Adele's Hello can 'normalise sexual harassment' says US University group

The Gender + Equality Center at the University of Oklahoma used the lyric to raise awareness during Stalking Awareness Month

Accused: Adele's song Hello has come under fire

Sascha Steinbach/Getty

Emma Powell11 February 2016

Adele’s record breaking single, Hello, has been accused of normalising sexual harassment.

The University of Oklahoma’s Gender + Equality Center circulated posters containing the lyric “I must have called a thousand times” to raise awareness during Stalking Awareness Month.

The lyric is accompanied by the slogan: “Even great songs can normalise sexual harassment.”

Kathy Moxley, Director of the Gender + Equality Center, told FOX411: “The music examples were used to demonstrate how aspects of popular media could be interpreted to normalise unhealthy relationship behaviors."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Students at Univ. of Oklahoma protesting <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Adele" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3178196-https://twitter.com/Adele" data-vars-event-id="c23">@Adele</a>. Female-on-male harassment an epidemic, but what about obesity? - AP <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://t.co/AqivxdTAyH" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3178196-https://t.co/AqivxdTAyH" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/AqivxdTAyH</a> — Asher Pennington (@APenningtonIII) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/APenningtonIII/status/692021675999637504" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3178196-https://twitter.com/APenningtonIII/status/692021675999637504" data-vars-event-id="c23">January 26, 2016</a>

But Dan Gainor, VP Business and Culture at Media Research Center, branded the posters “ridiculous” and told FOX411 that they undermine the “true horrifying nature of stalking and sexual harassment”.

Gainor blasted those distributing the posters as “idiots” who are failing to help women.

The centre has also used Maroon 5’s song Animals for a poster, using the lyrics: "Baby, I'm preying on you tonight. Hunt you down eat you alive.

James Corden Carpool Karaoke with Adele.mp4

Standard Online has contacted a representative for Adele for comment.