Zac Efron Wore Dreadlocks and People Are Calling Him Out for Cultural Appropriation

When I first put the swimsuit on it was at a fitting, and it was just a couple of pins and scraps of material. So it wasn't until the first day of shooting in my trailer that I had that a-ha, my gosh, this is happening moment. And by then I was so nervous that it was my first day on set, that I Can't even remember that moment of putting on the suit [LAUGH]. [MUSIC] [INAUDIBLE] Damn, Ryan. [SOUND] Never really heard a guy sing that song, but you're really good. Thank you. By the way, when we shower in here, we Keep our suits on. [SOUND] Bye. Originally my character was written a little bit more stand offish to John Bass' character Rodney Greenbaum. When I met John I instantly fell in love. He's such a sweet person. And such a great actor and So funny, so I thought, how could anybody be cold to this guy? I sat down with the director and the writers and was like, let's make it more interesting for the audience. I think it's more interesting if they end up together, and that's what But we did. [MUSIC] I've had a lot of crushes that made me freeze. When I was in middle school, I used to play on the boy's high school team for golf. And I had a crush on every single guy on the team. [LAUGH] I know the sensation, Ronnie. I get it. [BLANK_AUDIO] We were kinda a rowdy crew. We were down in Savannah shooting for a couple months. And we took that city by storm. We loved karaoke. That was a big activity for us [LAUGH] There was a great dive bar that we used to go to. My go-to karaoke is Brittney Spears. [MUSIC] We did a lot of karaoke in Savannah. It's so great to have a cast that you're like a family with, especially when you're supposed to be playing You know, that onscreen, having that onscreen energy really helps to fuel that. [MUSIC] Zac's physical transformation was unlike anything I'd ever seen. He was so ripped. He had muscles I didn't know We have, he worked really hard and was super disciplined and we'd all be like seek eminems off services and he was like guys no I can't so, kudos to him cuz he made happen. Cartering on set was super healthy and I mean, you couldn't find a carb on that set. I found it, but you couldn't find it. Obviously we had the help of professionals making us look that good, so it makes it a lot easier. But in general, I think if you just stay active, sweat every day, that's my rule of thumb. And try to eat as much greens as possible. And then have fries on the side, whatever. [LAUGH]

Following in Kim Kardashian’s footsteps, Zac Efron has decided to wear a controversial hairstyle. The former High School Musical actor debuted dreadlocks on Thursday alongside the caption, “just for fun.”

It’s unclear if Efron switched up his look for a new role or is trying to be cute, but fans aren’t having it. Soon after posting, his comments section turned into a battlefield, with people accusing him of culturally appropriating a traditionally black hairstyle.

Fans debated over the exact origin of dreadlocks, and which culture “owns” the look. Those unhappy with the style wrote, “Oh no Zac plz do not disrespect other people” and “I think it’s pretty sad and pathetic that you don’t see an issue with taking someone’s value.” Others came to Efron’s defense, with one supporter writing, “Oh my gosh, anyone can have dreadlocks. It ain’t racist people."

Still, some were just confused: “can someone please explain why he can’t have his hair like this?” The answer, in case you were also wondering: "Cultural appropriation is about the power dynamic," writer and activist Feminsta Jones told CNN on the subject. "When people with power and privilege decide to 'validate' customs and traditions that oppressed people have long been marginalized for by saying 'This is the hot new thing,' then we have serious problems. Or when they refuse to credit the people who innovated those styles or traditions, but claim them as original ideas, then we get into appropriation."

As conversations about appropriation continue to evolve, the debate has veered into whether or not the wearer is "showing love or respect" for the culture from which the style originated, or is simply trying to cash in on a new "trend." According to the Perception Institute's "Good Hair Study," black people experience implicit bias for wearing natural styles, such as locks. So when a white person wears the look just to be "trendy," rather than as a true expression of "respect," then things get sticky.

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Kardashian faced similar backlash for wearing cornrows (Fulani braids) numerous times, most recently at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. Despite the criticism she’s received for appropriating black culture, she’s made it evident it doesn’t phase her. Following the initial back lash when she wore the style earlier this year, she shared another photo with the braids and wrote, “Hi, can I get zero f—s please, thanks.”

Let’s see what Efron has to say.