Adele causes stir with Notting Hill Carnival celebration photo

Singer was pictured wearing a Jamaican flag bikini with her hair in Bantu knots

Roisin O'Connor
Monday 31 August 2020 10:35 BST
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Adele headlines the Pyramid Stage Glastonbury 2016

Adele has received mixed reactions for a photo she posted celebrating Notting Hill Carnival.

The singer, who is based in the US but was born in Tottenham, London, shared an image of herself on Instagram wearing a Jamaican flag bikini, with her hair in Bantu knots.

She captioned the post: “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London.”

The 32-year-old appeared to be enjoying a celebration of her own at home.

However, her photo became the subject of criticism as some called the singer out for what they viewed to be cultural appropriation.

“If 2020 couldn’t get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for,” journalist Ernest Owens wrote on Twitter.

“This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic. Hate to see it.”

One of Adele’s followers on Instagram commented: “Black women are discriminated against for wearing cultural hairstyles like bantu knots and locs but white people are not, that’s not fair and that’s why people are pissed off.”

However, others said they didn’t mind Adele’s hairstyle.

“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,” one wrote.

Some fans simply took the opportunity to turn Adele’s photo into a meme.

A number of Adele's famous friends responded positively to her photo, including Naomi Campbell, Chelsea Handler, Popcaan and Zoe Saldana.

Notting Hill Carnival is being celebrated as a virtual event this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – for the first time in its 54-year history.

Notting Hill Carnival: Access All Areas features live music performances and entertainment, which can be streamed on four channels throughout the end-of-August bank holiday weekend.

The carnival has partnered with music streaming service Spotify. The line-up includes playlist takeovers from artists including the Marleys and singer/rapper Koffee.

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