This week, Adele posted her first Instagram in months. It was a thank-you for all of her birthday well-wishes and a thank-you to all of the first responders and healthcare workers during the pandemic. Adele looked very thin, but she’s been looking quite thin for a few years now. I was startled when I saw those paparazzi shots of Adele last year, she looked so different. There was a lot of “debate” last year and in January of this year about what we could or should say about Adele’s weight loss transformation. So, this whole week, there’s been another debate, and I swear we could have cut-and-pasted all of those previous conversations. My take is still: Adele was beautiful when she was a bigger girl, and she’s beautiful now. I find it hard to believe that her transformation has been entirely non-surgical, but she’s not out here confirming, denying or lying about anything, and so this goes under the “None of Our Business” file.
Pete Geracimo is, by his own description, Adele’s former London-based personal trainer. Considering that Adele, to the best of my knowledge, has been based in California for several years now, I would guess that he hasn’t worked with her in that same amount of time. But he’s still paying attention to his former client and the conversations around her body, and he posted this to his Instagram:
As Adele’s former London-based personal trainer, it’s disheartening to read negative commentary and fat-phobic accusations questioning the genuineness of her amazing weight loss.
In my personal experience of working with her through many highs and lows, she always marched to the beat of her own drum on her own terms. She never undermined her God-given talent in any way. She let her incredible voice do the talking, or should I say singing! She never once pretended to be something that she wasn’t. What you saw was what you got. And we all LOVED it!
When Adele and I started our journey together, it was never about getting super skinny. It was about getting her healthy. Especially post pregnancy and post surgery. When 25 dropped and the tour announced, we had to get ready for a 13 month gruelling schedule. In that time, she warmed to training and made better food choices. As a result, she lost considerable weight and people took notice. Her body transformation was splashed across every media outlet. The attention it generated was mind-blowing.
Since she moved to LA, it’s been well documented that she underwent some tough personal changes. It’s only natural that with change comes a new sense of self and wanting to be your best possible version. She embraced better eating habits and committed to her fitness and “is sweating”! I could not be prouder or happier for her! This metamorphosis is not for album sales, publicity or to be a role model. She is doing it for herself and for Angelo.
My hope is that people appreciate the hard work that Adele has done to improve herself for the benefit to her and her family only. She did not lose the weight to make others feel bad about themselves. This personal transformation has nothing to do with me or you. It’s about Adele and how she wants to live her life. She has not changed from the Adele we grew up with and have loved. There is just a little less of her to go around.
Just think, now that she is more fit and more fabulous, she might tour again! WIN-WIN!!!! #adele #fabulous #strong #songbird #transformation #powerful #voice #love #rumorhasit #pt
You know what’s sad? That this needs to be said out loud. That there are people who are like “Adele is betraying the fat community!” or “Adele is just doing this for attention!” or “thank God Adele is skinny now, she was hideous before!” Maybe I’ll feel differently about all of this when she drops an album and starts doing press and goes Full Renee Zellweger, but until then… just let Adele be Adele and get out of her sh-t. If and when she wants to talk about her weight, her diet, her fitness and anything else, she will.
Photos courtesy of social media.
As someone who struggles with her weight, I applaud Adele – to do what she had done takes a LOT of commitment. Its not easy to lose any amount of weight and keep it off.
The problem is our judgemental, fat phobic culture that reveres thinness at any cost. People come in all sizes for all kinds of reasons. Society is slowly learning why it’s inappropriate to comment on another person’s size, even if it’s meant as a compliment.
I wish we would stop talking about ANYONE’s weight. Period.
Nobody knows what goes on behind the scene. I used to be fat and have not put the weight back on but I have a terrible relationship with food and I’ve been battling ED for years. Quarantine has not helped me in this department. (The struggle has been particularly real since my dad’s death a few months back).
I’m not saying that Adele has not worked hard or has an ED, I’m just saying we simply don’t know.
Anything can be triggering to anyone. Even non celebs. The most dangerous part about doing this with celebs is the access to average people. You might encourage and inspire some people but you might trigger others who struggle daily. Let’s try to be sensitive about that.
Condolences the loss of your dad, Mel. And I agree with everything you say here.
Me too Mel. So many people praised me when I lost weight. They don’t know it’s because I started restricting. I’m not healthy but people have always cared about appearances more than health and happiness.
If she’s not trying to sell some weight loss scheme or lying about how it happened then it really shouldn’t be an issue. She did it privately and for her own reasons.
I have more of an issue with the Kardasian types who are selling things and not being honest about how the weight loss happened. Adele isn’t doing any of this. She is living her life.
This. She’s simply living her life. People need to leave her alone.
People on both side of the issue projected so much onto her it’s crazy. I’ve seen so many think pieces when she herself hasn’t said a peep. She made a personal decision and it’s really none of our business.
I just loved a woman who didnt look as society and the entertainment industry insisted was the only way to look, sold so many records was critically acclaimed because that industry always points to oh we cant sell your music put you in movies people wont like a woman of your size. Adele showed that was bull
I also dont doubt she was criticized about her weight while being asked to endorse celebrity weight loss products. Miranda lambert said thats what encouraged her to lose weight, i wouldn’t be offered these opportunities constantly if they didnt think i needed to lose weight. there were were stories written about her too and she only lost 25lbs or so and before miranda was far from obese yet was offered thise endorsements
It’s her life. Let her live, let her do whatever. If she feels better and happier now, great. She does not owe her life to anybody.
She isn’t the first. I saw people (mostly women, sadly) drag Gabourey for losing weight even though she said she did it to manage her diabetes. Like, what? She has a disease and she needs to manage it. You can’t “betray” a community by doing something solely for yourself. Maybe Adele was sick. Maybe she went through some stuff with her marriage ending. Maybe she just wanted to lose some weight. This is what happens when ideals and “the community” becomes bigger than human lives.
She is a magnificently beautiful woman with an incredible voice and she is successful in a tough business and I don’t give a rat’s patoot how much she weighs!
I’ve never had more comments then when I was starving. Literally starving myself.
While I could certainly stand be healthier and wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds today, the entire experience gave me a different perspective. It’s sad that a lot of us are at our most valuable to society when we’re STARVING TO DEATH.
My daughter struggled with an ED for a few years as a teen. She was so thin, prominent cheekbones, huge eyes, collar bones and hip bones poking out. We were besieged by comments about how beautiful she was. How she should be a model. I got it from other moms she got it from her peers. She was miserable and starving. This is what we do to women.
This is a really good point.
Wow – I just have to add here too. I struggled with anorexia for about ten years when I was in my twenties. I am 50 now. I went to therapy for a long time and eventually sought out treatment at the Renfrew Center in Philadelphia for three months, essentially to force myself to put on the much needed weight I was required to gain. The therapy helped my psychological issues, but without correcting the physical ones, recovery is not possible. Anyway, when I was very thin, 90 some lbs. at 5 8″ I would get comments about how I should be a “model” Sad, very sad. And when I did first losing weight (I was a very healthy weight to begin with, being a muscular swimmer athlete in college at 135 lbs.), everyone said how great and thin I looked. I look back on that and cringe. Of course these comments are not the reason for my eating disorder, but they are a commentary on today’s society regarding beauty standards for women.
@amyb so glad you recovered.
I have dropped a lot of weight during quarantine and people are commenting over zoom and at the grocery store how great I look and what am I doing?
My answer: I’m on the misery diet! Here’s how you do it right: First get covid but make sure you have PTSD before that and a high needs kid whose daily unpredictable and violent tantrums (due to a medical condition) trigger said PTSD all. Day. Long. Finally toss in a husband who’s been unemployed for a year and start contemplating all the potential ways you can kill yourself. There! You’re skinny! Oh and wine tastes like shit bc covid takes your sense of taste. So no extra booze calories!! God I love the way thin tastes.
In all seriousness I need a better way to respond to people when they talk about my weight.
Open to suggestions.
@Gah I am so sorry you are going through all that stressful stuff!!! Of course, people react in different ways, and for me and you not eating or not being hungry is perhaps one of them. But it seems you are dealing with some serious issues, ones that probably need some psychological help like PTSD or feelings of killing yourself. These are treatable but you need to reach out for help!
I am sure your weight loss is a direct result of all the stress you are going through and I wouldn’t worry about people’s comments. I would concern myself with getting some help for the other issues you mentioned. ((hugs))
That’s her motivation: her trainer is cute
Just don’t comment on anyone’s weight, ever. Yes, even celebrities. Yes, even male celebrities.
(sole exception is Trump. ) Well, and I know that’s not right either, you know why? Someone overweight will see what you said about trump and assume that’s what you think of them. I’ve succumbed, believe me, I have. Many times. And I always get mad at myself after.
This happens in real life too.
You could find the vaccin for COVID and people would still be talking aboutyour weight.
I have resigned myself to it. This is human nature. We thought we were better than this, some are, but the majority is not.
The problem is in the term “improve.” Even he tripped up on it. The bias that thinness is inherently more attractive, more capable, inherently healthier. Sometimes it’s true, and sometimes it is not. But realistically, you can’t go undergo such a dramatic weight loss without the social implications being attached, simple as that. People are inherently going to think she looks better for it, and inherently, it will serve to uphold the vanity culture attached to thinness. Best thing she can do is simply not talk about it.
@Veronica, yes yes yes!!!! ‘Improve’ is the key!!
I’m so tired of the narrative that losing weight is a healthy choice and obese people just eat crap all day and sit on the couch.
I have tried to lose weight for over 10 years, I’ve been working out a minimum of 5 days a week, I’ve tried so many diets. Now I’ve resigned myself to mostly eating fruits and veggies, at times I count my calories and I barely get to 1300 most days… Yet I’m a size 18. I’ve tried to starve myself and I was miserable, I lost a few pounds then, but eventually my weight stuck at 198 pounds and it just wouldn’t go below. I tried to confide in a friend and she said it’s OK to starve myself a little since I’m big anyway, can’t do harm right?
This is our society.
And I know I’m not the only one like this.
This is why us fats are sad that Adele is now skinny. We saw her somewhat accepted, even desired despite her being plus size. We saw ourselves represented and then… She’s skinny now and the narrative is she is being healthier and better. 😢
Yes, I project majorly, when people say she’s a better version of herself now that she’s skinny, I hear I’m not doing enough to be skinny, that even with everything I try I am not trying hard enough.
All of this is to say: fuck diet culture.
Look up the show Secret Eaters, it’s on YouTube.
What are you trying to tell me with that suggestion? That I’m lying to myself about my calorie intake when I actually weigh my food to ensure I’m journaling the exact amount of calories I’m ingesting?
A show like that is pure sensationalism and made to feel fatphobic people better about their shitty comments “see they’re actually eating way worse then they’re saying so I’m right and they’re fat piggies”.
Sure, there are fat people that actually eat unhealthy and don’t work out.
But there are also plenty people like me who are trying their hardest and our bodies stay fat.
I do not care and have never cared about Adele’s weight. She is and always has been gorgeous. What saddens me is that her voice is going — I don’t know if it’s smoking, bad technique, or whatever, but when she sings live, without the studio “tweaks,” she sounds bad. She didn’t used to sound like that, so something happened.
I wonder if it was surgery? I feel like i remember her having a node surgery or something?
@Mrs Krabapple .Opera singers understand that some weight is necessary in order to have the power to project your voice .So if Adele’s voice has changed , weight loss could be an issue .I always liked Adele for being true to herself and being a fun, irreverent and sassy London girl .The car ride video was ample proof of that .So I am not currently a fan of the new look .She looks tired and emaciated .
I find this transformation motivating. Go Adele!
Adele has been losing weight for a long time, tbh. People just didn’t notice until now. But if you look at her pictures, she was getting smaller with every new release.
This!
She has lost weight year on year since her first album. A few years ago she stated that she wanted to be healthier for her son, as a child zooming around can bring home just how unfit you are.
It’s her body, her appearance. She doesn’t owe anyone else a thing.