- British singer-songwriter Adele attracted attention for her body once again when photos emerged of her looking slim on a beach vacation.
- The star was first recognized for significant weight loss in October, when she posted pictures of herself at Drake’s birthday party. She was lauded by fans and fellow celebrities again after sharing photos from a Christmas party.
- But the compliments have prompted an online discussion over the potential harms of celebrating weight loss, how to discuss weight in a healthy way, and whether it’s appropriate to comment at all.
- An expert told Insider context is key when determining what’s appropriate to say about someone’s weight loss.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more.
British music maven Adele is yet again attracting attention for her body after photos emerged of the star looking slim on a beach vacation with her friends Harry Styles and James Corden.
The buzz comes on the heels of photos she posted on Instagram on Christmas Eve, which also revealed her smaller body. That post followed another set of eye-catching images she shared in October after attending Drake’s birthday party.
http://instagr.am/p/B6bUG27gnWs
The star has apparently been on a weight-loss journey since her divorce in September, and credits a special diet and a lot of pilates for her results.
Fans and fellow celebrities have celebrated Adele's apparent weight loss, with some commenting on her Christmas Eve post that the singer looks "gorgeous" and others going as far as to say she looks "unrecognizable."
Her most recent beach photos have earned even more dubious praise, with some fans opining that she looks "too skinny." The Daily Mail has even taken to referring to her now as "skinny Adele," drawing the ire of body-positivity advocates.
The comments have prompted online controversies over the potential harms of celebrating someone's weight loss, how to discuss weight in a healthy way, and whether it's appropriate to comment at all. An expert told Insider the answer to all of the questions raised depends on context.
Some people believe complimenting someone's weight-loss sends a dangerous message
In response to the Christmas Eve praise around Adele's body, Toronto-based writer Audra Williams pointed out in a viral Twitter post that weight loss can be a sign of serious physical or mental health issues, and complimenting it out of context it could send a dangerous message that how you look is more important than whether you are healthy.
Celebrating Adele's weight loss is a garbage thing to do for a million reasons. Here are two:
1. It tells your fat friends you think their bodies are a problem to be solved.
2. The weight loss could be the result of physical or mental health struggles. Weird to cheer about!
— Audra Williams (@audrawilliams) December 24, 2019
Other writers and advocates were quick to back her point.
https://twitter.com/NadineThornhill/status/1209538173862391808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Plenty of Twitter users also took issue with the implication that people's weight is a measure of their value as a person.
Praising someone for losing weight, however well-intended, propagates fat shame and implies that individuals are worth most at their thinnest. https://t.co/OTGUDb2Wfc
— POPDUST (@Popdust) December 26, 2019
It's true that appearance is a poor indication of health
Research does indeed show that while weight can be a component of health, factors like blood pressure, insulin resistance, and cholesterol levels are more important.
Fat-shaming has also been shown to raise health risks, rather than motivate people to lose weight. And people with poorer body image face a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes, research shows, regardless of their body mass index, or height-to-weight ratio.
Pursuing weight loss no matter the health costs can also increase the risk of dangerous eating disorders and worsen health.
Foto: Behaviors matter more to health than weight.sourceCrystal Cox/Business Insider
Context is everything when it comes to commenting on someone's weight
Since weight loss is complex, discussions about it should be, too, according to Kelly Coffey, a certified personal trainer and health coach. "To make a blanket statement that commenting on someone's weight is horrible is shortsighted," she told Insider.
Coffey said that for people who have made an effort to lose weight or become fit, compliments can be an important source of validation and support, particularly when they come from people they care about.
"It can be incredibly validating and invigorating to have someone that you love notice and celebrate it if you've been trying to lose weight," she said.
But where comments can be problematic is if you know someone has a history of disordered eating or health problems, mental or physical, related to food, Coffey added.
If you aren't sure about whether your compliment will be well-received or not, Coffey said the best approach is to ask the person directly what they're proud of, and how they'd like to be supported.
"Ask them what they doing, how they're feeling, and then celebrate whatever thing they express pride in," she said. "Let them tell you what they want you to be excited about for them."
That might include weight loss, but it could also involve things like feeling more energetic or being stronger.
Read more:
The science behind Adele's 'sirtfood' diet and 24 other bizarre celebrity weight-loss plans