Adele doesn’t owe you a dress size & Lizzo’s more than a juice cleanse.
As we’re nearing the end of another year living with covid19, I thought it was an important opportunity for reflection. The pandemic has hosted some serious global change and shone a light on some overdue societal issues. However, the one thing that has remained consistent is the magnification, objectification and weaponisation of womxn and their bodies. We are still conflated to (and if not defined by), at least the subject of our bodies. And it’s f**king enough.
In a lot of ways it saddens me that this is my first blog post, however it would be remise of me to not acknowledge this moment in time where both Adele & Lizzo are subject to the conversation in the same breath. Two incredibly talented women who at no point throughout their successes opted to be a representative for anything more than their music.
It would be dishonest of me to not acknowledge my own conditioned, patriarchal pressures when I saw Adele on the cover of Vogue and Lizzo posting about a juice cleanse. A pause. A real honest, stop-you-in-your-tracks moment because up until recently my thought process would have been, “wow she looks great” or “hmm maybe I should do a juice cleanse”…let me explain…
When I saw Lizzo doing a juice cleanse I had an initial pull back and concern for her spreading a message that juice cleanses are good, or encouraged, or benefit your health in a particular way. And then I realised I love her for her music not because she’s a nutritionist. Just because as a society we project and demand she represents so much more I caught myself. Her eating plan, fitness and general health is no one’s business. Her talent is her music. Period.
now Lizzo’s eating habits are prompting me to loose weight…?
At the time of said juice cleanse I curiously Googled Lizzo’s name. In amongst the controversial click bait headlines I was served this ‘weight loss management’ solution.
The issue and fall out of these search results is bigger than we can possibly understand because it creates and then confirms that the innocent searcher has a weight problem…
On a surface level a fan of Lizzo’s music searches to see what she’s been up to.
They’re prompted to read through pages of articles discussing the singers’ weight and appearance. Note the content itself is somewhat redundant at this point because the fan is exposed to the criticism regardless.
A narrative is formed that her talents are second to the way she looks.
A subconscious norm is confirmed and the insecurities of the individual grow as the voices in the media get louder.
Regardless of Adele’s beauty (at any size), the way she looks should be irrelevant. Her talent is her music. Period. Isn’t it enough that she continues to write beautiful music, that makes us feel, cry and relate to her and her experiences?
The media has always functioned in a click-baity, headline grabbing format that captures your attention irrespective to the truth. But with so much cultural change and push back it astounds me that this narrative is still so present.
new album release or weight loss?
The day of Adele’s duel Vogue cover this was the search results. I was horrified but not surprised…
The question needs to be asked, why does society engage and add pressure to these powerful, successful women? On a surface level, representation is important because you can’t be what you can’t see but we need to take stock when the pressures go beyond that. If your relationship and love for these women was because you loved seeing a ‘bigger women’ being represented in mainstream media that’s simply not it. It flattens and diminishes their talent and hard work into being a poster for a movement that simply exists alongside of them not because of them.
How is this any different to the toxic “heroine chic” trend of the 90’s? It prompts linear narrative for women to only be their appearance. I can’t stress this enough, neither of these incredibly talented women, Adele or Lizzo owe you a goddamn dress size or commitment to an eating plan.
The cultural obsession with fame is often in partnership with the downfall of a woman. I suggest you check out Jameela Jamil’s platform iweigh as she talks a lot about media gaslighting and the very known narrative structure that underpins the way in which women are represented. There are a multitude of issues with this, and the ripple effect is catastrophic but at it’s core it de-humanises ‘celebrities’. At the end of the day global recognition for your talent & pay checks does not mean that these individuals are no longer human. This is why I thought it was important to include the below…
Adele: “The most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body. I was very fucking disappointed with that. That hurt my feelings.”
Lizzo: “I detoxed my body and I’m still fat. I love my body and I’m still fat. I’m beautiful and I’m still fat.”
The Georgie Collective Call To Action:
Listen to their music and stop holding women and our bodies up to a diluted standard.
Challenge the engrained way in which you think and comment on peoples’ weight.
Thank your body everyday, she needs to know that you appreciate her.