In 2016, Justin Bieber debuted a head of cornrows on his Instagram.
Three months later, he appeared at the iHeart Radio Music Awards with his hair in dreadlocks.
Five years on, the 27 year old is once again rocking the black-originated look, sharing it on his social media and causing the same offence, backlash, discomfort as he did the first time around.
Back then, the public took to Twitter, writing, "Why isn't anyone calling out Justin Bieber bc of his dreadlocks? U do realise that's cultural appropriation!!"
CHECK OUT: The 35 celebrity couples we forgot about
35 celebrity couples we forgot about SLIDER
1 of 441. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson
Jennifer and Owen dated for a short time in 2008 after filming Marley & Me together.
2 of 442. Sandra Bullock and Matthew Mcconaughey
Sandra Bullock and Matthew Mcconaughey became a couple after starring in A Time To Kill together. Despite the fact they looked SUPER CUTE together with their matching glossy curls, their relationship lasted less than two years.
3 of 443. Seal and Tyra Banks
Before Seal married Heidi Klum and started throwing THE BEST Halloween parties of all time (seriously, if you don't know, check them out), he briefly dated model and 'smize' enthusiast, Tyra Banks.
4 of 444. Johnny Depp and Kate Moss
We don't want to be dramatic, but Kate Moss and Johnny Depp were probably the hottest couple OF ALL TIME.
5 of 44Johnny Depp and Kate Moss
Seriously, just look at them. That hair! Those cheekbones! PHWOAR!
6 of 44Johnny Depp and Kate Moss
The couple met in 1994 - when Johnny was 31 and Kate was just 20 - and dated for four years and were reportedly even engaged.
7 of 445. Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal
Brace yourselves, ladies, for you're about to witness pictures of dreamboat Jake Gyllenhaal looking TOTALLY besotted with another woman. The woman in question is, of couse, Kirsten Dunst, who he dated from 2002 - 2004.
8 of 44Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal
Look, here he is gently cupping her face as he stares adoringly into her eyes...
9 of 44Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal
And here they are snogging each other's faces off in a doorway. JEALOUS!
10 of 446. Kate Bosworth and Orlando Bloom
Long before he went naked paddle boarding with Katy Perry, British actor Orlando Bloom dated super-chic actress Kate Bosworth.
11 of 447. Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere
Wow, these two REALLY looked great together. Just look at them! Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere first met in 1987 when Cindy was just 21, and wed four years later. Sadly their huge 17-year age gap proved fatal, and the couple divorced just four years later in 1995.
12 of 448. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gosling
Yes, much to everyone's surprise, Ryan Gosling and Sandra Bullock were once a 'thing'. Briefly.
13 of 449. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin were married for nine years and have one child - Ireland Baldwin - together. Sadly, their relationship ended in a bitter divorce in 2002.
14 of 4410. Blake Lively and Penn Badgley
Long before Blake was ultimate #CoupleGoals with hubby Ryan Reynolds, she made Gossip Girl fans' dreams come true by dating her GG co-star Penn Badgley. Sadly the couple broke everyone's hearts by splitting up three years later, but we think we can all agree it was for the greater good.
15 of 4411. Natalie Portman and Moby
Yes, Oscar winning actress Natalie Portman briefly dated the much-maligned musician (and fellow vegan), Moby. Strangely, the only image we could find of them was this one where they're posing with Questlove and Black Thought from The Roots and even more inexplicably, Natalie's holding a cake. GO FIGURE.
16 of 4412. Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson
Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson's relationship may have been short (it only lasted about a year), but it had HUGE ramifications - mainly because Ted was married at the time and his affair with Whoopi resulted in his second divorce. Gulp.
17 of 4413. Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt
Can we all just take a moment to remember just how great Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt were together. Look - they even had matching hair! The couple, who were together from 1994 - 1997 met when Gwynnie was just 24, and were even engaged. Talking about the relationship years later, Oscar winner Gwyneth admitted: "I f----- that up, Brad!" REGRETS!
18 of 4414. Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck
Who do you possibly date if you've just broken up with Brad Pitt? Well, if you're Gwyneth Paltrow, that answer's Ben Affleck. The couple dated on and off till 2000.
19 of 4415. Sienna Miller and Rhys Ifans
Let's take a trip back to 2007, when Sienna Miller had everyone asking, 'WTF does SHE see in HIM?' when she began dating super-scruffy Welsh actor Rhys Ifans (yes, we know he's probably got a great personality, but COME ON!).
20 of 4416. Kim Kardashian and Nick Cannon
Back when Kim Kardashian was BFFs with Paris Hilton and still had most of her real face (circa 2006), she was doing the dirty with Nick Cannon - aka. Mariah Carey's baby daddy.
21 of 44Kim Kardashian and Nick Cannon
And look, here they are posing with a topless woman who's carrying a snake. Good times!
22 of 4417. Ashton Kutcher and January Jones
Before we all knew her as Betty Draper in Mad Men, January Jones dated Ashton Kutcher. The couple dated from 1998 - 2001, but sadly, despite the fact they look seriously happy in this snap, it turns out Ashton was a bit of a jerk. Talking to GQ in 2009, January admitted: "He was not supportive of my acting... He was like, 'I don't think you're going to be good at this."
23 of 4418. Kiera Knightley and Jamie Dornan
Long before he was dark and brooding and Christian Grey, Jamie Dornan was the dark, brooding boyfriend of Kiera Knightley. Lucky girl!
24 of 4419. Chris Evans and Jessica Biel
Yes, Jessica Biel (who's now happily to married to Justin Timberlake) used to date Captain America! Sorry, we mean, Chris Evans. Who knew?
25 of 4420. Madonna and Sean Penn
Madonna's dating history is long and varied - from legendary artist Jean Michel Basquiat to, er, Vanilla Ice - but let's take a minute to remember that her first husband was none other than Sean Penn. The couple were married from 1985 - 1989, and although they weren't suited in many many ways, they certainly looked great together.
26 of 4421. Jennifer Lopez and Wesley Snipes
J-Lo has had some hot, and seriously famous, O/H's (hiya Diddy, Marc Anthony, Ben Affleck!), but did you know she briefly dated actor Wesley Snipes in the mid-90s? No, neither did we!
27 of 4422. Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin
And the award for the cutest celeb couple of all time is... Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin. Seriously, just look at them! We. Can't. Cope.
28 of 4423. Winona Ryder and Matt Damon
Winona Ryder and Matt Damon met in 1997 after being introduced by Gwyneth Paltrow (who was dating Matt's mate Ben Affleck at the time). The couple became official in 1998, but broke it off just two years later in 2000.
29 of 4424. Owen Wilson and Sheryl Crow
Owen Wilson dated All I Wanna Do singer Sheryl Crow from 1999 - 2001. Here they are having a red carpet snog which Sheryl doesn't look 100% comfortable with. Eek!
30 of 4425. Courteney Cox and Michael Keaton
Courteney Cox and Michael Keaton dated for an impressive (in Hollywood terms, at least) six years. Following their split in 1995, Courteney said: "It's the most important relationship I've ever had, and I think he's the most wonderful person I've ever met." Awww!
31 of 4426. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn
Remember when Jennifer Aniston dated Vince Vaughn? The couple started dating after filming The Break Up together (which was possibly a bad omen) because, as you can see from this snap of them not enjoying each other's company, it wasn't really #CoupleGoals
32 of 4427. Ryan Reynolds and Alanis Morissette
Does Ryan Reynolds and Alanis Morisette strike anyone else as a bit of an odd coupling? Yes, we know they're both Canadian, but still. Anyway, the couple dated for five long years after meeting at Drew Barrymore's birthday party in 2002 (IMAGINE!), and were even engaged to be married.
33 of 44and Alanis Morissette
Sadly they never made it down the aisle, but they did manage to get in A LOT of PDAs before splitting in 2007.
34 of 4428. George Clooney and Lucy Liu
George Clooney's dated more gorgeous women than we've had hot dinners, but we were particularly into his short-lived fling with Charlie's Angels star Lucy Liu.
35 of 4429. Cameron Diaz and Jared Leto
Look at these cool kids! Yep, Cameron Diaz and Jared Leto dated from 1999 - 2003 and were reportedly even engaged. We think they looked pretty great together tbh.
36 of 4430. Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz
Despite the fact that Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz dated for two years (2003 - 2005) and were even engaged, the only photos we could find of the pair was this seriously awkward encounter with Nicole's hubby Keith Urban.
37 of 44Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz
Like, REALLY awkward. Let go of her hand, Lenny!
38 of 4431. Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.
Yes, that is Robert Downey Jr. And yes, he dated Sarah Jessica Parker - for an incredible seven years in fact! We love this snap of them looking seriously cute and gawky back in 1990!
39 of 44Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.
And here they are at the London premiere of SJP's film LA Story shortly before their split in 1991.
40 of 4432. Whitney Houston and Ray J
We LOVED Whitney, but she really did have awful taste in men. At the time of her death the legendary singer was dating Ray J (of Kim Kardashian sex tape fame).
41 of 4433. Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake
Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake began dating after meeting at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2003 (proof that love can strike any time, any place). The couple dated for almost four years, and appeared to spend much of their relationship looking loved-up at sports events. Here they are staring lovingly into each other's eyes at a charity basket ball game...
42 of 44Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake
And here they are having a cheeky snog at a Lakers game. As you do.
43 of 4434. Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan
Before Brad, Jennifer Aniston dated Tate Cooper- who you'll probably know as Jimmy Cooper, Marissa's hot dad in The O.C.
44 of 4435. Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz
And finally, who can forget the time that Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz began dating and everyone REALLY hoped they'd get married and double barrel their names #Mems
Likewise, users commented under Justin's Instagram snap, replying to his tens of thousands of followers, "[Loving] the hair," to call out the star and his complicit fans for appropriating black culture.
"It's just my hair"
This time around, after acknowledging the criticism in 2016 with a brief, "It's just my hair" dismissal, "just" Justin's hair is just as problematic. This is why.
A brief history of dreadlocks or locs
Dreadlocks are thought to date back as far as 2500 BCE in ancient India, and are first acknowledged in writing in regards to the Hindu deity Shiva. After that, locs were thought to be present in ancient Egyptian culture, with mummies found in the modern age with their hair still intact in the twisted style.
Jumping forward several thousands of years, dreadlocks drew a new meaning after Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie (born Ras Tafari Makonnen) was exiled by Italian invaders. After losing the throne, a school of thought was initiated regarding Selassie as the God of the Black race, which some believe is in line with a prophecy in the New Testament. Thus, until Selassie's throne was reinstated, a group of Ethiopian Guerrilla warriors vowed not to cut their locs. This marked the beginning of Ras-Tafari-anism.
The hairstyle caught on among colonial-ruled cultures in Kenya and then Jamaica, and the term 'dreadlock' was first coined by British Imperialists to be used in a derogatory manner.
In the 1970s, in the same way that the N word has been reclaimed among black people, reggae singer Bob Marley revived dreadlocks publicly, reclaiming the hairstyle as one of empowerment, rather than discrimination and oppression.
For Justin Bieber to sport dreadlocks as a fleeting fashion statement, he is supporting a long history of supremacy and as a white man, he is doing so as a symbol of the oppressor and everything the reclamation of the hairstyle strives to overcome.
It is the blatant glossing over of years of black maltreatment, for the sake of a two, three month 'look' and a couple million Instagram likes
It is not, as some of his fans suggest, "a vibe" or an "awesome look ❤️🙌🏻," but rather the blatant glossing over of years of black maltreatment, for the sake of a two, three month 'look' and a couple million Instagram likes.
As one of his followers asks, "Why do you not care about your black fans telling you to take out your dreads?"
In the past, the Love Yourself singer has supported black empowerment, writing on Instagram how he has been inspired by black culture and that, "[He is] committed to using [his] platform to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be a part of much needed change."
But what about the dreadlocks? White people wearing cornrows or a head of locks needs to change, too.
Hold Justin Bieber to account. We must do better.
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What is cultural appropriation?
Cultural appropriation is the taking or using of one culture's "customs, practices and/or ideas" (from OxfordLanguages) as someone of a different culture.
Cultural appropriation can result in the original culture being represented poorly, their property (whether concrete or abstract) being misused and/or plagiarised and, often, it can reinforce harmful stereotypes.
An example of the latter, is dreadlocks being seen and worn in white culture as a way to be 'laid back', when in fact they were revived in the late 1900s as quite the opposite - a symbol of black power and anti-racism.