Singing superstar Adele has spoken out after being accused of cultural appropriation for wearing a bikini and Bantu knots to celebrate Notting Hill Carnival.
The north London singer posted a cheeky Jamaican greeting on Instagram, appearing to poke fun at the situation, writing: "Wah Gwaan! Yow gyal, yuh look good enuh."
It comes after a picture led to a barrage of claims of cultural appropriation after she appeared clad in a Jamaican-flag bikini top, feathers adorning her shoulders, gold chains around her neck and wrists and with her hair curled into tight knots.
"Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London," she captioned the pic, a nod to London's huge annual carnival led by members of the British West Indian community, which has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the 32-year-old star's choice of attire - and especially a Bantu knot hairstyle usually worn by women of African descent - copped a roasting online, amid accusations of cultural appropriation:
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.
The Tottenham-born singer appeared to joke about the situation when she posted the Jamaican greeting "Wah Gwaan! Yow gyal, yuh look good enuh" to comment on an Instagram live.
The broadcast saw feuding singers Brandy and Monica perform together for the first time in eight years on a Versuz broadcast that saw more than one million people join in.
Meanwhile, stars have backed Adele's choice of outfit including Jamaican star Popcaan and singer Alexandra Burke.
"I see the pic. She looks hot. She's obviously been working on her body, that for me is a big deal. She's looking good," Burke said.
"As a Jamaican girl myself, my girl has grown up in black culture. People forget she's from Tottenham. She probably eats jerk chicken all the time like all of us.
"All I'm saying is the girl looked good, leave her. Allow her, man.
"If Popcaan is going to endorse it and say yes my girl you're wearing the flag and you're wearing it well.
"Let her live her best life, leave her alone. We love Adele."
Poppycock! This humbug totally misses the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival and the tradition of “ dress up” or “ masquerade” Adele was born and raised in Tottenham she gets it more than most. Thank you Adele. Forget the Haters. https://t.co/sabpPPRtID
The Carnival-ready snap is the latest headline-making social media post from Adele, who hasn't released an album since 2015's 25.
The star has undergone a dramatic transformation since splitting from husband Simon Konecki last year, reportedly sticking to a calorie-controlled diet of "green juice and 1000 calories-a-day" to achieve her slimmed-down figure.
She also hired a personal trainer to work with her three times a week, according to US Weekly.
The singer's fitness routine includes weekly sessions of cardio and circuit training.
"She really wants to be healthy and set a good example for her son," a source told the magazine.
"She's more focused on feeling good and the health benefits than the weight loss."
Most recently, Adele showed her support for Beyonce's visual album Black is King in an appreciative Instagram post – but her own incredible transformation overshadowed the sentiment.
