When world-famous singer Adele was named artist of the year at Tuesday’s Brit Awards — which for the first time ditched male and female categories in favor of gender-neutral prizes — she seemed quite relaxed and admitted she wasn’t expecting it.
With that, Adele tossed off a casual confession in the wake of her win: “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and being a female artist! I do!” she said to the adoring audience. “I do!”
“I’m really proud of us, I really, really am,” she added.
Adele wins Artist of the Year | The BRIT Awards 2022
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What happened next?
If you figured the woke mob blasted Adele for her oh-so-gender-exclusive remark, it doesn’t appear to be the case, believe it or not.
Oh, sure, a few folks spoke out against the singer’s pro-woman declaration. Page Six, which cited the Times of London, said some detractors indicated they “lost a lot of respect for Adele” and would no longer “spend a cent on her music.”
Then there was a “staunch feminist” performer named Jacob who posted to his Twitter followers, “Please, no, ADELE can’t be a TERF,” Page Six added. TERF stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist.”
But alas, Jacob’s Twitter page — for some reason — indicated on Wednesday afternoon that it’s now protected.
Screenshots of two Twitter users’ posts read as follows: “Adele honey, that was … low-key transphobic” and “why is Adele transphobic?” But the original tweets weren’t on the users’ pages Wednesday.
Another screenshot showed a Twitter user’s post that read: “I love Adele, but that ‘woman’ comment seemed like a bit of a dig; non-binary artists deserve better.” But again, the original tweet was nowhere to be found on the user’s page Wednesday.
So it would seem headlines referring to a pitchfork-wielding woke mob out to get Adele are overblowing it a bit.
Lots of support for Adele
But what isn’t overblown is the vast number of folks supporting Adele’s statement. Here are a couple:
- “Thank you @Adele. Just, thank you. For speaking the 2 words being vilified. Woman. Female,” author Onjali Rauf tweeted. “Despite all the hate this world throws our way for being (double then triple that if you’re a woman of colour & visible faith), I wouldn’t have it any other way, either.”
- Teacher and journalist Debbie Hayton noted in an op-ed for the Spectator “girls need role models, and last night Adele stepped up to the plate. For that, she deserves applause, even greater than the adulation she received for her music.”
Numerous others followed suit:
- “Thank you Adele for using those words,” another Twitter user said. “Really important that we NEVER lose them.”
- “Yes, Adele,” another user added.
- “The words, ‘woman’ and ‘female’ are being erased,” another user observed. “Well said, Adele.”
And a whole bunch more fired back at any hint of backlash that might be heading for Adele:
- “Let’s get society to a point where a woman saying ‘I’m a woman, and I like it’ isn’t an act of f***ing bravery,” one commenter noted.
- “She’s a woman. She’s a female artist. This should not be problematic,” another user said.
- “2022. The year in which the cult of gender has taken such a hold that when the winner of the Brits says “I really love being a woman and being a female artist” she is castigated. She’ll now be [pressured] to apologize,” another commenter offered. “Are you getting it yet?”
- “A decade ago if someone had said a woman would criticized for the thought-crime of saying she liked being a woman, I would have laughed at such a ludicrous suggestion. Now it is happening, I don’t know whether to cry or scream,” another user noted. “Congratulations #Adele, and thank you.”