Adele Accused of Cultural Appropriation for Wearing Bantu Knots and Jamaican Flag Bikini
The internet's reaction has been a mix of support and condemnation

The artist has been subject to both praised and critique for her outfit, with some fans expressing distaste for her alleged cultural appropriation and others thanking her for representing Caribbean and African culture.
"Notice how it's a whole bunch of WHITE people telling her she looks good with those AFRICAN Bantu knots in her head, and those are the people she's going to listen to instead of the BLACK people who are saying this is [cultural] appropriation," one Instagram user wrote.
"I feel like Black Americans are pissed because Black Americans were stripped of our culture and forced to conform to American so-called culture," another added.
Meanwhile, self-identified Jamaican and African users have had differing responses.
"As a Jamaican from the U.K., I really hope she doesn't take this down. I'm so sick of Americans projecting their problems onto the rest of the world," another commenter wrote.
"As an African Bantu woman, I think any woman or man who wants to rock Bantu Knots should rock them," added another. "It doesn't matter if you are white or blue. African Americans do not own African culture. They need to chill! We are all human."
Twitter users have had similarly mixed reactions to the post — but also took the opportunity to meme the absolute shit out of Adele for the post.
See Adele's original post and Twitter's reaction below.
adele said: pic.twitter.com/TKRfsCALAH
— c (@chuuzus) August 30, 2020
adele when she sets fire to the rain in kingston jamaica pic.twitter.com/zFYbd77Ag8
— Hunty Hunter © (@ninjacole97) August 31, 2020
she was fearless and crazier than him. she was his queen, and god help anyone who dared to disrespect his queen pic.twitter.com/cQpfCNZZKa
— hot girl midsommar (@verymimi) August 30, 2020
Adele plays her Caribbean album to the label 🎧🤔 @Adele #adele #nottinghillcarnival pic.twitter.com/sems0FYePa
— Munya Chawawa (@munyachawawa) August 31, 2020
Someone said Adele said "Hello pon di other side" so we made it into a card 😂 pic.twitter.com/aNU01L68Px
— Yocrackers (@Yo_crackers) August 31, 2020
Adele went from "hello" too "wagwan" pic.twitter.com/IvtXIVZVGt
— Krueger (@_hassan416) August 31, 2020
Of all things I did not think Adele would would spark a diaspora war on twitter but yet here we are pic.twitter.com/bdFcFIBqcC
— 자넬 (@janielthomas) August 31, 2020
No one :
— K E E Z Y 🦋 (@keezy4thaone) August 31, 2020
Absolutely no one:
Adèle when she is alone at home: pic.twitter.com/ycKo7Wi3jn
adele said "HELLO PON DI OTHER SIDE" pic.twitter.com/J8usxI2Fw6
— ͏ (@ayce24s) August 30, 2020
No one.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) August 30, 2020
Absolutely not a fucking soul.
Nary a person.
Adele: pic.twitter.com/Lj0ZflRjyd
If 2020 couldn't get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for.
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 30, 2020
This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic.
Hate to see it. pic.twitter.com/N9CqPqh7GX
Twice this weekend I have seen people do backflips to defend white women in Bantu Knots. If you spent the whole summer posting #blacklivesmatter and don't see the problem here, you were lying the whole time.
— The Vixen (@TheVixensworld) August 31, 2020
The thing is you can tell Adele actually grew up around Black people and is respectful that's why no one's too mad. It's like your white friend you grew up with that you need to pattern once in a blue moon, not the same as Pandora from Hertfordshire gentrifying Notting Hill
— Jason Okundaye (@jasebyjason) August 30, 2020
Jamaicans is trending because SJWs are accusing Adele of cultural appropriation for wearing a Jamaican flag and Bantu knots.
— Keiko 🇯🇲 (@GolferGirl305) August 31, 2020
We are the most unbothered people on the planet who have nothing but appreciation for everyone appreciating our culture.
Ya'll are miserable and ignorant pic.twitter.com/AL4lATICDh
Honestly this is exhausting, I'm a South African from the Zulu Bantu tribe specifically and i didn't take offence to Adele wearing Bantu Knots , it's not cultural appropriation and i doubt there was any malice intended by doing bantu knots
— @Jola (@Jola55124499) August 31, 2020
Wearing a Jamaican flag and bantu knots to celebrate Jamaican carnival ✅
— Ozzy Etomi (@ozzyetomi) August 31, 2020
Wearing Jamaican flag and bantu knots to a costume party ❌