Did Justin Bieber commit cultural appropriation again?

Justin Bieber has been accused, again, of appropriating Black culture for having his hair styled in dreadlocks, an ethnic hairstyle.

Is it wrong to adopt an identifying characteristic of a culture one does not share?

The answer is debated. It lies in why it was done, how it was done and how people who are of that culture see it.

Bieber’s April 2021 display of dreadlocks on Instagram is not his first. He did it in 2016 and was called out.

For many, the hairstyle represents a reclamation of Black identity. It signifies protest and beauty and a restoration of justice. It is in the face of White European standards that put it down. The twisted or locked hairstyle has roots in Hindu mysticism, Ethiopia, Nigeria and, later, Jamaica.

When someone from outside the culture wears it, motives come into question. Is it to express solidarity? Is it to draw attention or turn a profit? Worst case: Is it to ridicule?

Wearing the hairstyles of another culture can be taken as supportive or corrosive.

In 2016, Bieber told the artist Big Sean people were saying “‘You want to be black’ and all of that stuff people say. I’m like, ‘It’s just my hair.’”

To a lot of people, it is much deeper than “just my hair.”

Cultural appropriation or misappropriation comes up in several Bias Busters guides, including “100 Questions and Answers About African Americans.” It is is available from Amazon or the Front Edge Publishing bookstore.