 In the 1970s , the popularity of Jamaica 's reggae music and musician Bob Marley prompted interest in dreadlocks internationally . The anti @-@ establishment philosophy of Rastafari , echoed in much of the reggae of the time , resonated with leaning youth of all ethnicities – especially and primarily among African Americans and other Blacks , but among counterculture whites as well . Eastern Christians are encouraged to wear long hair with long beard . In the 1980s the view of long hair as a solitary signifier of political or counter @-@ cultural identity was countered and parodied in films such as Rambo and many other militaristic heroes of media which challenged then @-@ contemporary views of tradition . Today , longer hairstyles among men are still quite popular among neopagans and rock enthusiasts ; for example , musicians in heavy metal and power metal bands often wear long hair . Long hair may be grown for the purpose of being donated to an organization , such as Locks of Love , for <unk> to help those who could not have hair otherwise , such as those who are diagnosed with alopecia <unk> . 
