On Sunday, the British singer came under fire and was accused of cultural appropriation after sharing an Instagram photo that featured her wearing a Jamaican-flag bikini top, Bantu knots in her hair, and a carnival-inspired headdress found in Afro-Caribbean cultures.
“Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival, my beloved London,” she wrote, paying tribute to the massive community-led festival by sharing emojis of the British and Jamaican flags.
Celebrity followers including Naomi Campbell, Zoe Saldana, Tessa Thompson, Chelsea Handler, and Lisa Rinna approved her look with supportive comments.
Fans also applauded her significant weight loss and courage for posting a bikini photo. However, many others did not.
The Notting Hill Carnival celebrated Caribbean culture and began in the 1960s as a children’s street fair to ease racial tensions in the area.
It would have taken place Sunday and Monday this year but went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While Notting Hill Carnival is rooted in Caribbean culture, with its Windrush-generation influence remaining strongly evident, it is at the same time characteristically ‘London’ – today’s modern London,” according to the event’s website.
Performers including Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Busta Rhymes, Major Lazer, and Stefflon Don have previously taken the stage at the festival.
The “Hello” singer’s image sparked a digital culture war in comments that touched on nuanced race relations globally and how they differ from those in the U.S.
Some users harangued Adele, asked her to delete the image, and compared her to Cynthia, a character from the animated series “Rugrats,” and Rachel Dolezal, the accused former NAACP chapter president who turned out to be white.
Sports journalist Jemele Hill tweeted that “nary a person” asked for Adele’s look.
BET News host and activist Marc Lamont Hill shared the photo on his Instagram account with the caption “Why?” and sparked the debate anew there.