As far as Hollywood celebrities go, Zac Efron is fairly uncontroversial.
He can sing and dance and act and we like looking at his face very much.
But his latest Instagram post has thrown him into the centre of a raging debate in the US, and fans are divided.
In an Instagram post shared yesterday with the caption “just for fun”, Zac Efron debuted his new summer look.
The dramatic hair transformation is a long way from Zac’s signature slicked-back hairdo and fans were quick to share their thoughts.
“Looking good! I can’t believe people are so dramatic. Don’t listen to the haters,” one commenter wrote.
“I’m literally pregnant after looking at this,” wrote another fan.
But while some fans loved Zac’s new look, others loathed it, deeming it cultural appropriation.
“For… fun? This is fun? Cultural appropriation?” one person commented on Zac’s Instagram.
“Y’all can stick with y’all hair and leave the black hairstyles to the professionals,” wrote another.
On Twitter, discussions were rife over whether Zac should be accused of cultural appropriation.
Kim Kardashian was also recently accused of appropriating a traditional black hairstyle when she wore fulani braids to the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Speaking to Bustle at the time, Kim explained how her daughter North was the inspiration behind the style.
“In no way am I ever trying to disrespect anyone’s culture by wearing braids. If anything, my daughter was so excited to see me get matching braids with her. [When] we did her hair in these braids, she was so excited,” Kim said.
What do you think? Should Zac Efron be slammed for his new dreadlocks?
Top Comments
"Cultural Appropriation" is not a thing and should be argued against very strongly whenever it's raised as an 'issue'.
People need to get a grip. Dreads have been worn by many cultures, including white ones, for ages. Many different hair types respond to braids, if a white person wants them for fashion or for practical reasons, what is the big deal? Humans have always shared culture, we wouldn't have tea, coffee and chocolate in the West if we didn't culturally appropriate them, denim, developed in the West, is worn the world over. We eat Sushi, Mexican, creole, curry, the list goes on. You can buy a hamburger and hotdog in Asia, a Thai woman I know makes Lasagna. We, in the West, turn to Eastern religions, such as Buddhism, and Western Christianity is practiced everywhere. It's also often white people getting offended, playing at white saviours. It's not 'woke', it's pathetic.