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.

*burn a flag

19:41MrsSSG
I would say that's totally different to cultural appropriation. That is simply a wedding inviting people to dress in a way that reflected their culture, at their one special event. They enjoyed the thought and thought others would too.

However, if it suddenly became fashionable to wear saris when Asian women have faced years of discrimination for wearing their traditional dress, then I would imagine that some Asian women may be a bit pissed off/miffed that white women can now adopt their clothing style, but with none of the negative consequences.

Not sure I've explained it well, and am really happy to be corrected. If I have it wrong, I would like to have some help to understand it better.

@Tidyhousefornow

19:41MrsSSG I would say that's totally different to cultural appropriation. That is simply a wedding inviting people to dress in a way that reflected their culture, at their one special event. They enjoyed the thought and thought others would too.

However, if it suddenly became fashionable to wear saris when Asian women have faced years of discrimination for wearing their traditional dress, then I would imagine that some Asian women may be a bit pissed off/miffed that white women can now adopt their clothing style, but with none of the negative consequences.

Not sure I've explained it well, and am really happy to be corrected. If I have it wrong, I would like to have some help to understand it better.

She's not wearing a sari or a hijab. She's wearing a bikini with a flag on it. What's the big deal?

@Tidyhousefornow

19:41MrsSSG I would say that's totally different to cultural appropriation. That is simply a wedding inviting people to dress in a way that reflected their culture, at their one special event. They enjoyed the thought and thought others would too.

However, if it suddenly became fashionable to wear saris when Asian women have faced years of discrimination for wearing their traditional dress, then I would imagine that some Asian women may be a bit pissed off/miffed that white women can now adopt their clothing style, but with none of the negative consequences.

Not sure I've explained it well, and am really happy to be corrected. If I have it wrong, I would like to have some help to understand it better.

But this is the same. She isn't wearing it normally. She is wearing it for (or to honour in this case) a festival celebrating the culture and inviting people to join in. Absolutely different to having it as a normal day wear.

@Tidyhousefornow

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

Not for me it hasn’t I found myself tip toeing around PoC recently in case someone feels ‘offended’ for something I say. But when they do it, I should be okay with it... 😔 All of a sudden white people cannot do anything right without someone claiming ‘cultural appropriation’

I was pretty surprised when I saw the photos and just thought it was an error of judgment.
Then I realised it was to celebrate Notting hill carnival (what should have been carnival) this weekend.
I felt it was less of a misstep

It’s not the bikini or Jamaican flag print it’s the Bantu knots hair That is the subject of cultural appropriation unhappiness surely ?

She’s celebrating their culture, respecting it and giving positive energy. And getting a lot of support on social media. Absolutely nothing for people to start frothing at the mouth about as far as I can see.

HeronLanyon the media finds a view by a minority of people and blows it up. And suddenly you are tiptoeing around POC. How many POC have complained to you personally about Adele appropriating culture. The minute I saw the picture I knew which line the media would be pushing.

Read my other posts. Personally, within the bigger context, I don't see the Adele thing as cultural appropriation :-)

@Livelovebehappy

She’s celebrating their culture, respecting it and giving positive energy. And getting a lot of support on social media. Absolutely nothing for people to start frothing at the mouth about as far as I can see.

Agree!!!

I have black friends with straight hair weaves...my white friends with straight hair are not bothered...I had braids in this summer (I'm Hispanic) my black husbands cousin did them for me....she or none of my black friends were offended. This is ridiculous 🤦🏻‍♀️

Does anyone else find the whole "and now I have to tiptoe around POC because ANYTHING I said could be construed as offensive" a little reminiscent of some of the reaction to me to that went along the lines of "And now I have to tiptoe around by female colleagues because even saying hello to a woman could be construed as sexual harrasment"

@Livelovebehappy

She’s celebrating their culture, respecting it and giving positive energy. And getting a lot of support on social media. Absolutely nothing for people to start frothing at the mouth about as far as I can see.

And most importantly that support is coming actually from people of that culture. As I said. Situation must be considered and common sense applied.

Now it seems americans claim it was a joke what started it? I have no idea what's happening. It got way too big.

"I have black friends with straight hair weaves...my white friends with straight hair are not bothered.." that misses the point

Gawd that is awful. The only way she could have gone further is if she’d gone for black face. How did no one stop her?

@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?

No, because systemic power yadda yadda yadda.

Point of all this is supposedly black people follow white beauty trends out of survival; if you don't straighten your hair, you don't get work.

White women use black beauty trends in a disregarding "oh isn't that cute I'm going to try too" then go back to their normal lives the following day.

@letmethinkaboutitfornow

If someone chose YOU as their fancy dress outfit you’d feel like an outsider, a freak and like someone had taken something belonging to you for their own gain. You’d then be rightly offended, is that what happened to you when you ‘had to be okay with it’?

Really well explained Elsewyre

I do think that if this was anyone but Adele they would have been absolutely all round roasted for this. I have seen people get a ton of shite rained down on them for far less.

There was some personal trainer who put out a promotional photo on Insta a few months ago and in it she was wearing her hair in two Dutch braids, but the braids were extensions. She got absolutely crucified for it. There has also been stuff in sewing circles I think about creating 'kimonos' because if you are not Japanese, it's cultural appropriation? I can't quite remember the story, but it definitely involved kimonos and caused quite a stir. Sophia Hilton, owner of Not Another Salon got a proper telling off on Insta for tying a headscarf in a certain way.

Adele isn't just wearing a Jamaican flag bikini, her hair and headdress is also reflecting it. Anyone lesser would definitely have got shit for it.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong either way, I don't feel qualified to say what is or isn't cultural appropriation. But it is quite interesting to see how she escapes where others haven't.

[quote Franklyfrost]@letmethinkaboutitfornow

If someone chose YOU as their fancy dress outfit you’d feel like an outsider, a freak and like someone had taken something belonging to you for their own gain. You’d then be rightly offended, is that what happened to you when you ‘had to be okay with it’?[/quote]
Well, i don’t deem it a fancy dress
And if someone has worn anything that reminiscent to my culture with a positive spin, that would make me proud!

It’s a different attitude.
Not a lot of things can phase me in this life, been around bullies a lot, so maybe I am less sensitive about the woke level.

I think Adele looked amazing and her hair style inspired me to learn more about Bantu knots ☺️

I am Jamaican and I see no problem whatsoever.
Was very surprised to see it trending on twitter. Smh

Should I be offended by the cultural appropriation of black women that have straightened hair, wear jeans or other "western" clothes?

I wish Americans would stop acting like American racial norms apply to the rest of the world. As others have said it's mainly black Americans slagging her off while black Brits aren't actually that bothered. And one person said 'well she's making R'n'B and soul, and that's American music, so we can criticise her.' WTF. I mean, she's hardly a middle-class Home Counties girl slumming it. She's from an area with a large black population. Apparently a Jamaican woman did her hair but not sure if true.

It's also why I hate the use of the term BIPOC in Britain. It works for countries like the US or New Zealand where indigenous people aren't white, it does not work for Britain.

@EveryDayIsADuvetDay

Should I be offended by the cultural appropriation of black women that have straightened hair, wear jeans or other "western" clothes?

It's different for black women with straightened hair, because they get flack in a lot of places for wearing it naturally or in styles like box braids or whatever, they get accused of being 'political' or messy or unprofessional or whatever.

I am not making this up.

@EveryDayIsADuvetDay

Please read through the thread, this has been answered about 20 times