<p>No, I'm speaking strictly in terms of undergrad/college. If I decide to do the whole corporate thing, I'll definitely go for the short-cut. All in all I'm probably gonna stick with it the way it is (braids) and move from there. Again, muchas gracias for the opinions</p>
<p>dreds and braids are dirty as hell. get some better hygien and shave em off.</p>
<p>Personally I don't like braids much. It's not an intimidation thing, just a "why did someone spend that much time on their hair" thing. :P</p>
<p>However, I adore dreds. It's interesting that you see them as a racial thing- I know more white girls with dreds than I've ever seen black men with them. It's a little bit easier to pull off with guys, but its great when you can.</p>
<p>And they're not dirty. People who say they're dirty obviously know very little about dreds.</p>
<p>For undergrad I think braids/dreads are fine. Speaking from a medical school/corporate world perspective, braids I think are considered more inappropriate than dreads. Dreads could just mean that you are Rastafarian or something.</p>
<p>"Yea the only thing Im afraid of is people making stereotypes of me being a thug/ghetto when in reality I'm very approachable and unassuming."</p>
<p>Dude.. do what YOU are comfortable with, not what others prefer. If they have any issues, or if they start to stereotype, stereotype back at them and make them look like idiots for stereotyping you. Or just whip out one of your dreads and hit them in the face.. i would do that.. but maybe thats not a good idea.=]</p>
<p>Dreads aren't dirty. They aren't glossy and filled with nasty, unnatural chemicals, but they definitely aren't dirty. People that don't wash their hair is dirty, regardless of their hairstyle.</p>
<p>I have dreads, and if you think they're any next to dirty you can simply look at some of my pictures--you can see my scalp and parts. I wash my hair often and it smells great. </p>
<p>People ask me if I wash my hair all the time. Of course I do! It's hair. I find it funny when a girl will have a two month weave --which they couldn't possibly wash without wrecking it-- and ask me if my hair is dirty. </p>
<p>But I won't lie: People are intimidated by dreads. Then again, people are intimidated by young black men(not everyone but I can't tell you how many times people have actually walked off a side-walk to avoid me--someone was almost hit by a car doing that). I'm a top student, but people usually assume contrary. Then I talk and their assumptions are instantly dispelled.</p>
<p>well I know a ton of people with dreads and alot with braids, I live in the bronx. Some of them including women have gone years if not a decade without washing there hair once. They just put some chemical stuff on it. But It is dirty as hell and nasty.,</p>
<p>I know you've already decided, but I wanna put my 2 cents in anyway. Definitely DO NOT cut them if you don't want to. Dreads can be sexy as anything and it's part of expressing yourself. If you've resigned yourself to the fact of conforming eventually, now is not the time to do it. Be an individual for as long as you can before the corporate world sucks you in for good.</p>
<p>Get them. The only people that won't like them are probably going to be white, and they won't have the balls to say it anyways. :P</p>
<p>And SilverClover, you probably live in a nice neighborhood.</p>
<p>I have dreds and I hope it should be obvious that I'm not a thug. If you want dreds, grow them.</p>
<p>Dreadz are a beotch to maintain.Usually people get them or think you have them because of Bob Marley.</p>
<p>I have locks---not dreads, but a smaller form of locks. They are clean and well maintained. I wash my hair more than when I had a relaxer, since I was afraid that my relaxer wouldn't last as long if I washed my hair frequently (as many do Black people who straighten their hair). There ARE people with dirty, nasty locks that give lock wearers a bad name, but not all of us are like that. Generalizing makes you sound very ignorant.</p>
<p>Though I've seen polished business men and women with long neat locks, it is still taboo in places. For example, Hampton University doesn't allow its MBA students wear natural styles (locks, twists, braids...). This is a slap in the face, esp. since Hampton is a historically Black college. People wear locks for more reasons than simply style; spirituality, to embrace their heritage, etc. There will be people who have a problem with your dreads but if you REALLY want locks, get them. Keep in mind, however, this is America and a more Eurocentric standard of beauty will be seen as superior here.</p>