Hairstyle vs. Lifestyle

I had been wearing my hair locked for 5 months when I
was approached by a doorman outside of an LA hotel.
He said he liked my hair and that locks looked good on
me. I smiled and thanked him. He told me his cousin
also wore locks and asked if I, like his cousin, was a
vegetarian. Although, I had been doing my best to cut
down on red meat and add more vegetables to my diet, I
was not quite there yet. "No," I replied. "Oh," he
said surprised, "You wear them for style." And with
that, he walked away.

I was a bit caught off guard at first. Had I just
been dissed? I had just been dissed! At five months
strong, I had my first direct encounter with locks as
a hairstyle vs. a lifestyle.

I had not chosen to lock for religious purposes. I
had gone natural 2 years before and had worn my tight
kinky hair cut close to my scalp in a small twisted
afro. Previously, I had worn my hair relaxed,
braided, weaved and everything in-between. Deep down,
however, I had always wanted to wear my hair natural.
So why locks now? Was this another "style?" Was I
perpetrating?

Two months later, back home in Chicago, a friend from
out of town came to visit me. Her aunt, who also
lives in Chicago, invited us out to dinner for the
evening. The minute we were introduced, I could tell
she had a problem with my hair. After wearing my hair
natural for 3 years, I'd developed a sixth sense for
picking up negativity. So it came to me as no
surprise an hour later at the restaurant when the
interrogation began. "So.what does your hair mean?"
she asked. "What do you mean what does, my hair
mean?" I said. "What does it mean, and why do you
wear it like that?" she replied.

I immediately thought back to my conversation with
the gentleman in LA. It seemed like some sort of
cruel irony. The meaning of my hair had been
condemned by an admirer and validated by a hater. For
one, my locks had no meaning. For the other, they had
all the meaning in the world.

So hairstyle or lifestyle? Each person who wears
locks or is considering whether or not to lock must
answer that question individually. I believe hair
just like clothing, make-up, jewelry and even our
bodies themselves are surface. You use them as a
vehicle to express your spirit-who you are on the
inside and who you are striving to be.

Why do I wear locks? I wear them because I like the
way they feel. I like the way they look. I like the
smiles I get and give to other locked people and
others who have chosen to wear their hair naturally.
I like what my locks represent to me-a symbol of my
spiritual journey toward unconditional self-love and
pride in my heritage. In answer to my own question of
hairstyle or lifestyle-for me, it is a little of both.