Adele and the Academy
Jacqueline Rosenberg | Mar 05, 2013 | Comments 2
There’s a fire starting in Adele’s heart, and instead of bringing her out of the dark, it’s taking her to a gym.
The 24-year-old singer has been famously quoted about her view on her own weight. During many interviews, she states that she is happy with her weight and isn’t going to allow society’s image of beauty to affect her. She has become a cultural beacon of being comfortable in your own skin in a society that has a skewed view of body image.
But regardless of how much she weighs, Adele has one of the most powerful voices and widest ranges. Many fans are supportive of her weight loss, but others are more wary. A more noticeable weight change happened around 2011, shortly after her album 21 was released. Fans stated that during her more recent live performances, her voice has changed and does not sound as velvety or rich.
Unfortunately, I feel that some of her fans forget the fact that Adele had surgery on her vocal chords in the beginning of 2012, which may account for the change in voice more than any weight loss. After listening to the new single “Skyfall” that she performed at the Oscars, I still had goosebumps just like the first time I drank in the smoothness of her voice that reminded me purely of a shot of espresso: strong, chocolatey and classy.
Adele’s weight loss has not in the slightest changed her performing abilities. Her live rendition of the single showed no sign of wavering and was received with roaring applause. Over time, voices change.
Adele has had a lot of changes in the last two years that may have inspired this new fitness kick. Not only did her surgery change her voice, but she’s also matured from when listeners first heard her in her debut album “19.”
Adele has made a huge leap into adulthood as well by becoming a mother. All of these factors may have contributed to a slight change in her tone, but I also know that her voice still possesses the qualities that first caught the attention of the airwaves.
I feel like the real issue in this case isn’t her voice; instead, it is the fact that she “gave in” to media. Fans probably feel unjustly betrayed that she has been making an effort to drop pounds. I say unjustly because I find it laughable that people are upset over this; Adele is making a conscious change for a healthy lifestyle.
In all her actions, she’s been a role model. In the beginning, she was strong against media attacks on her size, saying that she may never be successful because of it. People respected her because she could care less what anyone thought and could still amaze concertgoers with her voice. She was a real hero in the body image world that inspired fans to be comfortable with themselves as well. Even now, I feel she should still be respected, even more so. She once said, “I would only lose weight if it affected my health or sex life, which it doesn’t.”
I can say that being a new mom probably acted as a catalyst in her situation. She wants to be healthy enough to have energy and be able to enjoy playtime with her son, and for that I say, kudos to you, Adele. Why should she receive ridicule for wanting a healthier lifestyle? She’s a role model through and through with a divine voice. In the end, Adele is still a stellar performer who can still deliver regardless of her dress size.
Jacqueline Rosenberg is a first-year biomedical engineering major. She can be reached at jrosenb1@uci.edu.
Filed Under: Opinion
Recently she is back to her normal weight but she fluctuates weight like any other normal person. The only time that she lost a significant weight was during her surgery time and I’m guessing that has more to do with the fact that it was doctors orders for her to eat certain foods than her losing it for the sake of it. She has and will always remain her weight, she survived selling 25 million records and still maintaining the same weight and personality.
Agreed. Weight loss should be respected as a journey for good health!