Justin Bieber Dreadlocks -- Cultural Appropriation?

Our discussion of cultural appropriation in class today reminded me of a headline I had seen online recently -- Justin Bieber got dreadlocks, and people are not happy about it. Today, we discussed the cultural appropriation of Native American dress, and specifically dreadlocks from African American culture. In the past, Bieber has also been criticized for his corn-rows, which he displayed a few months ago while on vacation. A stark representation of cultural appropriation can be found in celebrities' styles and actions in the media. A major criticism of Bieber's dreadlocks is that while he got them to look cool, Zendaya, a celebrity of color, got dreadlocks a while back and was accused of smelling like oils and weed. The reason Bieber's dreadlocks are considered cultural appropriate is because he is wearing a hairstyle that people of color have worn for years, and is adapting it to white standards. When Zendaya wore the same hairstyle, even though she is in fact a woman of color, she was hit with disgust.