1. Danielle Stacy
8 May 2016
Clothing & Society
Instagram Project
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is an English singer and songwriter who graduated
from the British School for Performing Arts and Technology in 2006. In the same year,
she was given a recording contract by XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on
Myspace. For two months, I followed this young talent on Instagram and took notes
about the pictures that she would decide to post. Adele’s photos displayed representations
of systems of privilege and oppression: gender, race and body image. Within each of
these categories, she exhibited behaviors of both dominant empowerment and tranquil
enjoyment. Adele’s photos display involvement with the peace and well-being of others
as well as her just going with the flow of life without a worry. Through the symbolic
interaction theory, Adele continuously builds her life with everything that she does.
George Herbert Mead and student Herbert Blumer coined the term symbolic
interactionism which is now used as a label for a relatively distinctive approach to the
study of human life and human conduct. With symbolic interactionism, reality is seen as
social, developed interaction with others. Mead proposed that the development of an
individual is a social process, thus this theory is used by studying individuals within a
society on a small scale focusing on social interactions with others. It’s been concluded
that people change based on interactions with objects, events, ideas, and others while
assigning meaning to things in order to decide how to act. People act toward things based
on the meaning those things have for them, and these meanings are derived from social

2. interaction and modified through interpretation. Blumer stated that there were three
tenants associated with symbolic interactionism: we act based on the meaning we have
given something, we give meaning to things based on our social interactions and the
meaning we give something is not permanent. Therefore, action depends on meaning,
people assign different meanings to different things, and meanings can change. I have
studied Adele’s Instagram using the symbolic interactionism theory to discover her
confidence concerning gender, race and body image.
Adele has won 51 awards over the past nine years, 4 of which mention “female”
in the title. VH1 listed her as number five on 100 Greatest Women in Music and was
named one of the most influential people in the world this year and four years ago. With
sales of more than 100 million records, Adele is one of the best-selling recording artists
in the world. Though she is proud to be such an accomplished young woman, she
strongly believes in equality. When it comes to gender, Adele does not let it hold her or
anyone else back. In “You May Have Seen My Face on BART,” a young female engineer
gets chosen to become a part of a recruiting campaign for the company that she works
for. Her face and words actually end up on the final advertisement, which makes it 100%
authentic. Though because the young woman was attractive and the ad was not “what
female engineers look like,” negative sexist attention was attracted. She stands up for
herself by stating that “I’m just a human and I prefer to keep my life simple and
reserved... [The ad] is seemingly more controversial simply because of my gender.”
When Adele took her son to Disneyland last year, he was dressed up as Princess Anna
from Disney’s Frozen. Some people praised her as a mother while others couldn’t stand
what she was doing to her son. As an accepting and progressive parent, Adele told Time

3. Magazine that “I can’t wait to know who his best friends are going to be, who his
girlfriend or his boyfriend is going to be or what movies he likes. Whatever my kid wants
to do or be I will always support him no matter what.” Both the engineer and Adele were
put in the same type of situation: they were criticized against for being real and open.
There is empowerment and enjoyment when it comes to being a woman although there is
more oppression against women than there is privilege. Adele expresses her womanly
power through her Instagram photos showcasing herself before and during performances,
and her devotion to Beyoncé. According to the symbolic interactionism theory, Adele
places high importance on her sharing her talents and influences. She has made an impact
on so many lives around the world just with her voice and her photos exemplify that. The
enjoyment that Adele gets from being a woman is shown in photos of her at her calmest.
There are only few photos that focus on just her, but they show how much she enjoys
being herself and living in the moment. To Adele, it is essential to reach out to her fans
but to also have inner peace. Appearance plays a role in this representation due to the fact
that Adele never seems to show of her feminine body much, though still screams with
confidence around all of her fans.
Empowerment

4. Enjoyment
Adele Adkins was born and raised in England where she still resides. The topic of
race in England versus America is quite different. According to censuses of both
countries, about 25% of the U.S. population described themselves as nonwhite in 2000,
while only 7.9 percent of the U.K. population described themselves as from an ethnic
minority in 2001. British-Nigerian standup comedian Gina Yashere stated “I prefer good
ol' fashioned American racism because it's in your face. You know where you stand with
American racism. In England, the racism is very much more underground, more subtle.
It's more insidious. You don't even know you're being discriminated against," (2015).
Adele told Rolling Stone that some of her biggest inspirations were Mary J. Blige, Lauryn
Hill, Alicia Keys and Destiny’s Child (Hiatt, 2015). Therefore, even as a child, Adele
looked past race and skin color. She focused on what was real to her: music. Her music
encompasses timeless sounds of soul and contemporary R&B. She has taken a culture of
music and added some of her own flavor for a more modern tone. In “What Does Race
Have to Do With Ugly Betty?” Betty applies for a Young Editors Training Institute and
makes the cut. Marc, a jealous colleague of Betty’s, makes a remark explaining that she
only landed the spot because she’s Latina, “a token ethnic girl,” (Espostio, 2009, p. 97)
He makes it seem as though there are more qualifications for earning the position than
actual talent needed. His words bring Betty down and make her question why she was

5. picked over him. In this case, Betty may have had an advantage due to her race, although
she was uncomfortable with it. Peggy McIntosh reports in “White Privilege: Unpacking
The Invisible Knapsack” that “as a white person, I realized I had been taught about
racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one
of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage,” (McIntosh,
1988, p.1) In Adele’s position, she definitely has this privilege. McIntosh also claims that
white privilege “is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps,
passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks,” (1988, p.1) Adele’s music
simmers with sincerity, a sort of lived-in pain and hope that resonates deeply with many
listeners. She’s been able to turn her heartache into gripping art in a way that feels more
mature than many other artists. Adele’s homeland consists of 90% of the population
being recognized as “white” just like her. Through her photos, you can feel how much
she loves all of her fans and supporters while disregarding race, ethnicity and color. In
this day and age, it is hard not to realize the racism around the world, and that “white” is
recognized as dominant while all others are considered minorities. After being alive for
25 years, Adele surely realizes her unfair superiority but does not take advantage of it.
According to the symbolic interactionism theory, Adele has learned to place importance
on what people possess on the inside rather than what’s on the outside. Her Instagram
photos display her utilizing her race to bring people together while also enjoying the skin
she’s in without being criticized for it. She posts many pictures of the crowds that she has
the pleasure of interacting with, and also many black and white photos. It is clear that she
is proud of where she came from and is proud to be who she is seen to be. One of the
most powerful pictures that Adele has posted shows her holding up a “W” with her hands

6. in front of a large audience. She captioned the photo “Show your support for
@drop4drop’s mission to get clean water for all. W is for water!” I feel as if this picture
exposes her concern for everyone on this planet. Her enjoyment of her life as a British
woman is displayed through her photos of places she loves and things she loves to do.
Appearance plays a role in this representation because Adele never puts herself out as
being better than anyone – maybe only just her voice because she deserves it. While
performing, she never wears anything too extravagant or over-the-top: she makes
everyone feel comfortable with her and with themselves. Even her lyrics showcase that
she goes through the same type of pain as most everyone, and that is why she has so
many dedicated fans.
Empowerment
Enjoyment
Adele has been criticized for many things, but body size and image is what most
people tend to focus on. Society has placed too much importance on how one should look
rather than how one should act. The female body that is usually portrayed in movies,
television shows, commercials, magazines and advertisements everywhere has created an

7. image of what woman should look like, not how we actually look. The models in these
kinds of advertisements do not even look like that, most have been photoshopped from
the original. Women are sexualized all over big screens for the world to see, then wonder
why we have to constantly protect ourselves from men. Adele thinks that “exploiting
yourself sexually is not a good look… I don’t find it encouraging,” (2012).
Advertisements also seem to portray all the women looking similar: flawless, thin, tan,
and covered in makeup. This is not real, it’s all a façade that has advised in the formation
of body image issues all around the world. Adele understands that "There’s only one of
you, so why would you want to look like everyone else? Why would you want to have
the same hair style as everyone else and have the same opinions as everyone else?"
(2012). According to “Dress Code Discrimination: Different Figure, Different Rules?”
today’s female clothing mannequins have a hip measurement of 30-31 inches while the
average woman’s hips measure 37 inches (Houghton, 2011, p. 2). Kristen Houghton also
states in that article that 50% of woman wear size 14 or larger when most of the standard
clothing stores only carry sizes 10 and smaller. It’s hard to get away from the weight
discrimination when everything around you is against the fuller female figure. Ever since
her debut, Adele has been oppressed due to her body size and image. Joan Rivers was
featured on HuffPost Live to talk about the weight comments that she mentioned about
Adele on Letterman. Rivers continued the smack talk live by declaring “She’s a chubby
lady who’s very, very rich, and she should just calm down or lose weight,” (2013). I feel
as if people say these unnecessary rude comments to others because they are insecure
about themselves and do not want to show it. Adele expressed her maturity on 60 Minutes
by saying “The key is to be happy with yourself, appreciate yourself first,” (2012).

8. Thankfully, Adele does not seem to care about what anyone else thinks. In her Instagram
photos, the confidence she acquires is clearly evident. As a full figured woman, she feels
empowered while loving every inch of herself. She told People that “I’ve never wanted to
look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I’m
very proud of that,” (2012). Adele Instagram does not contain many pictures of her body,
but one very powerful photo does. In the photo, Adele is pointing to a cake while making
a weird face. It seems as if she is breaking all of the misconceptions that people place on
her. She recently had a child, stopped drinking completely and changed her diet. Adele
has lost weight and gained a new healthy lifestyle although she is still not society’s ideal
body size. Just because a woman is fully figured does not mean that she is “fat” or
unhealthy. It is obvious that Adele enjoys the life she lives solely because of the pictures
that she posts. Her favorite moments on stage have been captured alongside the little,
intimate moments of her life. According to symbolic interactionism, Adele has learned to
place importance on self-love rather than what others may think or say about her. She
does not let anything stand in her way of becoming an even more successful woman.
Adele revealed to Huffington Post that "I do have body image problems, but I don't let
them rule my life at all, and there’s bigger issues going on in the world than how I might
feel about myself and stuff like that." Appearance plays a role in this interpretation
because Adele tends to keep her body respectfully covered up and she leaves a lot to the
imagination, just like she intends to.
Empowerment

9. Enjoyment
All in all, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins has various privileges while also being
oppressed. She stands up for many woman due to her gender and body size, and may
have some easier times due to her race. Symbolic interactionism is constantly being used
throughout her life. Herbert Blumer concluded that the three tenants associated with this
theory are we act based on the meaning we have given something, we give meaning to
things based on our social interactions and the meaning we give something is not
permanent. Adele has given meaning to everything around her, including her career and
the people in her life. She knows who and what to focus on, and what to leave out of her
life. As a famous artist, she has many social interactions with all different types of
people. Although others are not always the nicest to her, she keeps her thoughts and
words positive. Adele’s Instagram represents a powerful, fearless woman who is in
control of her own life. This is exactly what society knows her as: strong, independent,
successful and badass. If I had to question Adele about her Instagram photos, I would ask
why most of the pictures are black and white, and why she does not post more pictures of
her timeless beauty.