Opinion: How Should We React To Adele's Weightloss?

This is what comes up on Google as soon as you type Adele’s name. Several news outlets have been publishing her most recent Instagram picture as a revolutionary event: “Adele has lost weight”. However, the excessive hype that her picture has received says a lot of what is valued in the entertainment industry and what is prioritized. A lot of people have been acting as if this were her highest accomplishment, ignoring the wonderful music career and extremely successful albums that she has released during the last decade. However, opinions seem to be all over the place. There seems to be a group cheering her on, a group expressing

concern, and another one feeling betrayed that she’s no longer representing body diversity in the industry. Should she really be receiving this much criticism for posting a picture?

Adele has been long praised, and also criticized, for her unstereotypical body type (according to the standards of the entertainment industry). "I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and

I'm very proud of that.", said Adele in an interview when she was 23. Adele was proud of her body, which brought empowerment to women who looked similar to her. Representation on the media has always been an important component of a growingly tolerant and accepting culture. However, her recent change of image has been overly exaggerated as some people comment that her weight loss is “fatphobic”. It is highly likely that Adele didn’t have an intention other than getting healthier and she probably didn’t want to make a statement, but women’s bodies have never been taken lightly and even a slight change of image is always interpreted to mean something deeper than just the change itself. A woman cuts her hair and people say her mental health is critical. Someone changes her

style and people begin saying that her last breakup broke her. Adele loses weight and it is said that she’s desperate, that she wants to stop representing the thicker community, that she has lost her pride. The divergent opinions also show the can’t-win culture we live in. If Adele had gained weight, she probably would have been criticized. Now that she has lost it, it can only mean that something is wrong. And even if she had remained the same, her return to the spotlight would also generate every kind of comment. It seems impossible to win.

The right response to Adele’s weight loss is to simply accept it and move forward. Look into her next plans. Analyze her past filled with accomplishment and powerhouse singing. Adele has confirmed that her new album- allegedly called ‘Adele’- will be coming in September. Her awaited return is here, let’s celebrate it!

By Sofía Prada Ávila, 10A