Should We Really Be Celebrating That Viral Photo of Adele?

Adele is truly a celebrity like no other. Grandparents, toddlers, and everyone in between adore her music and recognize the immense vocal talent she possesses. She’s won 15 Grammys, 18 Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, and an Oscar. Her first album, released at age 16, went platinum 11 times, and her latest album, 25, hit Diamond status in just under a year. Long story short, she’s one of the most successful women in the world. However, despite that, the world continues to remain fixated on one thing: her weight. 

Last week, Adele posted her first Instagram photo in five months that shocked everyone. Why? She was noticeably, noticeably thinner. It’s unknown how she lost the weight, exactly, but it’s clear that she’s either undergone surgical procedures or had some sort of insane lifestyle change. Either way, the photo is unsettling. The powerful woman who has dominated the world with her vocal talent appears different but just as beautiful as she looked years ago. And, at the end of the day, she’s still the superpower she’s always been. 

The media did not approach this with the body-positive mindset. The post, with over 11 million likes, is flooded with comments from every celebrity, influencer, and media outlet you can think of. Despite Adele’s caption celebrating essential workers during this time, the feedback she received was all about her tiny waist and nothing about her character. 

There’s nothing wrong with losing a lot of weight if it’s done healthily and for the right reasons. We have no idea how Adele lost the weight, and it’s not really our business anyway, frankly. However, one can’t help but notice the blatantly vain responses and what that reflects about society. 

We may no longer completely fat shame people out in the open, but we cannot help but internalize what we’ve been surrounded by since we were little. The response to Adele’s post is a perfect example of this. 

Instead of celebrating her rapid weight loss, we should celebrate her. We should flood her Instagram comments with inquiries of when she’ll release her next album not how she looks. We may always be naturally focused on people’s bodies before their character as a species, but we can start somewhere. The Adele Instagram post is the perfect example.