THE YOUTHING MAGAZINE FASHION PASSION ISSUE | Page 27

ORIGIN of durags
by Jack Nthigah
A durag is "a piece of cloth that
is worn on the head to cover the
hair" according to the Merriam
Webster dictionary.
The origins of headscarves
performing similar functions have
been attributed to African Amer
ican women during slavery and
19th-century Ethiopian soldiers.
The word durag can be traced
back to the United States in
1940s and 1950s after a rise in the
availability of commercial hair
products for black people.
Durags have had various
resurgences over the years. They
remerged as a popular fashion
trend amongst young people
during the 1990s and 2000s.
Also spelled doo-rag, dew-rag,
du-rag or do-rag.
Durags originally served as a way
for black men to protect and style
their hair overnight. Guys wore
durags to keep their hair from
getting messed up while sleeping.
Men with cornrows woredurags to
prevent friction, frizz, and flyaways.