Actor Zac Efron sparked an avalanche of outrage on Instagram.com when he posted an image of himself wearing what appears to be fake dreadlocks on Thursday, July 5. Efron captioned the B&W image, “Just for fun.”
Social media users were shocked and dismayed that Efron dared to appropriate Black culture by even pretending to wear dreadlocks. Many called for Efron to delete the image before Black Lives Matter saw it.
“I just reported this photo,” wrote one Instagram user. “Oof wearing dreads is a bad idea for someone like you, I hope your publicist is ready,” wrote another.
But user @justin_lomax was among the many who rushed to the 30-year-old actor’s defense.
“How on Earth can people be so triggered by hair. Truly they are offended by EVERYTHING. THEY NEED TO GROW UP! guess black people can’t play golf because thats cultural appropriation. White people can’t use chopsticks at restaurants. Asians can’t wear Crocs. Truly freaking stupid people.”
Others jumped on the defensive when they were called out for being “abusive” toward Efron.
User @kammo.spammo wrote:
“abusive how? By stating that he was wrong? How can you, as a person who is not apart of the community, tell me, someone who is apart of the community, that it’s not appropriation?? If it aren’t an issue, [then] no one would speak out about it….”
Another user wrote: “There are people dying in the world and people are worried about hair?”.
There are more important race issues that need to be dealt with. I think it’s ridiculous that people are getting wound up about this.
We have the place here call Hip Hop Fish & Chicken and finally decided to check it out. To my disappointment it was 2 white dudes running the place, they didn’t do the cooking because the food had flavor, but I felt some type of way. Maybe I was just being petty, but I would have preferred to see some brothas or sistas running the spot.
Ppl have to look past certain things it’s deeper than the hair when this man put that wig in he knew full well folks were going to have something to say which gave him more reason to do it! I’m sick of this hey look at me shiiiit let me toe the line of offensiveness them back peddle and apologize and pretend I don’t know what I did. All so I can trend today I’m tired of it all!!!
Hell if I wasn’t black I would want to steal black culture too. I don’t look at it as disrespect I look at it as admiration! We are the shyt and I can see why white people want to be the shyt too. I actually think this looks sexy as hell on him. #IJS
They’ve always wanted to be with us, or be us… imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
People are too sensitive. I blame social media.
Dreadlocks are a conditioning of any hair into locked sections. Even in the Caribbean, even among Rastafarian religion and culture, dreadlocks are not only a black style and culture as Dreadlocks are Rastafarian and not all Rastafarians are black.
Not all people of the indigenous Caribbean and Island diaspora are black. And not all black people have hair that takes to locks and there are white people with hair that takes to locking.
Ultimately, ALL non-Rastafarians, black and white, are appropriating dreadlocks. The fake dreadlock extensions trend that is popular with black and white Americans is appropriation of Rastafarian culture.
I personally think all people, black or white, should respectfully grow their own dreadlocks, not wear dreadlock extensions. Zac Efron’s dreadlock extensions are an American trend.
Agreed.
Me too, I wish folks would get a real life. Even if it irritates you, and you think he’s “appropriating” you shouldn’t be worked into an angry mob frenzy over it. Yesterday I saw pictures of Ciara wearing a cheongsam, in China, no problem, white girl wears it a couple months back for prom led to outrage.
Isn’t it “appropriating” when you claim you came up with the style, reclassify it, or give someone undeserving credit for it? Like when the Kardashians started calling cornrows “boxer braids” and then news outlets and fashion magazines followed suit?
Exactly.
Those are supposed to be dreads?
I’ve seen non black people with locs and it looked cute. Saw a Mexican guy who had locs and it was really cute, it fit his style. I don’t know, I guess I got other concerns than who’s wearing locs as their personal choice. If Zac Enron had on some fake “Rasta wig” and was clearly being offensive on purpose, I could understand being upset.
This is the key right here. Like the guy up top said about the Crocs, Chopsticks, etc! Dude was having some FUN, not degrading or misappropriating culture. Should black women stop wearing their straight haired wigs?! Come on!
The problem is brothas and sistas who pioneered hip hop sold hip hop to white corporate America decades and generations ago. And the sell out wasn’t forced either, it was conscious and deliberate. Brothas and sistas wanted to get paid in white corporate dollars.
The black pioneers of hip hop owned grass roots hip hop and could have kept hip hop grass roots but instead they made a conscious choice to make deals with white corporate America.
Then white corporate America marketed hip hop to their children and their children’s children and those white children came up in and know nothing else but hip hop are the ones opening eateries like Hip Hop Fish & Chicken.
And the only reason they feel/are entitled to own a Hip Hop Fish & Chicken is because the black pioneers of hip hop sold hip hop to white corporate America decades ago.
Boxer Braids.
Now, that’s sickening.
So when I straighten my hair am I appropriating?
Leave him alone.. he just showing love to a culture he admires
Zac is an actor, he probably creative and plays around a lot with different hairstyles. Please give him a pass. No different when Black woman wear faux locs….
Or weave
Yeah, and?
That’s exactly what they’re out here calling them. I just saw it in an article myself. I can’t stand these folks.
So are black folks “appropriating white culture” when they perm their hair? No.
This is so stupid. People need to go find more important things to be outraged about.
There is SO much $hit for black people to be concerned about in this political and, racial climate… I always find it odd the shit we select out of a gumbo of dysfunction to be mad about. Get a f*ckin’ LIFE. Who gives a $hit about a hairdo when MFs are trying to set us back 60 years? If YOU give a f*ck about this, if THIS is the $hit that’s got your blood pressure up – you need to do some serious self-reflection.
This is so stupid. So if I relax my hair am I creating cultural appropriation? That is so dumb. People grow up and let folks live. Every one needs to mind their own biscuits and life would be gravy.
That was the point… NO, you arent. He was saying if what Zac did was appropriating, then black/whites can’t use chopsticks, No one but whites would wear Crocs, etc. Although, straight hair was not a “natural” part of being black…
This dumb af. Loc’s don’t belong to one culture and although the style is associated with black culture because of Rastafarians and Jamaicans, the reality many other cultures have worn this style. The Indian god Shiva wore locks, the Vikings wore locs, the list goes on.
It couldn’t be because they like Fish, Chicken and Hip hop music, saw a niche and decided to fill the need? Maybe if more Black people stopped complaining about what some White people do/accomplish, educate themselves to realize most if nor all the same opportunities are available to you nowadays (even if a bit more effort is needed) and take advantage of them it WOULD have been a couple of Black guys or ladies running the spot.
Come on!
Well maybe if more white people wore dreads, then less black people would have to cut theirs to get a job or promotion..
Thank you. Come through with the common sense.
Ha!
These Twitter-Fanga-Warriors got too much time. I mean, really. So much more to defend and discuss and even more to act upon than Zac freakin’ Efron changing up his hairstyle.
I worked with a white guy who had dread locks, never spoke to him tho.
Zach can get it… White people dreds are nasty I’m glad it was only a wig
True… Yet those yts who do wear them wouldn’t get the job either
People need to get a life, outrage over the wrong shyt this time…..
Or white women wearing weaves and wigs
THIS!!!!!
I’m mad that this topic made hln news this morning.
I mean seriously…. we can’t be upset about stuff that we are not going to keep the same energy across the board. smh it’s sad. There’s way more important stuff to worry about than dude’s hair.
But black folks don’t PERM their hair, they RELAX it. Perms make white people’s hair “curly”. Black people have the gift of natural curly hair. Society refers to them as “naps” or “nappy”. I don’t “relax” my hair because, quite frankly…..I’m not stressed.
When you need to trend… do something to offend people on social media!
So stupid, there are so many whites who dread their hair. Leave this man alone. Smh
Don’t turn it around. Talking bout my sister’s here with blond weave fake colored eyes. Stick to us doing better
Get enraged about bigger issues like police brutality and wyte people calling the police on black people for bogus reasons we have bigger fish to fry.
He still fine tho ?????
Lol looks stupid to me shrug
people wake up in the morning rubbing their fat fingers together ready to look for a reason to get triggered and play victim; it’s a mental illness. Believe me, people are cutting and killing themselves over THIS
“If it aren’t an issue,….”
———————
If you want to be “outraged” and attempt to “school” people on an issue, shouldn’t you at least be able to write on a third grade level?
Outraged?!?!…at wut? Dem aint no dam dreadlocks..ain nutn loc’d…smh@folks love gettin outraged ova nutn
There is white girl who works at the car wash that is a Rasta. I never think of her as appropriating the black culture because she is a Rasta. The only people that blatantly culture appropriate are the Kardashians.
Nah… Doing better is knowing that there’s nothing wrong with US wearing blonde hair or colored contacts. As long as there are black people who are born with blonde hair and eyes of many different shades I will not tear down a sista for wanting to rock that style. If it looks good on you do you.
Those are not traits that only white people have nor is it only black women who alter their looks and change up their hairstyles and eye color
I remember going to a reggae concert in the 80’s in L.A. There were more white folks than black and most had locked hair. Big deal, they are the ones keeping the music alive because they buy tickets and support reggae artists.
who cares? I don’t.
so there is nothing wrong with non blacks doing the same thing…
we as blacks need to stop this appropriation b.s
Its his hair… Who carrreeesss! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/635f58cbd83eacd747783666bd64b5bab36301c9fda633fc20b6d385a0def959.gif https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d70cd8dd94716d5b5ce8280b23f0be9f846449e972790a55a460f6331a495eeb.gif
White people with locs confuse me
This guy is hot no matter what he does to his hair and people forget its his hair he can do what he wants to it !!!!
But do they have to culture vulture? Can’t they just look like regular ole white pepo?
If I listen to country music do I have to wear a cowboy hat and boots?
EXACTLY!!!! WHOMEVER WAS OUTRAGED ABOUT THIS IS IN THE SAME BOAT AS PETTY PATTY AND THE REST OF THEM. SMH!!!…….JENNY JONES!!!
Why? Asking for a friend
???? If only people put this much energy into their personal lives…?
Leave him alone!
I was just about to see…Have you seen the white ppl that have them? I start to itch just by looking at them.
LOL, yes if I listened to country music I would put on a red and white picnic shirt, Daisy dukes, cowboy boots and dance a 2 step but that’s just me.
It’s just a picture so I’m okay with it… It seems like he was having fun. It’s not like that white chick that braided her hair, wore an afro and then claim to be black and got a job at the NAACP…
Zac is locked a closet with his sexual identity and his career.
Yea, I’m wondering do BLACK chicks w weaves CONFUSE white people?
My locs took a year to loc and the top is still not loc’d. That is an extension mess on his head. Locs are a process all he did was to add some fake blond hair.
They look pretty nice on him besides he’s not the first white boy to do this shit he’s just the only one that’s famous please get off this guys dick!
Wypo hair will not loc their hair is matted and probably smells. With locs there’s a period that you’re not washing your hair.
All the appropriation that black folks do, we oughta be glad when the whites show their hand and not hide or deny as is the custom. When it comes to jacking styles, we’re as notorious as the Asians with their bootlegging. Gtfudgeoh! Leave that boy alone, and get back to matching yo yaki w your real hair. Damn. Ain’t a damn thing new under the sun. We all some coveting, stealing mofos.
Issa look and he’s small. But, hes been fine since High School Musical. A true Day 1.
So what’s it called when black v women wear those gawdAWFUL straight blonde 100 inch weaved wigs of bundles… Snatch Beyonce, Nikki and Puffys Mother… Add lil Lim to the line as well! Oh and don’t forget Mary J
If Kim gets a pass, he gets a pass. She’s not special just because she has a black husband. I think Zac looks cute with these dreads. Sometimes ppl want a change.
Look at him, he looks like a real man with that hairstyle. Stop doing the snowflake dance. Take a trip to Jamaica. The streets are running with white folks are their dreads. Somebody needs to pull the plug on twitter and ig making people lose their minds for nothing.
Zach you go live your damn life, same for blacks that go blonde.
I just don’t get it– it looks funny to me
Yeah it does…LOL
I’ve seen white people in the work place say to a black woman who had short natural hair and the next day had weave say ” your hair grows so fast”…
Yes a few… They have to neglect their hair a lot more to achieve the look… Very dirty and stinky in many cases
Not in my eyes there isn’t
Actually I think it looks good on him. I don’t see the problem. White girls got big booty now, I don’t see nobody falling out bout that
This is totally ridiculous, and quite small-minded! White people having been wearing fake or real dreads for years now!
Black people on Twitter need to get a life, get out of the hood or their heads, and see how the world takes our lead as trendsetters, and always will!
And, we appropriate what we like from them too! We just don’t make enough money off our stuff, like Ms. Lee nem!
BOOM!
GROW the F UP people and get a life…… he said Just for Fun let him live his life!!!!!! Chill out!!!!!
Sometimes black ppl need to take a seat…no ones forcing us to wear dreads and what happened to ‘we’re not our hair’
It’s hair dammit .. we the people are in favor of wearing hair for fun .. weaves faux lox wigs toopay .. how ever it’s spelled but y’all get my point .Get out ya feelings
Mfs just want something to b itch about!!!!
Auntie. REALLY? Let this man wear his weave and get coked up
Lol see You got jokes.
Some people just have too much time on their hands. WHO gives a SHYT!!! Its not specifically for Black people. HAIR IS HAIR!!
Seriously these bammas, talking about I REPORTED THIS!! WOW! Arseholes
Let other topics that actually mean something and can make change be something these folks get behind.
RIDICULOUS!
Who cares……
Co-sign what you said!!! That blonde hair on blacks sums it all up! What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander! Wear them dreads, Zach, it looks good on ya’!
Those are not dreadlocks…..they are DREADFUL….but not dreadlocks….NEXT….
IKR….black folks who are complaining about Zach and his dreads, need to think before they speak cause them blonde weeeeves on black women be too much!!!!
Bwahahahal…..good gif., I must steal this (Judge Judy) one!
I like how you spelled toupee! It made me smile ?
??
“I just reported this photo,” wrote one Instagram user…
Please tell me that was some kind of Permit Patty type of joke. Are people this pressed?
OAN…he looks eau fruitte with that ‘stache…
I think it looks hot.. ?
People pick their battles that’s for sure.
Dreads are nasty anyhow.. I dated a man who had them and couldn’t let him sleep over.. his hair smelt bad.. yes black man who swore he took care of them.. I am sure he did but they had a musky smell.
With about seven murders on Cleveland over and on the holiday and Washington mess I’d say we got more to worry about than his hurr with his cute self…
Ikr, i think he look nice with his fine self.
Or what about people in Puerto Rico (AMERICANS) some still recovering-get upset about that.
@doink, stop it! You’re making too much sense.
Black ppl need to sit tf down on this one. Are Europeans getting mad because Black girls wear blond, straight wigs and weaves? Barking up the wrong tree
He so fine and dreamy ?
Oh gawd here we go again ? The professionally offended and their selective outrage. Only black liberals do this btw. When they get mad at black on black crime and the 77% single motherhood rate then I’ll take their concerns seriously.
Zach looks so handsome btw. Loving the bohemian carefree look ?
black folks have to stop being so hypocritical though with this culture appropriation mess. if we’re going to talk about whites playing dress up with dread styles, we’re going to have to talk about the blacks wearing asian, indian, everybodys hair and every color of the rainbow as they please. what are they trying to be? parrots?
Bet if he knew the real origin he would be afraid to wear them.
White male posing as black woman alert. Virtual CoINTELPRO ALERT. Black people who are talking about liberals is a dead giveaway. And when whites get up in arms about the tens of TRILLIONS of dollars missing (or more honestly STOLEN) from the Pentagon CONSISTENTLY, your negative zero global birth rates (at least we don’t have that issue) & white on ERRBODY crime globally then I’ll worry about the white-created black ‘issues’ you mentioned. And that white boy looks like a damn pin cushion. He looks ridiculous.
Blonde hair is NOT exclusive to whites. You apparently have never seen blacks from the Solomon Islands who are natural blondes. It’s just like the misnomer “Asian eyes or features” when the Khoi/San people who are not mixed and said to be descended from the original people on the planet have slanted eyes..so what we call an Asian feature is really African.
Right
He just upped his sexy, nothing to see here ppl still fine asf
what appropriation do we engage in? Please let me know what AIN’T a result of centuries of assimilation and colonization that was FORCED on us? Whites on the other hand, are ALWAYS talking about how inferior we are to them YET are always turning right around acting, talking, walking and dressing like us. Which is why they get read for filth. Hypocrites of the highest order. You can’t denigrate black on one hand AND then copy black every damn chance you get. What kind of insanity is that?
Um since it’s more than likely ASIAN or INDIAN hair, I don’t see why it would. Not a fan of weaves and wigs though but black women have always experimented with hair styles, going back to Africa.
To answer your question, yes they do. They’ve been doing it since time immemorial. But always talking sh&& about us and how inferior we supposedly are but if we are congregated ANYWHERE, online or offline, bet they will be up in the mix, taking notes and inquiring as to what we are doing/thinking. Just insane.
And whites are always looking for a way to absolve themselves of EVERY taking responsibility for ANY of their history. It’s always others who did it but this sh*t that is the ONLY true mental illness in the world today, keeps mysteriously getting passed down from generation to generation. I wonder HOW that happens?
Look at Zac
Yeah I’m a big fan of hair in its’ natural state. Hair won’t grow with lots of chemicals in it.
Must be some whites with locs on this post. People are butt hurt and in their feelings about MY opinion. To me, it looks weird period.
True. I’m in East Africa right now and the other day I saw this beautiful Massai man with perfectly coiffed and butt-length locs. I mean beautiful. I’ve heard that they either work in security here (why I don’t know but they are not armed) or they loc women’s hair. And you know it’s unlikely he’s using chemicals on his hair. So yes, I definitely agree with you about the chemicals.
He looks hot. He need not respond to the morons worrying about his hair when they probably got 50-11 chemicals and glue guns sitting in their own damn closet. I’m about to go get highlights for the summer. .. .. and white people don’t care
he looks gay to me
Come on!
It’s bigger than a business plan and niche.
White people feel ENTITLED to Hip Hop Fish & Chicken because white corporate America owns hip hop and to a large degree black culture in America. It doesn’t take education to start a food business. But it does take a sense of entitlement and ownership.
Who complains about what white people do? I don’t. White people didn’t DO anything except covet and dispense cash. Who sold hip hop and black culture to white corporate America so that these future generations of white people feel entitled to open a business called Hip Hop Fish & Chicken?
There was a time when white people didn’t feel entitled to hip hop and black culture and wouldn’t have dared open a Hip Hop Fish & Chicken business.
LOL!!!!
I think he is, with them lips perched?
over half of Black women WALKING the earth is wearing hair weave down to their A$$.. Trying to look like CHER…and they have the nerve to be mad about a white guy wearing DREDS….WE are so confused…get mad and protest about the WHITE COPS killing your SONS and DAUGHTERS…. when you stop wearing those INDIAN CHICKS HAIR….. then you can get mad at ZACK for wear some braids…SMH!
He did ?
Those dreads look ridiculous
I’m just lost. They are completely wrong and need to check facts. Black people don’t hv the patent on dreads. If you want to call someone out at least be right.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/76def27247b614fc7c4c28a010313d477b6f1c01e7aae3f16ee3d41e86534dc6.png
He was dating a black young lady for a minute. Idk if they’re still together though. I think he’s a great looking man. What about all the black women wearing blonde hair wigs and weaves?
Who wrote this?
This is true but everyone seems scared to address black people when we do it because there’s always an excuse made. A Native American woman accused a black female rapper of appropriation when she put on native garb and called herself the “chocolate Pocahantas” and everybody black came to her defense. It was sad because she was absolutely appropriating Native American culture, but every excuse in the book was made to excuse it.
Let someone call themselves the “white Harriet Tubman” or the “Asian Josephine Baker” and watch all hell break lose. We got to police ourselves as well.
But they did force us to not wear them or be unemployed back in the day..and even in some corporate offices our hair is deemed inappropriate in its natural state..some businesses are coming around but most aren’t and do not care for our dreads, fros, kinky twist no matter how groomed they are..
Black folks stay embarrassing me..
All this Asian hair dyed blonde in every queens hair I see out here? ????
This would only apply before the mid-to-late 80s. There are TOO many opportunities that Blacks don’t take partially for leaning on the racism crutch. Racism IS real. However, a Black person that takes time to educate themselves about how to do things, how to open a small business, how to be successful, what grants, loans etc are available to them COULD choose to do this. This is ONE restaurant or business venture. There are millions of things we can CHOOSE to do beside blaming the white man for doing what he’s been doing forever: Figuring out what to do to make money and going after it
But the history of dreadlocks doesn’t start with black ppl so why the uproar? Nor did it start with Caucasians even though it was worn by the ancient Greeks and others.
Dreadlocks go way farther back than Rastafarians they are not the first. Dreadlocks go back centuries whoever wrote this is misinformed if they believe that’s where they started.
Haha, he looks like a tool
LMAO!!!