Adele – Stars defend against cultural appropriation claims
Adele
Adele – High-profile black figures including Naomi Campbell and MP David Lammy have defended Adele over claims of cultural appropriation, following a backlash for an image she posted on social media.
The Tottenham-born singer attracted criticism from some fans after sharing a photo on Instagram showing her in a Jamaican flag bikini top and with her hair in Bantu knots.
The 2020 edition of west London’s traditional celebration of the Caribbean and black culture took place remotely for the first time in its 50-year history due to coronavirus, and Adele was clearly keen to celebrate from her home in LA.
But it was the 32-year-old star’s decision to wear Bantu knots – a traditional African hairstyle in which the hair is twisted into a series of small coiled buns – that led some to denounce the singer’s choice of costume.
One Twitter user wrote: “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.”
Another said: “If you haven’t quite understood cultural appropriation, look at @Adele’s last Instagram post. She should go to jail no parole for this.”
Writing in the comments section of the Instagram post, a user said: “Bantu knots are NOT to be worn by white people in any context, period.”
Responding to reports about the backlash, Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy wrote on Twitter: “Poppycock! This humbug totally misses the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival and the tradition of ‘dress up’ or ‘masquerade’ Adele was born and raised in Tottenham she gets it more than most. Thank you Adele. Forget the Haters.”
Commenting on the singer’s original post, supermodel Naomi Campbell, whose mother was born in Jamaica, commented with two love heart emojis and two pictures of the Jamaican flag.
The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke also stuck up for Adele, telling the BBC’s Carnival tribute show: “I see the pic. She looks hot. She’s obviously been working on her body, that for me is a big deal. She’s looking good.
