Adele stirs cultural appropriation controversy wearing Bantu knots in latest photo

Adele is stirring controversy after posting an Instagram wearing Bantu knots, a traditional African hairstyle.

In the image, the singer, 32, is sporting the hairstyle while wearing a Jamaican flag bikini top, large gold jewelry, yellow feathers and black and white leggings.

"Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London 🇬🇧🇯🇲" she captioned the image, referencing the carnival that typically takes place during this time as a way to celebrate Caribbean culture and cultural diversity.

The post has gained a lot of attention, garnering more than 5 million likes. The reactions range from celebrity support to accusations of cultural appropriation.

Chet Hanks weighed in on the discussion, though he appeared to be shooting his shot at Adele. Tom Hanks' son shared a video to Instagram on Tuesday of him listening to Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain," writing in the caption "TELL ADELE HIT MY LINE ASAP !!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED TO TALK TO HER ABOUT SOMETHING."

Speaking in Jamaican Patois, Hanks told Adele he was taken aback by her photo and wanted her to call him, complimenting her hairstyle in the process.

Some of her star supporters include actress Lisa Rinna, who wrote, "You just broke that internet Henny. 💖🙌🏼"

Model Naomi Campbell shared some hearts and Jamaican flags: "♥️🇯🇲♥️🇯🇲"

Chelsea Handler wrote, "Oh, yeah, baby!"

Zoe Saldana wrote, "You look right at home guurrrl"

Tessa Thompson shared a fire emoji.

Others, however, are telling her "Someone Like You" shouldn't be wearing the hairstyle.

Drag queen The Vixen tweeted, "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."

User @sadhanamoodley wrote, "Seriously Adele... You should know better."

Journalist Ernest Owens tweeted, "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."

Some cheered Adele on in the comment section for cultural appreciation: "Ppl don't know what cultural appropriation is, she's obviously celebrating a Carribbean festival, in an appropriate outfit for that festival. She's not wearing Bantu knots and feathers to go to the beach because it's really fashionable," user @kyrstldp wrote.

Others simply expressed shock or confusion.

"This is truly shocking... when did @Adele become @katyperry?" Piers Morgan tweeted.

"This year just won’t let up," author and poet Saeed Jones tweeted with Adele's photo. "I am confusion."

"how are non-Jamaicans getting mad at Adele when Jamaicans aren’t even mad themselves. This is normal carnival attire. Let Adele sing HELLO PON DI ADA SIDE," user @amouraals tweeted.

And some broke down why they felt it was cultural appropriation.

"I think the problem is not whether Adele has actually APPROPRIATED culture. It’s more the people that are up her backside for having a basic hairstyle that wouldn’t get the same reaction if on a black woman," user @yahaelco explained. "Why is a white woman able to get away with a hairstyle and should be ‘given a break’ she’s letting loose and appreciating culture and can still be taken seriously whilst a black woman is not and has been told for years to conform to western beauty standards to be seen as equal and even after conforming is still treated less than, I can see the frustration."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adele stirs controversy wearing Bantu knots in latest Instagram post