This week, pictures emerged of a slimmer looking Adele, as the singer arrived at rap star Drake’s birthday party.

Instantly people were tweeting and sharing the photos, congratulating her on her “revenge body” – a reference to her ongoing divorce with Simon Konecki. Across my social media feeds, it seemed that everyone was sharing headlines that discussed her "sensational new look”, posting her “before and after” snaps. The resounding reaction was: “She looks so good now!”

For me, this was far from unexpected. It merely confirmed that we live in a society which idealises thinness and celebrates weight loss as inherently positive. The underlying premise behind the reaction to Adele’s photos was a) the assumption that her “old” body was “wrong” and b) that she made a deliberate and “healthy” choice.

In reality, this reaction is just a series of backhanded compliments. Saying that she looks good now, is just a more subtle form of body shaming that masquerades as a compliment. By glamourising this terrible concept of the “revenge-body”, we are saying that fitness and eating well are tools to be weaponised against a former relationship as opposed to a positive choice we should all be making. It centres our value in our physical appearance, and the idea that bigger bodies are not worthy of a fulfilling relationship.

At its worst, the fixation on Adele’s post separation “glow up” reveals our deep rooted societal fatphobia, in which skinniness is valued at any detrimental cost and equated with attractiveness.

Most memorable Adele quotes Show all 20 1 /20 Most memorable Adele quotes Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I’m ballsy. I have guts. I’m not afraid of anyone. The only person I’m afraid of is myself.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I am never writing a breakup record again. I’m done with being a bitter witch.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I am quite loud and bolshy. I’m a big personality. I walk into a room, big and tall and loud.’ 2013 Getty Images Most memorable Adele quotes ‘My management post my tweets for me because when Twitter came out I was drunk tweeting and nearly put my foot in it quite a few times.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘You can’t complain about your dressing room or you’ll look like Celine Dion!’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I make music to be a musician, not to be on the cover of Playboy.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I don’t date celebrities? I ain’t f**king Taylor Swift, do you know what I mean?’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I like eating fine food and drinking nice wine. Even if I had a really good figure, I don’t think I’d get my t**ts and a** out for no-one.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I represent the majority of women and I’m very proud of that.’ 2013 Getty Images Most memorable Adele quotes ‘If a man whistles at you, do not respond. You are a lady, not a dog.’ 2012 Getty Images Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I love seeing Lady Gaga’s boobs and bum. I love seeing Katy Perry’s boobs and bum. Love it. But that’s not what my music is about. I don’t make music for eyes, I make music for ears.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I love a card. You know, cards? At birthdays? I collect them.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I get so nervous on stage I can’t help but talk. I try telling my brain: stop sending words to the mouth. But I get nervous and turn into my grandma.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘Even when I was signing a contract, most of the industry knew if anyone dared say ‘Lose weight!’ to me, they wouldn’t be working with me.’ 2013 Getty Images Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I’m like Johnny Cash. I only wear black.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I have insecurities, of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who points them out to me.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I love hearing my audience breathe.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I was so in love with Mike Skinner I wrote him a letter and when I told my friend about it she cussed me so I went and pretended to do the washing up and cried.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I like looking nice, but I always put comfort over fashion. I don’t find thin girls attractive; be happy and healthy. I’ve never had a problem with the way I look. I’d rather have lunch with my friends than go to a gym.’ Most memorable Adele quotes ‘I don’t care about clothes. I’d rather spend my money on cigarettes and booze.’

We have reached a stage in which we are well versed in the health implications of obesity, which can be a positive thing. After all, it is important that we all make steps to eat well and exercise for our mental and physical wellbeing. However, why do we rarely acknowledge that weight loss, especially at a rapid rate, can be a cause for concern?

Quick weight loss can be the unintended result of a mental or physical condition. It is common knowledge that Adele is in the process of a divorce – a deeply traumatic and stressful experience for anyone, let alone someone in the public eye. Yet, when these photos were released, there was a distinct lack of concern for her welfare. Studies have shown that stress can cause a whole range of digestion problems, including loss of appetite. While many of us respond to mental health challenges by comfort eating, some people struggle with disordered eating as a response to depression or anxiety.

Adele’s mental and physical health is, of course, her own business. She could be happy, healthy and intentionally trying to lose weight. If this is the case then I truly wish her every success. But why do we continue to comment on people's bodies without knowing context? How can we be sure that a 'compliment' is not fuelling or validating a potential crisis?

It is an uncomfortable truth that, although packaged as support for the person’s health, in general these “compliments” speak to the fact that our celebration of weight loss is not always about welfare. Society just cares that you’re slim, no matter how objectively harmful the journey was to get there.