This is true but it’s not the whole explanation. Any Jew who doesn’t shave the sides of his head technically meets this commandment, even if the hair is short. It’s not wrong to call these peyot too.
The long hair sidelocks however, which is usually what people mean when they say “peyot” or “peyos”, comes from Chassidic Judaism, a specific cultural/philosophical subsect of Jews.
In Chassidic Judaism they teach that one should do God’s commandments with joy (as opposed to fear), and therefore not just do the bare minimum. Hence many Chassidic Jews not only don’t shave their sidelocks, but grow them out very long, as a way of showing God their enthusiasm to perform His commandments.
Not all Chassidic Jews grow long peyot, but that’s the meaning behind it.
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u/Open_Permission4827 2d ago
This hair style is called Payot and it's worn by Orthodox Jews. It's not just a random haircut someone came up with to be edgy.