DU-RAG AND WHAT IT MEANT IN THE 1900s

The du-rag has made a comeback and we should all be stupid hype.

Durag back, world's greatest fashion statement. I love this fashion statement especially when it was a thing during late 90s and early 2000s, it was a very wavy fashion statement. I remember vividly how my late uncle looked exepectionally dashing on some durag.

Why staying silky has always been the wave. Only the silkiest can understand the true power underneath the du-rag. I knew I couldn't explore the impact of the durag without revisiting its impact. One of someone I know first grooming experiences was tying down his hair after moisturizing and brushing. He couldn't keep his haircut fresh and neat if he didn't use a durag. The feeling of revealing the fleek waves after a night of a tight du-rag wrap is like none other. It has always been an unspoken tradition, built around a simple piece of fabric. It's an item so widely available, but so personally defined.

I wondered how it has lasted so long, where it came from, and where was it going. What makes the durag so unique that it defines decades of Black American culture? For others, it's what makes the waves spin on the top of your dome or a fashion statement to go along with your outfit.

Durags, sometimes known as do-rags, have a long and somewhat of a dark history. 

According to history - The du-du dates back to the 19th century when the less fortunate (slaves and poor laborers) needed something to tie their hair back with - At the time, African Americans wore durags, but not by choice. Instead, durags were a way to identify slaves and laborers an indicator that the wearer was poor. And while this negative stigma would hold for a while, things started to change during the early nineteen-hundreds (1900s). From my little research I also found out that durags were common during the 19th century. 

Fast forward to the 1930s, the "tie back hair du preserve" became common in households during the Great Depression and the Harlem Renaissance. 

The 1930s was when things started to change for the durag. Aside from the Great Depression of the era, and the Harlem Renaissance that was also in swing at the time. The Black Power Movement played an integral role in how the durag made a "statement/fashion impact." Over the decades that followed, the durag remained popular in some parts of the first world country and in groups, while falling out of style in others. During this critical point of development for black culture in America, the durag became recognized as beneficial for preserving hairstyles, and it started to gain popularity and became a fashion statement.

We all know the 90s proved the du-rag to be a fashionable trend as our favorite athletes and artists started to sport them outside the crib. Plenty of other notable black people have worn durags throughout the years, from rap stars to athletes. Styles ranged from the durags on their own to wearing them under fitted caps. 

For most, it's just hair-cover protecting the fresh cut or edge-up they just copped from their neighborhood barber. 

I've seen homies pull up with creases in their foreheads because of their commitment to the wave game. This du game is not for the soft-headed.

When you put it on and look in the mirror you feel a kind of gangsta power engulf your soul you know there's no one that can stop you.

This wave is for everyone, you heard? Everyone can feel the power of the du-rag. Even myself..I am sure it will give me that tomboyish cutting edge look.