The internationally acclaimed singer Adele has not walked a path of sunshine and rainbows to her success. From her excruciating divorce to her struggles re-entering the limelight, Adele’s journey to success has been fraught with personal battles that have captivated the public.
Not all publicity is good publicity; Adele has made headlines not only for her singing but also for her ‘confirmative’ weight loss throughout 2019, naturally losing around 100 pounds in total. In an interview with British Vogue, Adele mentions how she lost weight by working out every day, three times a day. To the surprise of many, the reason for her workout craze was never her wanting to lose weight; this originally was intended to help her deal with anxiety. After Adele’s divorce from her ex-husband Simon Konecki, she dealt with “the most terrifying anxiety attacks” (The Oprah Winfrey Show), and she took up exercising as a way to get back in control of her body and her life. Adele wanted to become more assertive and have more of herself back after experiencing such a difficult period, but this was not the ‘juicy story’ the media sought.
When British Vogue questions her decision not to share more about her weight loss journey on social media, Adele says, “I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it?” This seemed like an obvious answer when she said it, but looking back at the commentary of her body beforehand, anyone could see that she was, so to speak, ‘expected’ to share her story and everything she did to get where she is now. Many thought the world-renowned singer would want the positive responses and affirmations that would have come if she posted more about it, but Adele says otherwise. “I was body positive then, and I’m body positive now.” She clearly states that her weight had never defined her, not now and not when she was 100 pounds heavier, and she has never needed validation from strangers.
Adele dealt with this backlash when coming back into the spotlight, and her response to it was much like hers of the aggressively positive comments. Many people accused her of trying too hard to fit the Hollywood perception of women and promoting unrealistic beauty standards. She remained unfazed: “It’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies.”
Seeing how the public tried to either aggressively support her or completely tear her down allowed for an exciting view of what society thinks a woman should do with her body. She cannot be overweight, or her accomplishments in music will be overshadowed. Adele attaining a more stable and healthy mental state is often wholly overlooked; people instead want to idolize or raze the weight loss she experienced in the process. Her response to this behavior encourages a moment of reflection, a moment to realize that all of this fantasization about others’ bodies is derived from one’s own negative body image.
