Adele Wore Bantu Knots and People Are Calling Her Out for Cultural Appropriation

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On Sunday night, Adele posted a photo to Instagram that’s sparking a heated discussion on social media. In the shot the singer is wearing a yellow feathered headdress and a bikini top that features the Jamaican flag, and her hair is styled in Bantu knots. 

“Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London,” she wrote in the caption, referring to the massive event that usually happens this time of year in England. 

Here’s the photo in question: 

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Unsurprisingly, the backlash came swift, as commenters were quick to call Adele out for cultural appropriation. “Naw sis you know you messed up on this one. This is not the move @adele. Cultural appropriation is not the move. That’s all I’m gonna say about this shenanigans…,” one person tweeted.

“If 2020 couldn’t get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for,” journalist Ernest Owens wrote. “This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic.”

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It’s something we’ve seen time and time again: A white celebrity wears a hairstyle rooted firmly in Black culture. The problem, of course, is that white celebrities have historically been praised for these looks, while Black women who wear these styles are told they look “unprofessional” or that their hair is “unacceptable.” Black women can even be fired for wearing their hair in Bantu knots in 43 states.   

In Adele’s case, however, commenters also came to her defense—primarily those from the U.K. “Dear Black Americans, y’all are not the the spokesmen for the black race, ethnically, Adele outfit and hairstyle is none of your business…pay attention to the shitt y’all got going on in the US #Adele,” one person tweeted. 

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Someone else wrote, “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.” 

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Adele has yet to comment on the controversy. We will update this post if and when she does.