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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lucy Needham

Adele's Jamaican bikini and Bantu knots spark cultural appropriation accusations

Adele is facing backlash from fans who have accused her of cultural appropriation over her Notting Hill Carnival outfit and hairstyle.

It came as the 32-year-old singer took to Instagram to show off her incredible weight loss as she posed in a bikini bearing the Jamaican flag and Bantu knots, a traditional African hairstyle.

"Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London," Adele wrote in the caption as she lamented missing the annual event, which was celebrated online this year.

While many fans of the singer went wild for her acknowledgement of her home town and praised her incredible weight loss, others slammed the singer for cherry picking aspects of black culture for her ensemble.

Adele's carnival outfit has caused quite a stir (adele/Instagram)

"Adele dropped that weight and said it’s time for her cultural appropriation era," scathed one.

"Dear white people, please just be yourselves and stop it for good with cultural appropriation. Adele the bantu knots were unnecessary. The Jamaican flag bikini top was unnecessary... Please just stop it," another follower wrote.

"Black women are discriminated against for wearing cultural hairstyles like bantu knots and locs but white people are not, that’s not fair and that’s why people are p****d off," one explained to her.

The singer showed off her weight loss again this month as she posed in a leotard while supporting friend Beyonce (Instagram)
Adele, 32, is said to have lost seven stone over the last year (laurenpaul8/Instagram)

While others told Adele she had 'broken the internet' for other reasons as she showed off the full extent of her recent seven stone weight loss for the first time.

The Hello songstress revealed her very flat stomach and trim waist in her swimwear which she paired with some patterned leggings.

Following her split from husband of three years, Simon Konecki, back in April 2019, Adele took some time away from the limelight to throw herself into a healthy eating and fitness regime.

Adele at the 2017 Grammy Awards (Getty Images for NARAS)
Adele was pictured looking unrecognisable as she enjoyed a day at the beach with fellow pop star Harry Styles (THEHOTTEAINC/Instagram)

She then stunned fans when she was pictured looking almost unrecognisable in January this year as she laughed on a beach with pals including former One Direction singer Harry Styles.

After the duo struck up a friendship, Harry is said to have taken Adele hiking along his favourite trails in Malibu and to his HITT classes.

But Adele's determination to change her ways to treat her body better is said to have gone way beyond her split from Simon.

Adele had famously rejected traditional music industry beauty standards (Redferns)
The singer split from Simon Konecki last year, with whom she shares a young son (WireImage)

The award winning star started making small changes to her diet following the birth of her son, Angelo, in 2012 - but remained determined to only lose weight for herself and her family.

She also ditched the 10 cups of sugary tea she used to drink each day and waved goodbye to alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and all "spicy, citrusy, and tangy" foods in a bid to protect her incredible voice.

She told Australia's 60 Minutes of her 2011 vocal hemorrhage: "It's f***ing boring, but I don't think you take your voice seriously until you've an accident.

"I'm frightened all the time I'm going to damage my voice."

n 2016 she shed yet more weight ahead of her tour in a bid to "get some stamina".

Adele oozes glamour in Christmas snap after her weight loss (Adele/Instagram)

And by 2017 she was believed to have lost more than two stone, reportedly due to implementing a second change - The Sirtfood Diet.

The food programme sees slimmers fill up on plant-based foods like kale, buckwheat, green tea and tumeric.

Speaking of how Adele's hard work had changed her overall outlook, a source told People "She is more confident, dresses differently and she just seems happier overall.”

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