Being such a popular hairstyle amongst Generation Z, locks have become one of, if not the most controversial hairstyle due to the misconceptions many people have about them. This idea that people have about hair has become a large problem, making it hard for young men and women of color to get jobs, respect, and even an education in some scenarios.

In many schools that contain dress codes with certain restrictions on hair, it is obvious that those rules are targeting students of color. The common idea that locks are dirty and unwashed has caused people to deem the hairstyle “unprofessional Many black men and women, me being one of them, have run into somebody with this idea. When asked to share a moment where he ran into somebody with this idea of his hair, senior Jeremy Cunningham says, “People have this idea that I’m less intelligent or unable to do certain things because of my hair. They just assume that I don’t take care of my hair or myself.” 

An example of how these incorrect and ignorant ideas affect the black youth is something that happened at a Texas high school. The school had a dress code in place that restricted hair past a certain length. This student had his hair in barrel twists, so that it shouldn’t have broken the dress code, but the school still suspended him. When this student was suspended, he and his mother decided to take the case to court, where they lost. This is just an example of how the negative conception of locks is enough to cheat young men and women out of education and jobs. 

While many think that locks are dirty and can’t be washed, the process of taking care of your hair when it is locked up is very tedious. Senior Jalyn Chester addresses these misconceptions, stating, “Usually when I wake up it takes about 10-15 minutes just to moisturize my hair. On days that I get retwists I wash and detox my hair and that combined takes about an hour. The retwist itself can take up to 4 hours. It’s just crazy to me that people think my hair is dirty when I put so much time and effort into my hair.”

Locks have always been shed in a bad light, attached to unprofessionalism, dirtiness, and many other negative aspects. This is the reason many refer to the hair as “locks,” as opposed to “dreadlocks,” as there is no reason they should be thought of as dreadful when there are already so many negative notions attached to locks. 

I feel that locks are beautiful, each person telling a different story from the next. Lots of people use their hair to express themselves, which is why these negative ideas and false assumptions about locks are damaging not only to many minorities’ careers but also to our spirit.