Numerous alternative spellings exist for
durag, including
do-rag,
dew-rag, and
doo-rag, all of which may be spelled with a space instead of a hyphen, or with neither a hyphen nor a space. The simplest etymology for
do-rag is that it is named as such because it is a
rag worn to protect one's hair
do. An alternative etymology claims that name should be spelled
dew-rag, and
dew is a euphemism for sweat.
Early usage The
Oxford English Dictionary dates the first published usage of "do-rag" to the 1964
Facing Reality pamphlet
Negro Americans take the Lead, written by
Martin Glaberman. The pamphlet noted that in the wake of the 1963
Detroit Walk to Freedom, "the leading local newspaper announced it would feature a one-a-week column by a prominent local Negro. Trying to be a laborer worthy of his hire, the prominent local figure wrote a column denouncing 'do-rags.' The common habit of wearing a silk stocking over the head, presumably to protect the setting, aroused his ire." Other early published usages include: • In the August 27, 1965, edition of
LIFE magazine, a page 22 photo caption describes a man wearing a do-rag' on his new hair-do". • On June 4, 1966, the
Akron Beacon Journal printed "do rag ... a cloth band worn around the forehead as a sweatband or to keep hair in place". • On September 2, 1966, the
Dayton Daily News printed "the man with the black dew rag... one with the black bandana". • In late 1966, "do rag ... processed hair done up in black rags" appeared in
Newsweek. The
Merriam-Webster online dictionary places the earliest usage of
do-rag in 1968. == History ==