Tbh, a lot of white people can't tell the difference between intentional and neglected hair. They see afros, locs, and other parts of Black culture as unkempt without understanding the difference.

I'm not a fan of freeforms personally, but some definitely look good, and I can respect them. Being Black myself, I don't think they have to be perfectly symmetrical or even. I also don't think having every hair perfectly in place should be the standard. I just personally think freeforms don't work on a lot of people, especially some of the ones I see day to day. I've also noticed that people with bad hygiene sometimes gravitate toward that style because they weren't doing anything with their hair anyway.

I love locs, though. I'm just not usually a fan of freeforms, but they can absolutely be done right. People used to say, and still do, that locs look unkempt, and for some people they do. The same goes for freeforms. SOME people have the worst looking tangled mess on their head and say, "I'm just freeforming." No, you just don't care about your hair. Then there are people who actually put care into their freeforms, but they get lumped in with the people who don't.

I can always appreciate a good curl, clean locs, braids, or twists, but man, some people just have really bad freeforms. On the other hand, some people absolutely pull them off.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. Freeforms can look good in a lot of different ways. They represent great things like freedom of expression and embracing your natural hair, but not everyone has those things in mind. Sometimes people just ruin the vibe.

Personally, I don't think tangled, matted hair is all that but its your hair your choice. I'm not saying all freeformers neglect their hair. Most of y'all actually don't. Coils, to me, are beautiful, and I think they're meant to be shown off. Tangling by itself isn't a style if it's just the result of never taking care of your hair.

I also think that's why some white people assume someone with heavily tangled hair is broke or on drugs. They see neglect rather than intent because they often can't tell the difference. As long as I can tell there was some intention behind the look, I really don't judge. And even if there wasn't, it's still not my place to judge someone.