Adele

[angieb89]

I don't understand how she is being culturally appropriate for wearing Jamaican bikini and wearing her hair in a Jamaican style in honour of Notting Hill carnival?
She doesn't seem to be doing it to offend anyone?

Call me ignorant but I would like to understand why some people are kicking off? Seems it mainly African-Americans that are offended and Jamaicans are fine with it.

Seems we can't do anything without upsetting or offending anyone?

For context, I'm white British female.

I have always liked Adele and I still like her now. When I saw the picture what got me was her drastic weight loss..... she looks so different!!
I think some negative comments are a bit harsh considering she is a Londoner and has probably has been around various cultures so I think they are quite wrong to say some of the things they have!

However I do know see what they mean with the hairstyle it originates from people who have Afro hair and I think people who are outraged by this is because when a celeb (any such as Kim K) wears cornrows it is passed off and “sold” as some type of new trend because of that persons celeb status when in actually fact it is not a new trend.....

thanks @MorganKitten

I think it's unfair to compare her to Kim K. The Kardashian's are perfect examples of cultural appropriation.

@AgeLikeWine

So, if Adele is guilty of ‘cultural appropriation’ does that mean that when Beyoncé wears a blond wig or a Bollywood actress uses skin-lightening products they are doing the same?

I knew someone would fling this out. Firstly the majority of people with afro hair started with cornrows, extensions and weaves solely because it’s a protective style and Afro hair is quite hard to manage even simply combing and washing it’s very time consuming.

Have you ever combed and washed somebody’s hair which is Afro?

Not to mention that Afro hair is seen as “bottom of the barrel” it’s slow growing and it is not known to be “good hair’.

@ploppieblopp

I think it's unfair to compare her to Kim K. The Kardashian's are perfect examples of cultural appropriation.

I only used it because there was similar outrage with Kim and braids. I like Adele. Like I said for me the hair is not a problem it’s not the first thing I noticed. Although Adele maybe got the inspirational from her boyfriend.

The whole thing is ridiculous. How can we close the divide, if black people don’t share. It just creates more of a divide and more of a barrier. People need to stop being offended so easily. It’s just hair. She’s not racist.

She’s in the news because of weight loss but of course people need to jump on the “racist” bandwagon. She would be front page if she was dressed in green for st paddy’s. It’s Adele in a bikini! She’s looking slim and people are interested.

I didn't mean to single your comment out but just the general point of cultural appropriation, the Kardashian's are a good example of how they profit from it, the hair styles, the ripping off unknown designers, etc

@Tidyhousefornow I wouldn’t think anything of it bar being a bit ashamed that I a black woman cannot cornrow hair when you can (I assume you are white?). The reasoning is the same though - it’s protective of hair.

@Lockdowner13 Black people? If you look at Twitter Black British people of varied backgrounds are pretty much unified in being pissed off at the Americans as it was they who took offence. We are not a homogenous group anymore than other races are.

I think a big issue is that some people assume that all people of same colour share same ideas, morals and views.

But that's not how it works. Ideas, morals and views are very much moulded by where the person is. I am a white person who grew up in x country and my ideas, morals and views are different to white person from y country. Same with people of any colour. Yes there are things which are shared, but levels of tolerance for example are based on geography imho, rather than only skin colour.

Wouldn't it essentially be racist to assume all black people have same ideas, morals and views just because they are black? Not being goady, really curious if that would be.

Exactly @SchrodingersImmigrant. I can almost guarantee that I would have more in common with Adele than I would with Beyoncé.

We could exchange NHC stories for one 😁

@Phoenix21

Exactly *@SchrodingersImmigrant*. I can almost guarantee that I would have more in common with Adele than I would with Beyoncé.

We could exchange NHC stories for one 😁

Maybe she will take you up on it

There should be some rule that people should first find out if event offends locals and than stand behind them if yes. Instead of pushing foreign agenda and views on them. 🤔

It’s just hair.

But it’s not just hair when you’ve been discriminated against about your hair, kids spending a day in isolation because of their hair, employers offering you a job on the grounds that you change your hair because your natural hair looks ‘unprofessional’ , randoms coming over and touching your hair without permission, the list goes on

@Lockdowner13

“Black people” wow!!!!

“Don’t share?” You sound like a pre schooler.

The “divide” will close when “black people” are given jobs and opportunities.

And no it’s not “just hair” afro hair has been seen as dirty, unprofessional and wild for years. That is why some women with afro hair wear weaves etc or burn it straight as they have been made to feel ugly for years.

(Fyi I don’t give a shit what Adele wears however maybe admit you had what kelly
Osbourne did)

I am indeed white Phoenix21. I grew up in west London (Notting Hill in fact) but now I live in a small town. This subject interests me a lot. I'm conscious that doing her hair like that may cause offense and this is the last thing I want.

Growing up, most of my friends were black. In school and in my area, Caribbean culture was strong. Naturally, I dressed like my peers and listened to similar music etc. My friends would sometimes do my hair and I used to wear baggy clothes, cap turned backwards and even necklace with leather shape of Africa. I know now that this was cultural appropriation, but at the time it felt natural to dress that way. My mistakes were innocent but with my daughter's hair I am more aware. I love the way it looks on her and it keeps it knot free, but I worry that I may offend. The only two black mothers in our school love what I do with her hair and one has asked me to do a similar style for her daughter who is mixed race.

I agree that America and here are very different. Adele dressing up for carnival in that way feels fine to me, having grown up in that area myself. In that context and it being Adele, my guess is that would not offend most people of Afro Caribbean heritage in that part of London, but that is just an assumption based on my limited experience.

ffs

Also. Isn't she actually in Jamaica atm? That would make difference too imo

@SchrodingersImmigrant I was talking to my sister about this today and I think she mentioned Adele is meant to be in Beverly Hills. We found that when we were in Jamaica there were a lot of vendors on the beach offering to style people's hair in this way, but I'm not sure if by doing it yourself it's cultural appropriation or not

@Tidyhousefornow I don’t think that was “your mistake”. The main issue I can see here on this thread that some people are totally unaware of the issue with Adele’s hair style because they don’t know any kind of history to do with Afro hair. You seem to have an understanding though from what you have wrote.

Wouldn't it essentially be racist to assume all black people have same ideas, morals and views just because they are black?

Well yes, and that's what is getting so heated on social media largely. A group who it directly impacts, being told by another group who although share a skin colour do not have the same historical ties to the hair style, that they are wrong to not be offended and they should be. It's one thing to have differing opinions based on personal, cultural, historical and societal experiences and influences; it's another for a group whom it directly affects to be silenced and told that they are wrong.

Or assume that all people from Jamaica are black?

So does it mean I should be offended as a white female and claim cultural appropriation when black people:

• straightening their hairs?
• wearing blue / green coloured contact lenses?
• using skin whitening products?
• dressing in any mainly white country flag colours (UK, German, other Europeans)?
• using anything but black coloured wigs?

-.... etc?

I think Adele looked amazing and I found it respectful if anything (however I am not from Jamaica)

World has gone mad 😔😔😔

We are all learning all of the time. As a youngster, I remember hearing a white guy with a Jamaican accent and it took a while to make sense of that. I wasn't ignorant, just naive. My world was small. Hearing a black woman with a Scottish accent confused me no end!
The important thing is that we have an open mind, that we want to learn and that we know when we've made a mistake. It's not just about listening, it's about hearing.

I think the whole thing, cultural appropriation, just creates more division. Why can't it be cultural appreciation where we all share and celebrate our cultures?

When my Indian friend got married, he encouraged us all to where Indian dress, it was fantastic. A real celebration of his culture.

It's such a shame people find offence where there is no malice.

letmethinkaboutitfornow you need to think about it some more. Cultural appropriation has been explained clearly and simply on here.

This is not culture appropriation 🙄 she's loving the culture, she's supporting the culture...good for her. I rather see this kind of energy than seeing a recist bien a flag. This made her happy going to this festival and representing. There is nothing wrong with this. It's like if I visited Greece and came back with a shirt on with a Greek flag on it.....so what. Her hair...again wearing the culture. Good for her