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Why superstar Adele is a great role model
The surprise was great when Adele suddenly appeared much thinner in public. There was a lot of positive feedback – but also hostility.
© NBC / SNL
In an in-depth interview, the British singer Adele speaks for the first time about how she lost 45 kilos. Instead of starving, she did a lot of sport. Our author believes that Adele is sending out an important signal.
The British singer Adele has not already been publicly laughed at, even insulted, exposed and attacked for her character. For a long time because many thought she was too fat. Then later, after losing more than 40 pounds, she was criticized for her weight loss. So slim, she is a bad role model for others. What a weird argument. Another accusation: Again one that fell on the diet industry and its promises. The judgments were harsh and merciless. Adele herself hadn’t even talked about her new character, just put a photo of herself online. After that, many felt called to condemn the singer.
Now, a few days ago, the 33-year-old spoke in detail for the first time in an interview about why and how she lost weight. With her openness and the chosen path she can become an important role model. Contrary to what you might have thought, she did not follow a strict diet – she did a lot of sport and trained. In conversation with the fashion magazine “Vogue“said the British woman that she felt lonely after the separation from her husband, especially during the pandemic. And how this time was dominated by fear for her.
The British singer Adele speaks for the first time about her new weight in the magazine “Vogue”. She lost 45 kilos, mainly through hard training.
© Alasdair McLellan
But then she had a profound experience playing sports. “I noticed that when I worked out, I didn’t have any fears and no longer felt excited,” said the 15-time Grammy winner. After that, her mental health was the most important motivation for her intensive training. “In sport, I was never concerned with weight. I thought to myself that if I make my body strong, then maybe one day I can do it with my soul too,” she recalls in an interview.
She started with training for her back and stomach. “I had back pain and a caesarean section,” she says. The progress was slow, which the singer was not surprised either. After all, she would have had virtually no muscles. The whole time, up to the publication of the first photo with significantly less weight, was aware of how much her figure was discussed in public. She says, “My body has been used by others throughout my career. Not just now.”
Adele was mainly criticized by women
Looking at her new character and the reactions, she explains: “I know it’s a shock and I also understand why some women are hurt. Outwardly, my character represented many others. But I’m still the same person.” Above all, other women were her toughest critics, reports the British. “I had the most brutal conversations about my character with other women. That was really extremely disappointing for me. It hurt my feelings.”
What do I really admire Adele for and why do I consider her a role model? There were no videos of her from the gym and no weight loss tips on Instagram. She also emphasized clearly that she did not lose weight to get revenge on her ex-husband. The statement that she was never about weight is important and should serve as a suggestion for many. Because Adele has decided to forego unnecessary diets or brutal fasts. “Most people in my position would probably get a fat deal with a diet brand,” she says. But she didn’t care. She confidently declares: “I did it for myself and nobody else.”
Adele chose the healthy way. Because diets, as we know for sure today, are a single torment and for the vast majority of them end with even more pounds after a few months. In contrast, sport enables the body to build muscle. Which in turn can burn more calories and increase the basal metabolic rate. But even more important: Regular exercise creates numerous substances in the body that can protect against cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure or diabetes, for example. Our body needs movement to function properly. If a superstar like Adele says this and reports on her positive experiences, it can be an important inspiration for many. Especially in times when so many are struggling with obesity and so-called lifestyle diseases.
Sport heals the body – and the soul
With her very personal admission that she started playing sport because of her fears, Adele goes one step further. It sends out an important signal because it focuses on how good exercise is for mental health. This is an important insight that cannot be emphasized enough. There are even studies that show that endurance sports like running can help treat depression as well as drugs. There are even experts who argue that if people in the industrialized world were to exercise more, a large part of mental illness could be prevented. If Adele now speaks in public about how she suffered from fears and overcame her suffering through exercise, it is an important statement against the stigmatization of mental illnesses. With her story of how she overcame her fears, she becomes even more of a role model for me than she already is.