Adele is Rolling in the Deep Battling Body Shaming
“Look! Adele’s not eating pizza,” her fans say. “Adele just ate a burrito, and she tweeted how good it was!” the press announces. “Does she really wear those workout clothes outside?” the fashion industry wonders.
Every little thing that Adele does these days is scrutinized by the public. The plump singer makes news every time she steps outside, and every move she makes in public is recorded.
Adele’s size, the clothing she wears, and the food she consumes are instantly top headlines in today’s Internet articles. Yet she openly admits that she has body image issues, and that in the past, unhealthy bingeing behaviors often prevented her from living a productive life. Adele’s sensational international fame has put her in a worldwide spotlight and it has brought her the kind of attention that few of us will ever experience in our ordinary lives. But there is actually a common element to all this scrutiny.
It mirrors the extremely painful, self-conscious feelings a young person may experience in their early teenage years. When they undergo body shaming, or struggle with body image issues, these feelings can be even more intense, and they can often be overwhelming.
How Adele Inspires Troubled Teens Battling Body Shaming
Aside from her extraordinary singing talent, with her unique vocal stylings, and her amazing three-octave range, Adele is also a major source of inspiration to her millions of fans. She appears to be fighting back against all of the harshness of the media frenzy that swirls around her by saying, “This is who I am, and I am OK with the way I look.” After a famous fashion designer called her fat in an interview, the singer responded in the press, telling Vogue magazine, “I do have body image problems, but I don’t let them rule my life, at all,” she said. “And there’s bigger issues going on in the world than how I might feel about myself and stuff like that.”
Adele’s self-deprecation is also well known. In the best-selling book, Adele: The Biography, by Chas Newkey-Burden, she jokes about what she calls her “bum chin,” her “intense” forehead, and her thick “potato fingers.” She admits that she wears contour-shaping undergarments like Spanx for her public appearances just like other large young women, and laughs about it. She confesses that wearing this type of girdle is “like pumping a sausage bag full of meat!”
Then there’s the fairy tale story of her unlikely musical triumph, the tremendous sales of 19, her debut album, and the unimaginable superstardom that came with it. Like a plus-sized Cinderella, Adele Adkins originally came from a low working class status. For a young girl her size, a career in the pop music industry seemed like a ridiculous fantasy. But Adele pursued her dreams anyway. After some initial success in the UK, she gained a local following, and found what she thought was true love. When her Prince Charming dumped her, her rare talent allowed her a form of payback that few teenagers can imagine.
Adele turned her heartbreak into gold records. She wrote several poignant songs about the relationship that became incredible chart-topping hits all over the planet. Adele didn’t seem to relish the revenge, and still won’t reveal the name of the man. “It was the biggest deal in my entire life to date. He was older, he was successful in his own right, whereas my boyfriends before were my age and not really doing much. He got me interested in film and literature and food and wine and traveling and politics and history and those were things I was never, ever interested in. He made me totally hungry,” she revealed in an interview.
Now a working mother with a small child, Adele credits her mental health, and her survival, to a close protective group that includes family, friends, and the supportive co-workers she regularly depends on. Plus, she always has her music.
Music Can Help Anyone Heal
You don’t have to be an international singing sensation to have an effective support group. Or to help yourself heal with music. Eating disorder treatment options at Center for Discovery offer teens a chance to develop their own coping strategies. Our unique treatment centers, located all over the country, empower young girls to learn how to successfully combat challenging body image issues, or binge eating disorders, with holistic family-based residential treatment programs that are designed to fit their specific needs. Along with coaching and therapy for food-related issues, this comprehensive approach also includes creative therapies like music. Music not only soothes, it can offer a distressed teenager a way to express feelings that may be too difficult to talk about.
As music therapist Katrina McFerran explains in her study, Dangerous Liaisons: Group Work for Adolescent Girls Who Have Anorexia Nervosa. “The use of song writing has been particularly effective in freeing clients to express themselves in a creative way that also articulates important aspects of their experience. The contribution of this material to the multi-disciplinary team has allowed a higher level of support and understanding to be facilitated between the young people and their medical support staff. It has also been a powerful medium for sharing difficult stories with family members and loved ones.”
Recovery is Always a Possibility
Adele told one interviewer, “I feel so comfortable in my own skin. I really like how I look, I like who I am, I like everyone that I surround myself with. Obviously I have insecurities, but they don’t hold me back. That’s why I’m not afraid.” But not everyone has a supportive group close by when they need it most. When they are overwhelmed by food issues, and the result is body shaming, binge eating or anorexia, many teens don’t know that music, or a powerful group support system can be an option for them, too.
Center for Discovery Can Help
If you, or someone you love, is dealing with an eating disorder, there are immediate positive steps that can be taken to help regain control and live a more nurturing and fulfilling lifestyle. One simple phone call could be the first important step. Don’t hesitate to call us right away at 800.760.3934 and speak to one of our confidential admission specialists. Or fill out this form for a FREE assessment. All calls are completely FREE. Center for Discovery’s team of highly trained experts have years of experience in successfully helping people with all types of eating disorders.
Sources:
Vogue. Adele on Motherhood, Fame, Body Issues. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
USAToday. ‘Adele: The Biography’ Reveals Singer’s Early Years. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. “Dangerous Liaisons: Group Work for Adolescent Girls who have Anorexia Nervosa” by Katrina McFerran, PhD.