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?
Some people appreciated the heartthrob’s drastic new look, swooning over his dreads.
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.
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.
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.
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.