Adele accused of normalising sexual harassment with 'Hello'

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Press Trust of India Los Angeles
Last Updated : Feb 12 2016 | 9:57 AM IST
Members of a US university group have accused Adele's smash hit song "Hello" of normalising sexual harassment.
The University of Oklahoma's Gender + Equality Center's members have distributed campaign posters featuring popular song lyrics to promote Stalking Awareness Month.
On the poster, they have used the Hello lyrics, "I must have called a thousand times" followed by slogan, "Even great songs can normalize sexual harassment."
Kathy Moxley, director of the Gender + Equality Center, explained that the song was chosen to raise awareness during "Stalking Awareness Month".
"To begin a much needed conversation about harassment on college campuses, the University of Oklahoma Gender + Equality Center used popular songs that students listen to, to attract students' attention and to bring awareness to subtle messages in popular song lyrics," Moxley said.
"The music examples were used to demonstrate how aspects of popular media could be interpreted to normalise unhealthy relationship behaviours," she added.
Adele's "Hello" isn't the only song the Gender + Equality Center uses for their posters. They also try to draw students' attention with the line "Baby, I'm preying on you tonight. Hunt you down eat you alive" from Maroon 5's 2014 single "Animals".
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First Published: Feb 12 2016 | 9:57 AM IST

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