There are a lot of things a lot of people need to unlearn. The field is so vast that we sometimes wish there was a school for unlearning. You know, a school where you come to class and the teacher writes “3 things to forget today” on the board and you leave the class with one toxic habit unlearned. Amazing right?

Adele broke the internet yesterday as she usually does but this time, not with her music. This time it was with a simple picture or her looking different.

zikoko- Adele losing weight

So this is for everyone who suddenly feels entitled to give a verdict on Adele’s new look. Here’s some advice- Do not. You know why? No one asked you. And you know why no one asked you? Because it’s none of your business. To that end, here are 4 more comprehensive reasons why Adele losing weight is none of your business.

1. A fat person’s body is not an invitation for you to comment.

zikoko- Adele losing weight

Actually the only body you are allowed to comment on is yours. And FYI: You are losing weight is NOT a compliment, it’s a reinforcement of already crappy societal expectations on what a woman’s weight should or should not be. It also means you are implying the person didn’t look good until now and that if they somehow gained back the weight they would go back to looking “not as good”. Yes, it’s that deep.

2. It’s important to respect people’s bodies, especially women’s bodies.

Society has made it a point to remain entitled to opinions about women’s bodies. It’s either it’s being overly sexualized, objectified, or just critiqued because it doesn’t meet certain subjective standards. Well, just because it’s been normalized doesn’t mean it’s right.

3. You don’t know what people are going through.

zikoko- Adele losing weight

Weight loss could be a result of things not even remotely connected to food. People could be sick, battling with something traumatic or going through extreme stress. Dropping insensitive comments about their weight only makes the situation more painful for them.

4. Weight related comments can be a trigger.

For people recovering from an eating disorder comments about their weight could trigger a relapse. And mind you, people with eating disorders don’t have to look a certain way or have a certain size. Just keep your weight comments to yourself.

Here’s the internet breaking picture by the way;

We sincerely hope that with these 4 comprehensive points you can now understand why Adele losing weight was never your business.

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Zikoko amplifies African youth culture by curating and creating smart and joyful content for young Africans and the world.