Black ladies have been catching strays left and proper within the bonnet debate for years, however now it appears to be like like Black males have formally been added to the group chat. Yep, the bonnet discourse has expanded. Throughout social media, some Black males have begun calling out their fellow brothers for carrying bonnets, an merchandise that has traditionally helped Black ladies to guard their hair and has develop into an plain image of Black magnificence tradition and self-care.
Right here’s the problem: youthful generations — particularly Black Gen Z and millennial males — don’t appear notably involved with these criticisms. Like Black ladies, they see bonnets as a sensible instrument: helpful for retaining moisture, preserving hairstyles like braids, and defending locs or pure hair from mud, lint, and friction. For them, it’s much less about making a press release and extra about protecting their hair collectively, actually.
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Nonetheless, not everyone seems to be on board.
On March 9, content material creator Derekius Hawkins shared his frustration, saying he was uninterested in seeing “approach too many” Black males in bonnets.
“Each time I flip round there’s a grown ass man in a bonnet,” he griped in his video.
Hawkins questioned why Black males weren’t sticking to extra conventional choices like du-rags or wave caps and advised that bonnets have develop into extra of a development than a necessity.
“Someone please inform me what’s the bonnet for?” He added, earlier than implying that it may affect the sons of the lads to “develop up homosexual.”
What sexual identification has to do with a bonnet stays unclear, and albeit, it simply sounds downright foolish.
DJ Eazy Ice of Charlotte, North Carolina, additionally weighed in on the subject in 2025, making his stance very clear:
“PLEASE STOP carrying bonnets.”
He argued that bonnets weren’t designed for males, including:
“Simply because the sweetness provide place says ‘Bonnets for Males’, doesn’t imply ‘go get it.’ Girls say you look loopy….particularly in public!! Don’t shoot the messenger!”
The historical past of the durag.
Traditionally, head coverings have at all times been a part of Black male hair care. Black males have worn variations of the bonnet for the reason that Nineteenth century, most notably the durag. Its roots hint again to the USA, with some accounts linking related types to Nineteenth-century Ethiopian troopers, based on NewsOne. Enslaved Africans and later laborers used head coverings to guard their hair from sweat and grime whereas working. One of many earliest mentions of the durag earlier than it earned its distinctive identify appeared within the Akron Beacon Journal in June 1966, describing it as “a material band worn across the brow as a sweatband to maintain hair in place.”
Over time, the durag grew to become extra than simply useful. Through the Black Energy motion of the Sixties and Seventies, it grew into an emblem of delight, identification, and self-expression. The corporate So Many Waves has mentioned it helped popularize the durag within the late Seventies. Darren Dowdy, its president, informed The New York Instances that his father, William J. Dowdy, created the garment — initially known as the “tie-down” — to assist preserve pure hair patterns. It hit the market in 1979 and shortly grew to become a staple.
Right here’s why bonnets make extra sense for some males.
Durags are nonetheless extensively used to compress the highest of the hair, preserve moisture, and protect types like 360 waves, braids, and locs. Nevertheless, they don’t at all times shield the total size of the hair, particularly the shaft and the ends. Bonnets, alternatively, provide extra protection, which explains why some males, notably these with longer hair, have added them to their routine.
MNJ Gross sales, who sells colourful non-slip bonnets for each women and men on-line, defined it completely in his video shared March 13:
“You may’t shield your hair simply with a plain durag.”
On-line, some individuals have questioned why this debate has gained a lot consideration within the first place.
“Think about spending your free time, within the state of the world and this financial system, frightened about how younger males shield their hair… these dudes in all probability bald at that,” one consumer joked within the feedback part of MNJ Gross sales’ video.
One other consumer on X penned, “Bonnets don’t have a gender. Bonnets are to guard your hair.”
Content material creator and pro-bonnet influencer Zavian Malloy, who shares his haircare course of on social media, chimed in on the talk too, hilariously including:
“Argue with ya mom. As a result of I’m gonna put on a bonnet each time.”
Spot on!
Who cares!
So what’s flawed with Black males lastly taking delight, energy, and autonomy over their crown? In different phrases, whether or not it’s a durag or a bonnet, the objective is similar: shield the hair. Every little thing else? That’s simply commentary. Let Black males put on their bonnets in peace. Actually, we’ve bought larger issues to be frightened about.
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