STIGMAtization?
That's not true, decades ago maybe, but not now when dread-locks either natural or artificial are appreciated in naija.
Maybe the one you talk about is an unkempt type.

Mind you, a Rastafarian is a member of a Jamaican group and strongly believe in Africa -nothing evil as it appears in ur post.

The stigmatization comes from dreadlocks not being perceived as "professional" or "clean cut," which they aren't. So get a haircut Akemivo if you don't want society to think you're some kind of hemp smoking wild man from the bush. I don't have a problem with them personally though.


*edit* Just noticed you're a female. Actually there is far less of a stigma for women compared to men, from my experience, so you'll probably be alright.

@Poster,Dreadlocks is NOT same as Rastafarism.
There are the neat and lovely dreads and there are the dirty looking Dada.
Meanwhile,a belated New Year to all True Rastas in da house 

People associate dreadlocks with rastafari all the time because they think the two go hand and hand.

First of all, dreadlocks are a part of the rastafari culture but you can be a rastafari and not have dreads. Rastafari is a religious belief but more importantly, a way of life. It is not a hairstyle. In fact, it pisses REAL rastas off when people associate anyone with dreads as being rasta. Dreadlocks is just a hairstyle, no more, no less.

There is a stigma in the Caribbean too against dreads and rastas but younger generation is getting wiser.

@ Topic,I think it depends on where you live or the people in question,I wear locs and nobody has ever said anything negative about them,atleast not to my face(as anything not said to may face doesn't matter to me). [s]What I get is alot of complements about the locs maybe for fear that the 'scary dreadlocked girl' might attack them[/s], oops and I'm catholic by the way

Any boy/man in Nigeria with long hair will be generally criticised (usually by other men). Nigerians can't keep negative comments about long haired males to themselves, I guess to them long hair makes you wild, even if most of their male ancestors wore long hair to accentuate their youthful masculinity.

Maybe some of them are even jealous.

most of their male ancestors wore long hair to accentuate their youthful masculinity

i dont think so.

tpiah:

i dont think so.

You don't 'think' so, but the truth is that they did. Even the followers of Sango braid their hair till today.

some [or a few], not most.

tpiah:

some [or a few], not most.

Most, most, most.

^^maybe in your experience.

tpiah:

^^maybe in your experience.

What experience, there's no experience. Most young men of 1900 and back wore their hair long.