Adele nearly broke the Internet last year when she posted a photo of herself on her 32nd birthday wearing a short black dress.
While some friends and fans were quick to celebrate Adele and her body transformation, the singer also received blowback from people who said they were disappointed she was no longer representing curvy women.
In her first interview in five years, Adele, 33, opened up to Vogue about her weight-loss journey, the uproar over her body, and how she uses working out to cope with anxiety. The British star graces the November 2021 covers of both American and British Vogue, marking the first time the sister publications have shared a cover star in the same month.
“My body’s been objectified my entire career. It’s not just now. I understand why it’s a shock. I understand why some women especially were hurt,” Adele said. “Visually I represented a lot of women. But I’m still the same person.”
The singer recounted some negative comments from people who alleged she was “fatphobic” and had turned her back on being a body-positive role model for plus-size women.
While Adele didn’t address the uproar at the time, her former trainer spoke out in her defense.
“When Adele and I started our journey together, it was never about getting super skinny,” Pete Geracimo wrote on Instagram. “It was about getting her healthy. Especially post-pregnancy and post-surgery.”
Adele said it was the “fatphobic” accusations that stung the most, especially since her fitness journey was never about weight loss, but rather calming her anxiety through regular circuit training and weight lifting. She told Vogue that going to the gym “became my time.”
“I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety,” she said. “It was never about losing weight. I thought, If I can make my body physically strong, and I can feel that and see that, then maybe one day I can make my emotions and my mind physically strong.”
