Opinion: Ending a selective body-positive mindset

Adele’s weight loss has been a huge topic on her Instagram feed. The generally private star has posted only a few times since her weight loss, but her fans are going crazy. From everything I’ve read, there are two types of Adele fans: those who happily applaud her weight loss and those who sadly report “I liked the old Adele better.”

Here are just a few real, comments from Adele’s most recent post on Instagram: 

YOU LOOK SO UNHEALTHY”

What have you done w the real Adele?”

Please gain it baaaaack. I will not listen u music anymore”

Adele, i know you are most likely healthier BUT i loved who you were. You were beautiful. You do not look AT ALL the same. I can only imagine how you feel. To be thin, BUT again i thought you were beautiful the way you were. Xx

Ironic, isn’t it? The same people that supported Adele’s previous weight and preach about accepting people for their body size, whatever it may be, are criticizing and bullying an incredible woman simply because of her body size.

Body positivity should go both ways. We need to be accepting and loving to people, regardless of their weight. It is beyond shallow if our love for a human being is dependent on their size or weight. It is despicable that a body positivity movement has transformed into an “if you’re fat you have to stay fat” movement. What’s even more despicable is that this form of dehumanization is so prevalent in our culture.

I know we’re all incredibly bored during the outbreak of COVID-19, but this comparative culture is taking up way too much of our time. Why are we commenting on other people’s bodies? Adele’s weight loss doesn’t have any impact on our lives. Nobody’s weight loss or gain alters my reality.

It is easy for us to get trapped in a pool of negative feelings about ourselves. Oftentimes, that negativity is reflected in the way we treat others. Though kindness and acceptance are difficult to exercise at times, they are necessary. When we find ourselves negatively commenting on photos, on Instagram or other social media platforms, we should stop and look inside ourselves.

Human beings are so much more than just a body — we are souls. We all have ambitions, goals and dreams that extend far beyond the shallow realm of our weight.

Our cultural obsession with weight and size is creating a world that misses the whole point of being alive. We’re wasting our time comparing bodies with bodies and shaming people for the way they look when we could, instead, focus our time on making the world a better place by doing the things that make us happy and uplift others. 

Take time for yourself and improve your relationship with you. If we do the things that make us happy, we will certainly find ourselves to be more content with who we’ve become. Our actions should not be because of reaction. By furthering our focus on our actions towards others and treating everyone (including ourselves) with kindness and love, we can end a selectively body-positive mindset.

Emily White is a junior studying English and broadcast journalism.

— emily.white@aggiemail.usu.edu