Now even though his Wildcats days are far behind him, Zac Efron will for many of us always be the squeaky clean Disney star from High School Musical.
And so it was a surprise to everyone when the 30-year-old Hairspray star shared a moody black and white Instagram pic, showing him with a full head of dreadlocks.
Sharing the pic with his 35.9 million Instagram followers, Zac chuckled, ‘just for fun’ with a ‘rocking out’ emoji.
He looked like a different person as he stared, an edgy beard obscuring a beaming grin, innocent blue eyes hidden behind oversized shaded.
Once fans got wind of his controversial new look, it all kicked off.
Much like when basketball jock Troy wanted to sing in East High’s winter musical, opinions were divided. Should Zac have just stuck to the status quo?
Everyone's favorite white boy, Zac Efron got them damn white boy dreads and I really hope it won't last ??
— Yanni Joy ? (@BlackDynamita) July 5, 2018
So we all been known white people shouldn’t have dreads, right? So tell me why @ZacEfron ass out here with dreads ???
— Courtney Paige (@CourtsCourts88) July 5, 2018
Zac Efron got dreads that man can pull off anything
— mandyf (@_mandyf_) July 5, 2018
Some people appreciated the heartthrob’s drastic new look, swooning over his dreads.
Zac Efron debuts dreadlocks in a new Instagram photo captioned “Just for fun.” pic.twitter.com/t7iHtHAANq
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 5, 2018
One person shrugged:
Sorry for my unpopular opinion, but Zac Efron is still yummy dreads or no.
Another mused:
This all makes perfect sense. Zac Efron and dreads are a perfect match.
Sorry for my unpopular opinion, but Zac Efron is still yummy dreads or not. ?
— Madi McGuire (@madimcmams) July 5, 2018
Zac Efron's dreads = ?
— sabrina (@sinistersabrina) July 6, 2018
This all makes perfect sense. Zac Efron and dreads are a perfect match.
— Pour le Monde (@tossup) July 5, 2018
Zac Efron has dreads and I’m really fighting the urge to find them attractive.
— Jackie Austin Holder (@HOLDER_5) July 5, 2018
Zac Efron tiene dreads… I’m offended and aroused at the same time.
— Suge Marie (@LaD3stroyer) July 6, 2018
However, others thought he just looked dread-ful, longing for him to return to a sleeker, more Efron-y vibe.
One person grimaced:
Why does Zac Efron have dreads I did not sign up for this.
Another sighed:
Zac Efron is the hottest person on this earth…. but he just posted a picture of him with dreads and I’m not feelin it.
Some people even described him as looking ‘like a palm tree,’ which I imagine wasn’t the ‘fun’ look he was going for.
Why does Zac Efron have dreads I did not sign up for this ?
— emo lord (@crxbabylndi) July 6, 2018
No but really. Are you going to shave off those dreads?
— GoldieFox (@Justtgolden) July 5, 2018
Zac Efron has dreads. I'll just be in my room crying for a while. ?
— Myranda Crawford (@MyrMyrsberg) July 5, 2018
Now on top of being short zac efron looks SO musty with those dreads, he’s really living the hard knock life
— #1 no more anti (@aIiaaaaaaaaa) July 5, 2018
also zac efron looks like a palm tree with those dreads
— trevor (@alwcys) July 6, 2018
Zac Efron is the hottest person on this earth…. but he just posted a picture of him with dreads and I’m not feelin it?
— ᒍIᒪᒪIᗩᑎ (@Jillian_Yule) July 5, 2018
Many people have been offended by Zac’s dreadlocks, viewing this as an extremely embarassing incident of cultural appropriation.
One person said:
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.
Another commented:
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.
It seems as though Zac didn’t consider how his new hairstyle could be viewed by some as culturally insensitive and very, very inappropriate.
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. pic.twitter.com/BH07iWflez
— Childish Cindino ???✨ (@cindyluta) July 5, 2018
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. pic.twitter.com/AKNESDjgWp
— Tyde Dermody ?️? (@TydeDermody) July 5, 2018
Everyone's favorite white boy, Zac Efron got them damn white boy dreads and I really hope it won't last ??
— Yanni Joy ? (@BlackDynamita) July 5, 2018
So we all been known white people shouldn’t have dreads, right? So tell me why @ZacEfron ass out here with dreads ???
— Courtney Paige (@CourtsCourts88) July 5, 2018
Zac Efron got dreads. I am disgusted.
— ??????. (@uniquejjk) July 5, 2018
What do you think of Zac’s new barnet, or the concept of cultural appropriation?
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.