that a hairstyle has changed who they are IMO.

i think india arie sums it up well.

Is that India.Arie? What happened to her hair? Ha ha ha ha ha
Dat dad a dat da [4x] Dad a ooh


Little girl with the press and curl
Age eight I got a Jheri curl
Thirteen I got a relaxer
I was a source of so much laughter
At fifteen when it all broke off
Eighteen and went all natural
February two thousand and two
I went and did
What I had to do
Because it was time to change my life
To become the women that I am inside
Ninety-seven dreadlock all gone
I looked in the mirror
For the first time and saw that HEY....


I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations no no
I am not my hair
I ma not this skin
I am a soul that lives within


What'd she do to her hair? I don't know it look crazy
I like it. I might do that.
Umm I wouldn't go that far. I know .. ha ha ha ha


Good hair means curls and waves
Bad hair means you look like a slave
At the turn of the century
Its time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If its not what's on your head
Its what's underneath and say HEY....




(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend? Oooh
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
I am expressing my creativity..
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)


Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy
Took away her crown and glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy everyday of her life ooh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling
Bald headed like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like HEY...


If I wanna shave it close
Or if I wanna rock locks
That don't take a bit away
From the soul that I got
Dat da da dat da [4x]
If I wanna where it braided
All down my back
I don't see what wrong with that
Dat da da dat da [4x]


Is that India.Arie?
Ooh look she cut her hair!
I like that, its kinda PHAT
I don't know if I could do it.
But it looks sharp, it looks nice on her
She got a nice shaped head
She got an apple head
I know right?
It's perfect.


​

 

except for the reaction some people had because of my new unconventional looks nothing really happened to me.

it seems like people will react more extreme at you, sometimes you'll meet someone who will turn agains't you because of your looks, sometimes people will give you more attention because of your looks

i also took them because i liked the idea that you can take dreadlocks ás a sign that you care about inner growth, but by now i know ur hair doesn't really have anything to do with it. quite remarkable is that when i took my dreads i felt uncomfortable with myself and now that's not much of an issue anymore and also mastered some extra social skills/confidence that have improved my social life significantly. does it have anything to do with the dreads themselves? i dunno?

 

well i didnt realy mean that they changed my personality, rather that i finaly was being myself, and not realy caring about what everyone thought about me.

im not a different person.
but im much more open minded and not afraid to express myself, and for the first time i got selfesteem. did the dreadlocks do this? or would it happen if i didnt get dreads. hard to say, maybe it was cuz dreads is such a drastic appearence change that everytime i look in the mirror or tuch my hair it reminds me why i did it, and over the months ive had them theyve become reminder of who i am.

 

hhb you cannot say they have not affected your life..you can deny theyre effect all you want,m but they do affect your life..if even 1 person reactes differently to you because of them then they affect your life
deny it all ya want but the fact is dreads do affect ya maybe they didnt make ya nicer or happier or wiser or more well liked or hated or anything but they alter your life in ways you cant fully grasp

the dreadlock journey isnt just a journy of growing haoir its a journey through life with dreads

facial tatoos or disfiguring injuries could have simular life changing effects just dreads are a more spiritual or purposeful life change

how mine affected me... i am who i am
i couldnt always say that

 

well my statement didnt reference my public life however,yes i can and do say that, did you not see me before dreads? nothings fucking changed within society nor in my own minds eye..

dont go assuming just cause you believe something everyone else on earth is bound by the laws of human nature you set forth in your own brain.. makes you look naive.. ya wouldnt want that now would ya?

 

i fully agree soaringeagle.

they do affact your life, im not a different a different person but having dreads have thaught me many things about life and values. its kinda hard to explain though, cuz after all its just hair.

 

to each there own i suppose but dont lump me into your belief that dreads have some magical power to affect who or what you are...

that bein said, there is a huge difference betwen getting dreads at 18 and at 42. your still growing into who you are,once again,no matter what your hairstyle. so ya may have a little more reason to buy into that mumbo jumbo.

like i said, to each there own..
im not buyin..

 

hmm hhb seems like ya are kinda just denying the odvios

about a year ago ya started your dreads.. around the same time a year ago ya quit drinkin

ofcourse your 1 to cling onto your ways as tight as u can and ressist change but seems to me ya have changed wether or not ya are ready to accept it

ofcourse yoiur early in your journey as well and still got a ways to go

 

no there is no correlation.. but keep on making assumptions if it strokes your ego.

 

all things are related
you'll realize that over time

 

why cant you just accept that some peoples philosophies are different than yours, why do you have to continue to try and shove your beliefs down others throats?

i never asked for your opinion but you sure have made it a point to give it..

now i expressed my opinion in this thread, it differs from yours so lets just leave it at that.
i have heard what you think over and over,i disagree.. do you comprehend that or are you so caught up in yourself always being correct that it went right over your head?

 

philosophy or not u change 1 thing in your life iyt affects all other things
its not a philosophy its the law of cause and effect
if you move from your farm to a city it affects you right?
all things are related
all things effect you
including your confrontational attitude
some1 asks how something affected u u insist it hasnt thats a part of you..you would refuse to admit anything affected you just to takre a confrontational standpoiint

all things are related, if you were born in a different place to different people you have a different life then the 1 u lived\

u quit drinking u no longer live the life of a drunk

u grow your dreads you change your life enough to effect every aspect of your life in some small way

many gain wisdom into theyre perrsonal lives and i guess that aspect was wasted on you

but the fact is, you cannot change any 1 thing in your life without it affecting other aspects

could u suddenly start wearring dresses and not expect it to affect any other part of your life?

think before you talk
you know this shit you know all things are connected
but you love to argue
congrats ya dragged yet another thread down into an argument

 

once again i didnt ask for your opinion,, in fact I ASKED THAT WE AGREE TO DISAGREE!!

but of course your ego wouldnt allow that..

god your such a self absorbed self righteous high holy.. people like you sicken me..

 

who wsas it that insisted on starting an argument over nonsence like ya always do in every thread?


keep growin your dreads ya still got a long way to go to enlightenment...but ya resist with all youir might..ya always hqve..its in your nature to resist growrh

 

start a arguement i gave my opinion, then,

LOOK!! POST NUMBER 8!!

YOUR THE ONE BEIN THE ANTAGONISTIC TROLL!! continuing to shove your beliefs down my throat even after bein asked to cease..

NOW ONCE AGAIN,,

can we not agree to disagree? or will your self righteousness not allow you to leave well enough alone??

geeze youve lost your fucking mind...

 

the thread is about how dreads affected you
you said they didnt fine
yet you had to post what 12 more posts arguiong?
if ya wanna agree to disagreee then say it didnt and walk away!!!!!!! damn it
i pointed out and completely rightfully that all things affect tyou
you blow your fucking nose and your not conjested for a day and that affects the entire fucking day

whatevcer

ignore your own damn life ignore hoew everything u do affects tyou and ignore how your argumentative ways piss ppl off
your good at that

ya dont wanna argue then dont post

that simple

but no u love to argue u thrive on it

i dare u i really dare you to trey as hard as you can to not reply to this...knowing you it will not be possible

because u thrive on creatting arguments

no matter what the point is,m you have to countrer it to creat strife

i see right through you

its how u fget attention..everyone look at hhb he doesnt agree ...whoopee


im gone and i hope you have at least thye same respect to stop derailing threads with stupidity and walk away


too much to hope for though from past experiences

you'll go on arguing as long as some is willing to argue with you

im not...bye


(to every1 else i know he will reply and i sincerly appologize for him, he cant control himself)

how have dreads affected me? they gave me infinate patience ..to deal with the most frustrating and ignorant people alive..and a willingness to try to help thoise beyoind help
and the wisdom to know when enoughs enough

 

your such a hypocrite but whatever..

yes back on topic.. once again i got my dreads because with my lifestyle my hair that i had not cut in over 20 years just began dreading on its own.

what have my dreads done to change me? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! i dont believe a hairstyle shapes who or what you are in any shape form or fashion.i feel its a skewed look at ones own spirituality to do so. but as i stated before, TO EACH THERE OWN!!

there that once again answers the questions of the original post. now if no high holy hypocrite comes in to try and shove there beliefs down my throat i once again am done with this thread..

have a nice evening..

 

They gave me confidence, among other things. In a nutshell, letting my hair dread was the first step in becoming myself. Before I got dreads, I was confused about who I was and I wasn't comfortable with myself for a long time. It's not that getting dreads was the only factor in becoming comfortable with myself, it kind of all happened simultaneously. I'm probably about 1000% more confident than I used to be.

 

Interesting thread. Having dreads gives me the confidence to experiment more with different clothes/accessories that I feel don't suit me otherwise.

In fact the only time in my life that I've EVER worn dresses and skirts has been while Ive had dreads!! LOL It is so ironic! I looked so feminine with my hair all long and soft (pre dreads), but never felt comfortable in a dress. And now I have a birds nest for hair I feel sooooo womanly. why IS that???

Does anyone else know where I'm coming from with this?