Justin Bieber has been accused of cultural appropriation after debuting his new dreadlocks.
The singer, 27, took to Instagram on Sunday (April 25) to show off his new hairstyle with a selfie, and later followed this up with a number of full-body snaps of himself in a pink and black checkered shirt and red shorts.
However, while Bieber might have been happy to debut his new dreadlocks on social media, they were not met with an entirely positive reaction, with many accusing the 'Baby' singer of a form of "cultural appropriation."
Reacting to the new hairstyle, one Instagram user wrote: "This is cultural appropriation... I know you can do better."
Meanwhile, a second added in all caps: "AREEEE YOU KIDDING ME??"
Another commenter referenced the fact that in June of last year - amid months of protests surrounding racial injustice - the Grammy Award-winner revealed that he promised to "be part of the much-needed change".
"Didnt you say you were educating yourself about black culture so what is this foolery [sic]," the comment read.
Another angered Instagram user wrote: "literally what is wrong with you??? how do you do you make an album about justice? post about Black Lives Matter then turn around and post yourself wearing dreads???? I love you but this isn’t right and you know it isn’t [sic]."
Last year, Bieber wrote to his fans on social media: "I am inspired by Black culture. I have benefited off of Black culture.
"My style, how I sing, dance, perform, and my fashion have all been influenced and inspired by Black culture," he continued, adding: "I am committed to using my platform this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression."
Not everyone was so critical of Bieber's hair, with one fan writing in his defense: "This is just a hairstyle chill"
A third similarly wrote: "[I know] I'm gonna get a bunch of hate - but this isn't cultural appropriation, it's just a hairstyle."
Earlier today, Bieber appeared to respond to the negative reaction to his new hairstyle, by sharing a cryptic post that read: "All of us humans just want to be liked, fit in, belong, feel heard, be accepted..we all have our own insecurities that we try and hide and we make it seem like we have it all together."
Bieber then continued, "Arent we all broken? We can all hide behind superficial things but the truth is we are all hurting. The answer can't be within ourselves, the answer must be in a perfect one, one who can rescue us from our humanness."
The 'Sorry' singer followed this up by sharing another picture of himself dressed in red, captioning the post with heart emojis.
