LOOK: Adele’s Bantu Knots Draws Major Criticism Online

Adele shared a new photo of herself on Instagram celebrating the Notting Hill Carnival on August 30, however, her hairstyle, which was done up in Bantu knots, drew criticism online.

Naturallycurly.com defines Bantu knots as “a traditional African hairstyle” that’s been around for over a century. The hairstyle has seen a resurgence in popular culture due to Rihanna, Mel B. as Scary Spice, and the character “Crazy Eyes,” played by actress Uzo Aduba on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, famously wearing their hair in Bantu knots.

Adele captioned the photo of herself wearing a Jamaican flag bikini and tye-dye leggings, “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London,” but users online shared their not so happy thoughts of seeing Adele’s new picture.

Journalist Ernest Owens tweeted, “If 2020 couldn’t get any more 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.”

While Adele’s weight loss over the past year has been largely celebrated by her 38.6 million fans on Instagram, this particular new look was criticized by many both in the comments section and on Twitter.

What do you call bantu knots when Adele wears them? Becky Knots? Suburbantu Knots?

— Rae Sanni (@raesanni) August 30, 2020

It’s the Bantu knots for me…and the facial expression..she knows she’s wrong pic.twitter.com/Z4QuXnrIRa

— Katie Scott (@KatieScottNews) August 30, 2020

I never thought bantu knots would be trending because of (checks notes) Adele.

— Joi-Marie (@joimariewrites) August 30, 2020

I KNOW YALL ARE LYING THIS IS NOT ADELE????? IT CANT BE- pic.twitter.com/0XP754dP77

— JoJo⁷🥛🎸 (@jojosuniverze) August 30, 2020

The new Adele album 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/2epMzeoC6W

— Bruno X (@brunoxmusic) August 30, 2020

checking to see why adele’s trending like pic.twitter.com/9boXMOoCat

— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) August 30, 2020

Adele’s name started trending nationally on Twitter within an hour of her posting the new picture of Instagram. While some users online continued to comment on her svelte physique, others joked and expressed disappointment in her chosen hairstyle.

Khloe Kardashian Was Accused of Cultural Appropriation After Posting a Photo of Herself With Bantu Knots

I like this one better ☺️ pic.twitter.com/yUJfKjEoQz

— Khloé (@khloekardashian) August 9, 2016

In 2016, reality star Khloe Kardashian posted a photo of herself with her hair done up in Bantu knots. At first, she captioned the photo, “Bantu Babe,” according to Ebony. Khloe deleted the picture then reposted with a new caption that read, “I Like this one better.”

Banke Awopetu-McCullough, a professor of developmental reading and writing at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY, who earned her bachelor’s degree in African-American studies from the University of Virginia said, “Cultural appropriation by definition means norms that are valued by one culture being absorbed and claimed by the dominant culture.”

“In regards to hair, cultural appropriation is particularly offensive because Black women have to fight for our natural beauty to be featured and valued,” Awopetu-McCullough continued. “When white women rock our styles without at least giving credit, it’s another example of the ways Black women are marginalized.”

Bantu Knots Have Been Around for Over 100 Years

In 2016, NaturallyCurly.com’s Branded Content Editor Gerilyn Hayes said of the hairstyle, “Bantu knots also are known as Zulu knots because the Zulu people, a Bantu ethnic group, are the originators of the look we love and wear today,”

“This ancestral and cultural tether is striking in its eons-old manifestation of togetherness,” Hayes continued. “Bantu knots are a visual reminder of the origins of humanity, which may intrinsically be a key to their charm.”

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