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Peter Matika
SO while everybody was busy gasping and screaming “Oh-my-God” over Steve Harvey’s mix-up at the recently held Miss Universe competition, another contestant made headlines. Well in my books she did — she made headlines in other media forums — ones that don’t fall under the “most embarrassing moments of 2015” category.
Twenty-four-year-old Sanneta Myrie became the first contestant in history to wear dreadlocks to a pageant of such magnitude.
Myrie, a professional doctor, was crowned Miss Jamaica back in August and made it to the top five.
“I lock my hair because I identify with it,” Myrie told BET.
I was impressed by the fact that she was brave enough to wear her natural hair in locks to a pageant which many people feel promotes Western cultures.
“I am very much rooted in that Afro-centric nature, where we as Jamaicans are rooted. It’s my expression. The only thing to eclipse the natural beauty of Jamaica is the spirit of its people . . . one of strong resilience, creativity, and ingenuity,” she said.
This may be the first time for this pageant to witness a contestant wearing dreadlocks but it isn’t the first time for the hairstyle to be witnessed at a beauty pageant.
I feel that Myrie broke cultural barriers by becoming the first dreadlocked contestant to compete for the title Miss Universe title.
Dreadlocks and beauty pageants have a great deal in common because they both promote decorum in the attitude of women.
Dreadlocks have always been associated with delinquent behaviour and hoodlums.
Myrie may have opened up opportunities for those like I that adorn dreadlocks to be judged less. It’s just a hairstyle; nobody ever makes noise about the Mohawk.
One blog accused Miss Jamaica participants of having a penchant for going against beauty-pageant tradition when it comes to their “dos”.
Last year, Jamaican rep — Kaci Fennell’s second-place title had everybody wondering if her short hair was to blame for her being snubbed.
Which brings one to wonder whether all that participate in the pageant have to look like a bunch of “dolls”?
Let’s hope that Myrie’s decision to go natural made notable steps toward uprooting the tired old standards. Isn’t the pageant about promoting diversity and culture?
Dreads are a hairstyle, consisting of twisted strands also referred to as dreadlocks. They are a rare sight among beauty pageant contestants, according to Femde, an online magazine.
By wearing dreadlocks Myrie assisted in breaking down stereotypes about those that wear them, particularly Rastafarians.
People generally criticize what they don’t know or understand and develop preconceptions.
Who would have known or thought that she was a doctor? Perceptions about someone’s appearance are often wrong. I too have suffered from these perceptions; often people ask for marijuana from me or “mistakenly” think that I am part of a group.
No I’m a journalist; I wear dreadlocks because I can’t do anything else with my hair.
When I grew my dreadlocks half a decade ago, I saw it as a way of expressing myself.
At that time, many of my peers frowned upon the hairstyle as being extreme and unkempt. But over time, dreadlocks became trendy and I started seeing other black men and women in professional jobs spotting the hairstyle.
Dreadlocks can be divided into three categories. You have probably had very little, if any, interaction with two of these types of dreadlocks. The dreadlocks of the past that many remember from the 70s are those started by neglecting the hair. These are often unsanitary and can range from messy to downright scary. This is not the type of dreads I would advise anyone wishing to work in an office to wear.
The other two types are natural dreadlocks and chemically assisted dreadlocks. Both of these are started purposefully, either at home or in a salon. The real difference between the two is in the products chosen to create them. Natural dreads are started without perming or processing the hair.
Since creating and maintaining dreadlocks is not very common, most common knowledge and perceptions about dreadlocks refer to neglected dreads rather than maintained dreads.
For example you’ve probably heard that dreads are dirty. The truth is, dreads lock faster when they are clean. When dreads are maintained they are a sanitary and healthy hairstyle much like braids, but dreads do not need to be taken out. While braids must be redone periodically to maintain a clean look, mature dreads look great every day and never need to be redone.
There you have it, what’s your take on dreadlocks?
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Bongani Ndlovu