Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

A Debate On Cultural Appropriation Is Brewing Around Zac Efron's New Look

A Debate On Cultural Appropriation Is Brewing Around Zac Efron's New Look
Isa Foltin/Getty Images

Zac Efron, the co-star of High School Musical, Neighbors, and The Greatest Showman, is sporting a new look: dreadlocks.

And now the picture he posted on Instagram featuring the new locks has sparked an online controversy over cultural appropriation.


Here's Efron's post showing off his dreads:


His caption, "Just for fun 🤘," signals Efron wasn't fully aware of the intense scrutiny his post would soon be receiving. Unless his idea of fun is being at the center of an online debate.

His Instagram post inspired some lively conversations.


Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

From Instagram, the debate moved to Twitter where several people pointed out that part of the issue is the bans imposed against people of color wearing their traditional hairstyles in the workplace or in society at large while a white actor can try them out "just for fun."






One Twitter user, Tyde Dermody, wrote about the irrelevance of whether the dreads look good or bad:

It's not about how his dreads look it's about cultural appropriation which doesn't fly even if it was "just for fun"... whatever that means?

Zac Efron has had a special place in my... heart for years but that doesn't mean he gets a free pass.
 

Childish Gambino also chimed in:

Zac Efron in dreads.

I have really seen it all.

What in the cultural appropriation is going on?

Troy, get your nonsense head in the bloody game .

Pls and Pls.

There were also many Efron fans who thought dreadlocks were a bad move from a purely aesthetic perspective:




But other Efron-supporters were behind the actor 100%.




Others made the oft heard comment on any debate: this is what you're worried about?



Perhaps the most astute group of people, however, is this one woman who (jokingly) is simply concerned by the way Efron looks in his picture. You OK bro? Do you need some money for the bus?


H/T - CNN, Instagram, Getty Images

More from Trending

Julia Garner
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited

Julia Garner Had The Classiest Reaction To Fan Backlash Over Female Silver Surfer In New 'Fantastic Four' Film

An enthusiastic, engaged fan base can be a wonderful thing to experience—if the fans don't turn toxic.

Unfortunately, far too many members of sci-fi, fantasy and superhero/comic book fandoms are openly hostile to anyone who doesn't resemble the cast from the "good old days" of those genres—when their fictional universes were primarily populated by White, cisgender, heteronormative, men and the "dames" they hit on.

Keep ReadingShow less
Meghan Reinertsen
@meghanreinertsen/TikTok

TikToker's Food Poisoning Chaos

After enough time had passed, TikToker Meghan Reinertsen felt comfortable sharing a food poisoning incident on a United Airlines flight while.

She also offered a long-overdue apology to those affected by the canceled flight thanks to a “disturbance deep, deep within my bowels.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Leah Remini and Maddie
@leahremini/Instagram

Leah Remini Posts Touching Tribute To Fan She Met Through Make-A-Wish Who Recently Passed

You never know when or where you're going to meet a person who will make a special impact on your life.

For Leah Remini, it was when she received a call from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, introducing her to a young girl named Maddie, who was a huge King of Queens fan and whose wish was to meet Leah Remini and her husband on the show, Kevin James.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rosie O'Donnell; Donald Trump
Olivia Wong/Getty Images; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Rosie O'Donnell Fires Back At Trump With Epic Rant After He Threatens To Strip Her U.S. Citizenship

Actor and comedian Rosie O'Donnell condemned President Donald Trump after he announced in a post on Truth Social that he is considering stripping her U.S. citizenship, labeling her a "Threat to Humanity."

O’Donnell, who was born in the U.S., moved to Ireland shortly before Trump’s inauguration. In an April interview with CNN, she said it was his reelection that ultimately prompted the move, citing the risks Project 2025 poses to her and her nonbinary child—especially after decades of being in Trump's crosshairs.

Keep ReadingShow less
A grocery aisle shelf of Cinnamon Toast Crunch
OLIVIER DOULIERY / Contributor/Getty Images

Bacon-Flavored Cinnamon Toast Crunch Just Landed In Stores—And The Internet Is Not OK

Every now and then, a food brand will try something different in an effort to rejuvenate its products and hopefully attract new customers.

Sometimes these pay off handsomely, such as Peanut M&Ms, which are arguably more popular than the original.

Keep ReadingShow less