#CelebrateingtheRainbow at the workplace – share your stories of Pride!
Adele recently put up a picture of herself after having lost a lot of weight. Revenge bod or depression, why must her weight bother everyone so much?
Adele recently put up a picture of herself after having lost a lot of weight. No matter what the reason, why must her weight bother everyone so much?
Hello from the other side, Adele always looked just fine.
The internet was abuzz after the 31-year-old posted a picture from her Christmas party where she looks like she lost a lot of weight. News outlets were quick to come up and say that while she looked ‘beautiful’ and ‘unrecognisable,’ she was celebrating her ‘revenge body.’
This isn’t the first time tabloids were talking about Adele and her weight loss. It was at Drake’s birthday bash that people started talking about her weight loss. She recently divorced from her husband of three years, Simon Konecki. People believe that this motivated her to go on a weight-loss spiral, which is famously quoted as ‘revenge body.’
But the issue is that Adele has always been beautiful. The fact that people are celebrating her weight loss without considering that weight loss can be caused due to depression goes on to show that the society has a fixation with smaller bodies. And with that comes the age-old debate: ‘does talent matter only when the person in the limelight is conventionally attractive?’
One can take up a list of famous people, look through them and realise that attractiveness is probably the first thing on that checklist. It would be unfair to say that being conventionally good looking only affects women because men are subjected to the scrutiny as well.
But let’s focus on the female singers for now. Adele’s contemporaries- Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are all conventionally pretty with smaller bodies that most of us. While Adele is, in no way shabby looking, she has always been attractive. However, it is this fixation with attractiveness that is dangerous.
The argument to this being that people only want to see attractive people on their TV, that they want someone to look up to as some unachievable standard. But the truth is that singing shouldn’t really have anything do with how the person looks. Adele has a voice that is instantly recognisable, her songs have a way in our hearts and yet a lot of it was pushed to the side while people spoke of her weight loss.
As a society, we equate weight to the attractiveness of a person. Most of us would love to be as ‘beautiful’ as those Victoria’s Secret Angels. Pop culture shapes our imagination, tells us what is acceptable and what’s not. To be someone like Adele, coming in the scene in a much larger body than the world is used to is seen as unconventional and bold. It should just be normal.
To look at people and decide their worth based on their weight completely invalidates what they have done to reach where they are. To say Taylor Swift is just a pretty face invalidates her business and lyric writing capabilities. Demi Lovato faced a lot of struggles with eating disorders and body image issues because of the scrutiny she faced for being in the public eye and a body that deviates from the norm a bit.
To say that attractiveness shouldn’t be a factor in things is very idealistic. However, we can start by not commenting on the way that people have decided to live their lives, and not linking one’s work to their body. We can start by not telling ourselves that we are not worth something just because of how we look.
The only way to break free from the conditioning is to condition yourself into believing in yourself and accepting your body for what it is. In the end, it is important to address that no matter how much Adele weighs she will always remain herself. Her laughter will still echo through our ears and her personality will still amaze us.
To believe that someone is more than just a body to be commented on is the first step to healing yourself. Adele will be our role model for many reasons and not just weight loss. I am eagerly waiting for her new album.
Meanwhile, we can listen a little more to Lizzo and Jameela Jamil and forgive our bodies for looking the way that they do and start loving then.
Cause you can never find someone like you.
Picture credits: Screenshot from one of Adele’s performances.
read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
What lessons will we learn from the wrestlers' protest? Will the young girls have the courage to speak up against evil after they hear the deafening silence of support for the Betis?
On the 28th of May, Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Sangeeta Phogat, Bajrang Punia and others were forcibly evicted from their protest site at Jantar Mantar. They were arrested, and severe charges were slapped against them.
Newspapers, that a few years ago, had carried photographs of these wrestlers proudly holding their medals draped in the Indian flag, were now splashed with photographs of these wrestlers being forcibly dragged into police buses. The wrestlers were protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh, an MP and president of the Wrestling Foundation of India, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
A similar case of molestation rocked US gymnastics a few years ago, where Larry Nassar, the team doctor, was accused and finally convicted of sexual abuse. The victims included Olympic medallist Simone Biles. During the trial, several lapses by the USAG and MSU in investigating the accusations came in front.
My supervisor introduced me as a valuable member of the team, emphasizing my skills and contributions rather than focusing on my gender identity. This simple act set the tone for my experience in the workplace.
As a transwoman navigating the corporate world, I had encountered my fair share of discrimination and challenges. Transitioning without the support of my parents and having limited friendships in my personal life made the journey difficult and lonely. However, when I stepped into the office, something remarkable happened, I left behind the stress and negativity, embracing a space where I could truly be myself.
Joining the marketing team as a graphic designer, I was initially apprehensive about how my colleagues would react to my gender identity. But to my surprise, the atmosphere was welcoming and respectful from day one. My supervisor, Sarah, introduced me as a valuable member of the team, emphasizing my skills and contributions rather than focusing on my gender identity. This simple act set the tone for my experience in the workplace.
As I settled into my role, I discovered that my colleagues went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and included. They consistently used my correct name and pronouns, creating an environment where I could be authentically me. Being an introvert, making friends wasn’t always easy for me, but within this workplace, I found a supportive community that embraced me for who I truly am. The workplace became a haven where I could escape the stresses of my personal life and focus on my professional growth.
Please enter your email address