Singing sensation Adele has been in news for trying to get her body into shape and shedding off a considerable amount of weight. While she has been successful in achieving a fit and healthy body, her latest unrecognisable picture drew some backlash.
In an Instagram post, shared on Monday, the singing superstar has sparked a social media outrage for allegedly dressing culturally inappropriately. In the picture, one can see Adele wearing a bikini top with a Jamaican flag printed on it. She combined it with a feathered embellishment on her shoulders, while her hair is curled into tight knots.
Sharing the picture on social media, she wrote, “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London”. She was referring to London’s huge annual carnival led by members of the British West Indian community. The parade has been cancelled this year due to COVID-19.
A lot of people have criticized the attire choice of the 32-year-old star, with accusations of cultural appropriation. She has sparked backlash for showing off a Bantu knot hairstyle, which is usually worn by women of African descent. A user said, “Adele looks like that one white chick who took a vacation to Jamaica and came back with braids”.
adele looks like that one white chick who took a vacation to jamaica and came back with braids pic.twitter.com/j0SvtUzba1
— Debating Hip-Hop (@DebatingHipHop_) August 30, 2020
Another commented, “If 2020 couldn’t get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for. This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic. Hate to see it”.
If 2020 couldn’t get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for. This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic. Hate to see it. pic.twitter.com/N9CqPqh7GX
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 30, 2020
However, a lot of people from the African community came forward in support of her. A user wrote, “I’m Black African and we never have a problem with any of this until you started to brainwash us to have a problem with it. Adele looks amazing”.
Another commented, “The people that are commenting on how this is culture appropriation clearly do not understand the full concept of it. Once you grasp the understanding of what appropriate and appreciate means, you’ll see that what Adele did was not appropriating, but appreciating the Jamaican culture. This is coming from a South African in Africa”.
