The controversial reason people are HATING on Vanessa Hudgens’ hair
While generally celebrated for her boho style, Vanessa Hudgens has come under fire this week for experimenting with box braided hair.
The High School Musical star has been heavily criticised online for a series of Snapchats in which she showed off the look which is traditionally worn by African women because of its protective properties.
Online commentators have accused the star of cultural appropriation for sporting the ‘do.
One user wrote: “People like @VanessaHudgens, #hate true #BlackWomen, but love the #cultural, our #men, and our #music! #Confuse (sic).”
While another said: “Vanessa Hudgens…Queen of cultural appropriation.”
Social media users have also been quick to point out that this is not the first time the 27-year-old has been accused of adopting symbols of cultural significance for fashion-related purposes.
She has previously been pictured wearing a sari, a bindi and a Native American headdress.
However, others have defended the star by questioning why white women wearing braids is considered culturally inappropriate.
“Is it cultural appropriation when a black girl gets her hair straighten? No? Then why can’t we wear braids (sic)?” asked one woman.
This line of thought was echoed by another Twitter user who wrote: “So it’s cultural appropriation when @VanessaHudgens wears braids but when @Beyonce dyes her hair blonde [it’s] ‘slaying’?”
