Adele's Vogue Cover
We’ve all been guilty of it. Wishing our ass was smaller, our boobs bigger, our post-baby tummies devoid of that unyielding flat tire. (Damn that flat tire!) Often times you’ll hear me say, I’d be really happy if I could just lose just five more pounds. And then after losing them, guess what? I feel like I need to lose five more. Long story short: women are incredibly hard on themselves. (And on each other, but that’s a whole other blog in itself!)
Which is why I love when someone like Adele comes along. Talented, beautiful and not a size 2, she disproves the notion that sexy only comes in a few sizes. Sweeping the Grammys, she rocked the house when she performed in her beautiful and form-fitting black dress. And she was going to be on the cover of Vogue in March! Wow, a plus-size woman on the cover? Amazing! I was elated.
Until I saw the cover.
My first thought? Who the F is that and what did they do with Adele? My second thought? Can I hire Vogue’s photoshopper to work on my Christmas card next year? DAMN!
Yes, she looks UH-Amazing. But it doesn’t look like her. And what bothers me is that NO ONE in the world seems to give a shit about her size except the editors at Vogue. Certainly not the millions of fans like me who love her music. Her pure talent outweighs any of that bullshit. She got her heart ripped out by someone, just like we all have at one time or another, and made some incredible music out of it. (Take that, asshole who smashed her heart in two!) WHO CARES how much she weighs.
Adele at the Grammys
And why in the hell did Vogue book her if they were planning on throwing her in a corset and photoshopping the crap of her anyway? What is the point of making someone look like a completely DIFFERENT person? Yes, she looks hot. But I think she would have looked just as hot had they lost the freakin’ corset and just let her show herself exactly the way she is.
Woman in general already struggle so much with body image. Even the most beautiful girls are taught to hate something about themselves, and I believe that cropping the bejesus out of Adeles’s arm sends a terrible message to our daughters. You’re not worthy unless you like this. You can be a RIDICULOUSLY talented singer but all that matter is the size of your ASS. Really? We’ve evolved as a society so much, yet women are still judged, not by their accomplishments, but by their dress size. Makes. Me. CRAZY. When will we learn to love ourselves?
So there. *steps off soapbox* I’d like to know what YOU think. Do you think Vogue went too far? Or are you happy they gave Adele a anorexic makeover? Tell me!
xoxo, Liz
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Hate the “makeover”…couldn’t say it any better than you already have…highly disappointed – HIGHLY!
I agree with every word. Adele is full figured, but not huge, anyway.
This reminds me of the British Glamour from a few years ago with Kate Winslett. They had a shot inside of her where she was standing in front of a mirror holding something in front of herself to hide the fact that she was topless. She was wearing black pantyhose in the shot. They elected to photoshop her legs to make them look much thinner. They did it very badly to boot. They also, only did the main image of her in the shot. They didn’t touch the image in the mirror so it looked completely ridiculous. When she saw it, she took them to task about it. I wish they would get it through their heads. Beautiful women come on all sizes. They don’t have to be a size 0 to qualify. The scene in Titanic when Kate was nude while being painted should be proof. That was one of the sexiest scenes in a movie that didn’t actually involve sex I have ever seen.
I totally agree and get what you are saying, but are you really surprised…Vogue photoshops everybody — From Faith Hill to Cameron Diaz to, now, Adele!
Marla, Thanks! And yes, if I had a Vogue subscription, I’d be canceling it!
Nancy, I know, she would have looked great just the way she is!
AMEN! Sister. I couldn’t have said it better. It ridiculous what they have done to her and honestly I’m surprised that Adele herself was ok with it. Sure she looks fab, but it’s sending the wrong message yet again.
Bridget, I agree with you, they photoshop even the size 2s! I guess my point here is how much they photoshopped her, it clearly doesn’t look like her. Usually they do a subtle job of shaving off a tiny bit here and there. To do it excessively like that sends a message that she wasn’t worthy of looking anything close to how she normally does. Thanks so much for your comment! xoxo
Great post Liz! I’m really interested in hearing what Adele thinks of her photo on the cover because she’s been really open about NOT caring that she’s a NORMAL looking girl and NOT caring about doing the stupid little dances on stage and wearing the stupid little getups. All she cares about is the beautiful sounds that comes out of her mouth. And now Vogue does THIS? I wonder if she looked at the cover and tossed it aside? Or if she called the editors and said, “What the bloody hell did you do to my body? That’s NOT ME on the cover! Retraction!!!!”
Something to talk about! Or maybe she’ll write a song about it!
Larry, I couldn’t agree more. And I totally remember that! And yes, Kate Winslet is sexy, no matter what!
Michelle, I know, Adele has been pretty mum about it….hmmmm….
Stephanie, I don’t think Adele has commented on it yet, but I agree, with all her talk about how she doesn’t care what people think of her size, I’m a little surprised we haven’t heard from her.
I was actually super-surprised when I heard she was going to be on the cover of Vogue, because this is a magazine that more than any other is vocally anti-anyone over a size 6. I don’t normally get bothered and ranty about it, but Vogue can be downright offensive about it. So I was all excited about Adele being on the cover… and now this. Go check out her beautiful Rolling Stone cover from last year if you want to see what she REALLY looks like.
Shannon, You said it perfectly. I’m not super-ranty either, but for some reason this struck a nerve with me. Maybe because Adele is so beautiful to begin with and how no one really seems to care about her size. Vogue can suck it! I’m going to check out that Rolling Stone.
So many neglect to realize that beautiful doesn’t have a size. Beautiful is just that, beautiful. We spend too much time focusing on how a person looks on the outside, that we forget what has made that person special in the first place. Shame on Vogue…
Jennifer, perfectly said! Thanks for your comment!
Couldn’t agree with you more! WTF, Vogue??? We obviously know that she doesn’t look like (In fact, I think you made her look strange!) that so who do you think you’re fooling?
Well said! Couldn’t agree more!! I think there is a fine line between a little touch up, and shaving several sizes off someone.
I wonder the same thing about perfume ads. Why hire Julia Roberts or Matthew McConaughey if you’re going to change their faces so that it doesn’t look like them? Just hire a model.
I hate it!
I like Adele, love her music.
But yeah… seriously! What did they do with the real Adele? Of I should say what did they with the other half of her?
If they choose to put a “plus size” person in the cover they should have left her “Plus size”! To me this is just insulting, like – was she not good enough for you before?
Sadly, I was shocked that Vogue even put Adele on their cover. (and trust me, I’m her BIGGEST fan ever) I’m not sure if anyone has seen the documentary “The September Issue” but it is a really well done look at how Vogue and it’s editor, Anna Wintour, operate. Anna Wintour is NOT a nice person and does not hesitate to make blatant commentary about any one’s (celebs included) looks and body. She even told one of the cameramen that he needed to hit the gym! She isn’t dumb…I mean she clearly put Adele on the cover because she knew it would sell issues. But she had to use HER version of Adele…which I find ridiculous. I would love to look like Adele. Adele herself said on her 60 minutes interview with Anderson Cooper that she never wanted to be a “skinny mini”…what a weird world we live in.
(ok sorry, that was a really long rant but things like this annoy me. And I haven’t had a full cup of coffee yet. That’s my excuse)
I was just checking online to see if Adele had issued a statement on the Vogue cover but found nothing. I find it very hard to believe that she would have approved that cartoonish characture of her. She has always been outspoken about her weight not being an issue for her. She just made that very clear again on her recent 60 Minutes interview before the Grammys. Why is she not reacting now ? Shame on Vogue ! But let’s hear from Adele now.
I feel exactly the same way!! It’s unbelievably ridiculous to dramatically change someone. It’s so disheartening. Most women look like Adele. After four boys, a corset wouldn’t and couldn’t do me justice but you know what, my husband thinks I’m beautiful. And as a matter of fact, so do I. That horrible flat tire is just a remind what beautiful gifts God gave me. I earned every single stretch mark bringing four wonderful boys into this crazy world. More “real” women need to be put on the cover of magazines to help transform the demented and twisted thoughts young girls put into their heads. No one looks like that!! Promise.
Have you seen Tara Lynn on the cover of France’s ELLE? She’s amazing!
Thank you for being a voice for women. More people need to have this same realization so the general population could tone down their self criticism.
Not sure what’s worse, making a full figured celebrity look a little thinner in the face to show more makeup, (sold on page 62 of said magazine). Or making an already thin celebrity look even thinner, see the poster of Reese Witherspoon in This Means War, her waist is about 22″ and boobs a full cup size bigger. Both ads are completely made to sell to women not men.
Crazy, now pass the nachos!
Thea, totally! A little photoshopping would have been fine, but this? too much!
Jen, I know, right?
Wendy, Totally! Why ask her to be on the cover if you are going to make her look like someone else?
Tenna, Thanks for your great comment! I haven’t see “The September Issue” but now i think I might have to!
Mary, I know, her silence on the whole thing is quite odd to me.
Jessica, Thanks so much for your comment, I agree! Maybe I should start thinking of my flat tire as a badge of honor? That would make me feel much better about it! =)
Carrie, Dude, YES about Reese’s billboard for THIS MEANS WAR! Totally!
I don’t have time to read all the comments but my thought is that if we keep buying Vogue they’ll never get the message.
Mary, I agree! Thanks for your comment!
Liz – Couldn’t agree more. Adele is lovely, has an amazing voice, and it’s an insult to her (and all women) that the Vogue editors made her into a supermodel look-a-like. What’s the message? She wasn’t good enough? She’d be a better artist if she’s skinny? She just swept the Grammys. Without the corset. End. Of. Story.
I’ll be using any extra copies of Vogue for my boys’ hamster cage.
Lauren, I love it! Yes, the hamster cage is a GREAT place for it!
Amen, sista! You said it! We are all so DAMN hard on ourselves and forget that what really matters is WHO we are, not what we look like. Shame on VOGUE! Do they think they’re fooling any of us?! Thanks for getting the word out there, Liz! You’re article was right on point!
Thanks Jill!!! I know, it freaks me out as I raise my own daughter that she’s learning these kind of lessons. Let’s all just say NO to Vogue!
I’m not surprised they photo-shopped it- they’re Vogue- their mission in life is to promote overpriced ridiculously sized clothes to those of us who could never ever fit into them even with grease and a shoe horn. But I really hope Adele steps up and calls them on it- frankly if I was her I’d make them pull it off the newsstands. Because she is only “plus- size” in a world where anorexia is the norm.
On a related note, what annoys me more is that every single article, news story etc I have ever seen, read or heard ALWAYS has some comment on her figure. It’s like the press pats themselves on the back for deigning to write about and acknowledge her talent “even though she’s a wee bit hefty”. We will really have made some progress when the size of her ass (regardless of whether its big, small, just right) isn’t even cause for comment in some news story about her.
You’re right – it dosn’t look like her. She looked amazing at the Grammy’s – proof that she doesn’t need to be “fixed”:). Vogue does this all the time, unfortunately. We have no way of knowing what these peopel really look like! AnnaW. is a crazy person, anyway. I don’t look at or read Vogue, because the models and the clothes are so unrealistic.
Anita, I totally agree, when a celebrity isn’t tiny, they bring it up in every article. So ridiculous!!! And such a double standard, I rarely see an overweight male celebrity get the same treatment.
Allie, I know, I’m not a big Vogue fan either, what people actually wear those clothes?
Terrible!! I couldn’t agree more with your blog. Vogue should be ashamed of themselves for taking natural beauty and making it unnatural.
I don’t know what creeps me out more–that the editors at Vogue felt compelled to alter her picture so severely, or that they made her look like a refugee from a Renaissance festival. Bad form, all around. I would totally stop buying Vogue, if I bought it in the first place.