Adele Looks Unrecognizable In Rare New Photo

Plenty of famous figures have undergone surprising changes over the years, including Rob Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, and Chanel West Coast, not to mention Maisie Williams, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Adam Lambert – just to name a few. While the noticeable transformations those celebrities have undergone include everything from alarmingly altered appearances to drastically different attitudes, each one stirred up plenty of buzz as soon as fans become aware of what was going on. That certainly rings true for Adele's transformation, which has surprised fans, in part, because she's not been around as much as she used to be.

The multi-Grammy award-winning star stepped back from the spotlight in 2016, announcing that she was taking a break from music. While there are reports that Adele is slated to drop a new album in 2020, the "Someone Like You" singer hadn't been on tour or hit up a widely-covered public event in a while when she decided to give her fans a peek into her life via Instagram in May 2020. Upon being offered a sneak peek, what her followers saw sparked a range of reactions for various reasons.

Adele is a gorgeous person, there's no doubt about that. However, when the singer shared a photo of herself in an Instagram post for her 32nd birthday, the star's many social media followers noticed that she looked different than she once did.

"Thank you for the birthday love," Adele captioned the image, which showed her standing in the middle of a large, golden hoop that was decorated with floral arrangements. The star — who was wearing a little black dress with puffy sleeves and sleek black heels while slaying long, straight hair — also used the occasion to note that she hoped her fans were "staying safe and sane during this crazy time," referring to the coronavirus pandemic. She then sent out a message to frontline workers, writing, "I'd like to thank all of our first responders and essential workers who are keeping us safe while risking their lives! You are truly our angels."

While Instagram users were touched by the tribute, they also felt compelled to comment on Adele's appearance, including her weight loss. "[Y]ou've worked so hard to look like this and I'm so glad you've got your purpose, but I want to tell you that for me you were always spectacular, beautiful, and sexy woman," one fan wrote. Another added, "Wow [star eyes emoji] you are stunning."

While many people were noting how good Adele looked, others pointed out the issue with commenting on the star's weight.

When Adele posted a photo of herself on Instagram in May 2020, many people commented on the fact that she's lost weight. Despite the fact that the notes tended to be complimentary, they were still potentially problematic. "Heart goes out to the people who are triggered by the reaction to Adele's weight loss," one person wrote on Twitter. "Celebrating people for getting skinny is extremely toxic and implies that being any degree of overweight is something to be ashamed of."

Charli Howard, a "curve model and body positivity champion," seemingly agreed with that stance. Shortly after reactions to the singer's picture began circulating the internet, Howard penned an opinion piece for Vogue UK, explaining that "[d]iscussing other people's weight loss is complex for a number of reasons." 

She noted that "it reinforces the message that being thin is something to celebrate — that thinness is the key to happiness, beauty, and success," while failing to "consider whether said person might have lost weight due to stress, depression, bereavement, an underlying medical condition, an eating disorder, or a million other reasons." It also "emphasi[z]es the view that, above all else, a woman's worth boils down to her looks."

Perhaps, in the future, it would be best for the public to keep their opinions about Adele's weight to themselves. Instead, they can focus on the fact that she's now twinning with another popular star.

Adele is someone who's not only known for her talent, but also for her beauty. The same can be said of actress Sarah Paulson. However, you might not have realized before now that the two stars could be sisters! It's something that became obvious when Adele shared the birthday photo of herself in spring 2020.

"Apparently the next stage of Adele's life cycle is to turn into Sarah Paulson," one person on Twitter wrote. And they definitely weren't alone in that thought. "I'm not saying Adele and Sarah Paulson are the same person but," another social media user captioned images of both women. "Omg they do really look like each other!!!" yet another person tweeted, while someone else pointed out, "And then #Adele became Sarah Paulson's twin."

Honestly, once you take a look at their faces and compare their features, it's hard to deny that they share similar noses, chins, and blush-worthy cheeks. Even their smiles are alike! They only real difference is their eye color. However, if one of them popped in some colored contacts, we bet the resemblance would be even more striking.

Frankly, some people are now mistaking one woman for the other. "Wow it took me a minute realizing this was Adele and not Sarah Paulson...," one person admitted, before adding, "anyway both gorgeous women."