Adele was hit with criticism online Sunday over a photo she posted to Instagram in which she is wearing her hair in traditional African Bantu knots, along with a bikini top printed with the Jamaican flag.
The singer captioned the photo with the message, “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEh6gF5AwXh/
The Notting Hill Carnival is held annually in London as a way to celebrate Black British culture. It has taken place since 1966 but was held online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result of the photo, Adele’s name began trending Sunday night on Twitter. Several users accused her of cultural appropriation and expressed shock that she would wear the hairstyle, which has also been worn in recent years by Black artists and actors like Rihanna and Uzo Aduba, who sported the style while playing “Crazy Eyes” in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.”
Journalists Jemele Hill and Ernest Owens had strong reactions to the photo.
“If 2020 couldn’t get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for. This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic. Hate to see it,” Owens tweeted.
Hill joked, “No one. Absolutely not a fucking soul. Nary a person. Adele,” in her tweet, along with the photo.
Chadwick Boseman's 10 Most Memorable Roles, From Jackie Robinson to Black Panther (Photos)
Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer on Friday at age 43, made a striking impression in both TV and on the big screen in his too-short time in the spotlight.
Nathaniel Ray, "Lincoln Heights" (2008-09)
Chadwick Boseman had popped in small TV roles in the early 2000s but he had his first major breakthrough role in this ABC Family drama as a member of the U.S. Army who belatedly learns he's the son of the series lead (Russell Hornsby).
ABC Family
Graham McNair, "Persons Unknown" (2010)
He followed "Lincoln Heights" with a role on a short-lived NBC drama about a group of strangers who find themselves plunked into a ghost town.
NBC
Jackie Robinson, "42" (2013)
Boseman landed his first lead role on the big screen in Brian Helgeland's biopic of Jackie Robinson, the first Black player to break into Major League Baseball. He starred opposite Harrison Ford, who played the Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager.
Warner Bros.
Vontae Mack, "Draft Day" (2014)
Boseman switched sports for his next role, as top linebacker prospect from Ohio State who's considered a safe No. 1 pick for a Cleveland Browns GM played by Kevin Costner.
Lionsgate
James Brown, "Get on Up" (2014)
Boseman left the playing field but returned to the biopic genre for this next project, Tate Taylor's look at the rock legend James Brown.
Universal
Jacob King, "Message From the King" (2016)
In this Netflix film, Boseman plays a South African man who arrives in Los Angeles searching for his missing younger sister -- and then embarks on a vengeance quest in an unfamiliar city.
Netflix
Black Panther (2016-19)
After making an introduction in "Captain America: Civil War," Boseman helped create a cultural phenomenon with the success of 2018's standalone "Black Panther" as the prince of the fictional African nation of Wakanda who becomes a superhero beyond his isolated realm. The film grossed $1.3 billion worldwide.
Disney
Thurgood Marshall, "Marshall" (2017)
Boseman returned to playing famous historic figures in Reginald Hudlin's courtroom drama -- which narrowed its look at Thurgood Marshall to an early case he tried as a lawyer for the NAACP, long before he ever imagined taking a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Open Road
Andre Davis, "21 Bridges" (2019)
In this thriller, Boseman plays an NYPD detective in the midst of a manhunt for two cop-killers as he discovers that his fellow officers may be up to shady business themselves.
STX Entertainment
Stormin' Norman, "Da 5 Bloods" (2020)
Boseman has a small role in Spike Lee's Vietnam-set drama as the leader of all-Black squadron sent to recover the cargo from a downed CIA helicopter. Though he only appears in flashbacks, he makes a striking impression.
Netflix
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The actor died Friday at age 43 of colon cancer
Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer on Friday at age 43, made a striking impression in both TV and on the big screen in his too-short time in the spotlight.