Adele Accused of Cultural Appropriation for Instagram Photo Depicting Her Sporting Bantu KnotsHome > Entertainment > Celebrity > AdeleSource: Instagram Adele Accused of Cultural Appropriation for Wearing Bantu Knots and Jamaican Flag BraBy Robin ZlotnickAug. 31 2020, Updated 11:21 a.m. ET Singer-songwriter Adele has been accused of cultural appropriation for wearing Bantu knots and a Jamaican flag bikini bra. She recently posted the photo to Instagram to celebrate "what would be" the Notting Hill Carnival celebration that happens every year.Article continues below advertisement Some were shocked by Adele's apparent insensitivity while others claimed that there's a difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and that Adele was displaying the latter. Take a look at the photo for yourself. Source: InstagramArticle continues below advertisement Adele's photo has more than four million likes on Instagram and thousands of comments, some critical and some that rush to her defense. "It's the cultural appropriation for me and somehow getting away with it because she's not American," one commenter wrote. "*Sigh* Can you STOP appropriating other cultures. It's sick and racist," wrote another. But then someone else tried to explain, "The Notting Hill Carnival that takes place at this time of year is a celebration of West Indies heritage in London/UK. Adele grew up in Tottenham, one of the largest Jamaican diasporas in the UK. This seems a strange thing for Americans to now get offended about."Article continues below advertisement Soon, the controversy and arguments made their way to Twitter, where talk about the photo thrust Adele into the viral spotlight. "Stunning cultural appropriation," Frederick Joseph wrote in response to a tweet claiming that Adele "looks stunning in new Instagram photo." If 2020 couldn't get anymore 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. pic.twitter.com/N9CqPqh7GX— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 30, 2020 Article continues below advertisement Journalist Ernest Owens writes that this photo "officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic." Author Saeed Jones took a screenshot of the photo and posted it to Twitter the simple but devastating caption, "This year just won't let up." One Instagram commenter offered a more nuanced position: "We can agree to disagree on whether this was cultural appropriation (personally I think it is). But MORE IMPORTANTLY, she could have used this as an opportunity to highlight actual Black Jamaican people and Jamaican beauty! Not her own. This was a self-absorbed and tone-deaf move."Article continues below advertisement Still, it seems that Adele received just as much support for this look as she did criticism. Many claimed that the only people getting mad about Adele's photo are Black Americans who don't understand the context. One Twitter user wrote, "Black Americans trying to cancel Adele for making an African hairstyle and wearing a Jamaican flag will forever be funny. While Africans are praising her and Jamaicans are happy she did. These Black Americans are really starting to be bitter bullies."Article continues below advertisement 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. https://t.co/sabpPPRtID— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 31, 2020 Another Twitter user wrote, "Dear Black Americans, we love the Bantu knot and I don't think Jamaicans are complaining about the bikini. Deal with your insecurities and leave Adele tf alone!"Article continues below advertisement "I love it," wrote one Instagram user. "As an ACTUAL Jamaican from the ACTUAL Caribbean, I love it! It's an appreciation of our culture. For everyone that has an issue with it, just know, we Caribbean people are cool with it. So y'all can calm down and leave her alone." Reactions to Adele's latest Instagram post seem to vary on an individual level. She's receiving a lot of support and a lot of criticism. So what do you think? Is Adele's outfit unacceptable cultural appropriation or unproblematic cultural appreciation?AdvertisementMore from Distractify Singer-Songwriter Adele's Amazing Transformation Through the Years Adele Is One of the U.K.'s Richest Singers Adele Credits Her Weight Loss Transformation to Reformer Pilates Latest Adele News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.