Adele Breaks Silence On Cultural Appropriation Backlash After Carnival Snap.
The ‘Hello’ hitmaker was accused of being inappropriate when she shared a picture to honour the cancelled Notting Hill Carnival in a Jamaican bikini and bantu knots.
But she appeared to taking the criticism lightly as she jokily responded to it on Instagram on Monday night, writing: “Wah Gwaan! Yow gyal, yuh look good enuh” in a comment on an Instagram live.
She penned the response under feuding singers Brandy and Monica, who performed together for the first time in eight years on Versuz live-stream.
The Insta’ live, created by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, drew in an audience of more than 1 million people.
Criticism of Adele came after the singer posted the Carnival picture, captioning the post: “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London”.
“No sis…. we love you but don’t appropriate people’s culture,” one fan wrote under Tottenham local Adele’s post.
Meanwhile, another agreed: “This hair is totally unnecessary. Stop appropriating Black culture. Bantu knots are not for you. Period.”
A third wrote: “Unfollowing tonight. Please note that I’m from London. While it may appear cute to some, to show this type of appreciation, it’s not.
“Many Black and Latina ladies have been denied/fired from jobs and young children sent home from school with hairstyles like this. This has happened in the UK, the US and other countries abroad. I’m not a fan.”
Cultural appropriation is when people adopt elements of another culture or identity, and is deemed controversial and at times offensive when members of a dominant culture take on elements of a minority culture.
As always with topics as contentious as cultural appropriation, people were divided.
Defending the star, one fan wrote: “This week in dumb-f*ckery – Americans took it upon themselves to collectively be outraged ON BEHALF of Jamaicans & Africans, because @Adele wore a Jamaican-flag bikini top & African Bantu Knots on her head.
“@Adele, thank you for representing the Bantu culture. Love, Africans.”.
As another penned: “As a Jamaican I approve the entire look”.
Stars including Naomi Campbell and Alexandra Burke also spoke out backing the singer against critics.
Alexandra wrote: “As a Jamaican girl myself, my girl has grown up in black culture. People forget she’s from Tottenham. She probably eats jerk chicken all the time like all of us.
“All I’m saying is the girl looked good, leave her. Allow her, man.”