Adele: Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation?

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Adele: Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation?

A few days ago, British music star Adele broke the internet when she posted the photo below on instagram.

With her post came the caption:

“Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London”.

The post instantly went viral with some cheering her on, some calling her a culture vulture, some thinking she was Katy Perry and others wowed by her new transformation. I realized how large of a story this was when the most recent @carnivalspice tik tok videos started trending on the app! There was a surge in understanding Caribbean Carnival culture, Jamaican culture and Black Culture. A few media outlets also reached out to me for my thoughts on the topic so I’ve summarized below:

Is Adele’s post cultural appropriation or cultural appreciation?

2020 has been a devastating year for the carnival community with most of the festivities being cancelled due to covid restrictions. Millions participate in carnival annually across the world and the culture welcomes all ethnicities, body types and genders to participate. When I first saw Adele’s post I immediately had it shared to the @carnivalspice instagram account. I was excited to see such a high profile artist showing love to a Caribbean Carnival. My excitement was less about her skin colour and more about the size of her platform. With one post she had the world talking about Caribbean Carnival. Ideally I would have loved for her to be in full carnival costume or wear pieces that were more cohesive. If she did that, the intention of her post would have been a lot stronger.

The answer to this question is subjective though. I do understand some of the outrage  - especially with the climate of the world right now. Black people are oh so familiar with other racial groups being praised for things we have been doing for years… from fashion, to dance, to food and beyond. Carnival however is a space where I believe all should have the opportunity to revel in the energy that each masquerader contributes. Carnival is freedom, expression and unity. I do not think we uphold that mission if we exclude participation for white people. 

photo by: Samantha Clarke

But what about the Bantu knots??????

Black hair styles were created with Black hair texture in mind. Our hair requires different techniques to manage the thickness, richness, porosity etc and we do so in such creative ways. I personally do not have a problem with how anyone chooses to wear their hair. However, my issue is how society stigmatizes black hairstyles. When a black person wears their hair in bantu knots, braids, cornrows it’s deemed “unprofessional” “bad” “unkept” but when a white person wears the same style it’s a “trendy”, “cool” and accepted. Society is the problem not Adele. We all need to grow and get to a place where Bantu knots is considered just as “normal” as a ponytail. 

For centuries, Black people have had to navigate their hair in a world where Eurocentric standards is what is used to define beauty. From micro aggressions to painful perms and hot combs, the journey has been tough understanding our hair’s specific needs. Still we would not change a thing because our hair is an extension of our spirit. It allows us to display our style and individualism. Plus our hair provides the option to be as creative as we want to be.

I recently did a “big chop” - this is when a Black woman cuts off all their hair, which may have been chemically processed with perm or dye, so they can wear it in a more natural state. Click here to watch the cut live. This cut was one of the most invigorating moments of my life. Although I love my hair both long and short, the big chop helped me to release thirty plus years of history and energy and has granted me the opportunity to start a whole new journey. All of that to say, hair should be a form of self-expression.

With all that said what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think she culturally appropriated or showing love to the carnival and the bawdies that have influenced her over the years? Do you even care? I understand if you feel that way too - there is so much happening in the world. Although I must say it’s great having Caribbean Carnival as a topic of discussion amongst the world.