We all know the famous UK singer Adele for her pop song hits such as “Hello” and “Rolling in the Deep”. She has been a melancholy-pop sensation around the world for years. Not only that, but she has always been very unproblematic as a celebrity. Recently, Adele has been gaining recognition for her killer body transformation that has many in shock. She looks amazing and seems to be living her best life. There is also word going around of her working on a new album.
Over the weekend, Adele shared an interesting photo on Instagram. She posted a picture of herself dressed up for the Notting Hill Carnival which was cancelled this year due to COVID-19. This event celebrates Caribbean and Black communities within the UK. Her caption for the photo was “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London.” The picture of her was a throwback from previous years.
In the photo, Adele wore a Jamaican flag bikini top with Bantu knots in her hair. For those who don’t know, Bantu knots are a traditional African hairstyle. People on social media immediately targeted her as participating in cultural appropriation. At the same time, others stated she was simply appreciating the culture.
Though it is obvious as to why many would think she is cultural appropriating such things as a traditional hairstyle, there are many who don’t agree with that statement. People state that she was just celebrating the culture. There is a strong divide over the controversial post about whether it was appropriation or appreciation. What do you think?
