Adele has been accused of cultural appropriation after sharing a photo showing her in a Jamaican bikini top and with her hair in Bantu knots.
The 32-year-old posted the picture on Instagram, writing: “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London GBJM”.
The 2020 edition of west London’s traditional celebration of 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 some fans were quick to criticise the Tottenham-born star’s decision to wear Bantu knots – a traditional African hairstyle in which the hair is twisted into a series of small coiled buns.
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.”
Adele revealed her seven-stone weight loss earlier this year. Pic: Instagram/@Adele
However, others took the opposite approach, with one supporter writing: “To all the ignorant non-Jamaicans dragging Adele for supporting the Jamaican culture, sit down! You don’t speak for us!
“We are proud of Adele! Nuff respeck to her!”
Another said: “How are non-Jamaicans getting mad at Adele when Jamaicans aren’t even mad themselves. This is normal carnival attire. Let Adele sing HELLO PON DI ADA SIDE.”
While a third commented: “I am Jamaican, and I don’t mind this at all. We have bigger things to worry about. The internet is a cesspool of people having too much thoughts.
“Go vote. Register to vote, focus on your mental health. This is a non-issue.”
Last year’s Notting Hill carnival took place amid sweltering conditions in west London
Many of the singer’s celebrity friends also approved of her look.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell, whose mother was born in Jamaica, commented with two love heart emojis and two pictures of the Jamaican flag.
Jamaican musician Popcaan shared a fist emoji and a love heart, and Westworld actress Tessa Thompson commented with a flame emoji.
Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldana wrote: “You look right at home guurrrl”, while US comedian Chelsea Handler commented: “Oh, yeah, baby!”
This year’s carnival moved from the streets of Notting Hill to the internet due to COVID-19
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Adele’s Instagram account has already attracted lots of attention this year, after the birthday image she shared back in May showed a dramatic weight loss of around seven stone.
It came after the multi Grammy and Brit award-winning star filed for divorce from her husband Simon Konecki last September, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
The couple have a son, seven-year-old Angelo.