Naturally, the photo quickly went viral. Just as naturally, tabloids across the globe fell over themselves to write about it. And, as ever, they decided to hone in on her so-called “transformation”.

It’s disheartening, yet entirely unsurprising, to learn that typing the singer’s name into Google now brings up countless “weight loss” reports. There are those who have spoken to dubious “inside sources” in a bid to find out more about Adele’s diet and fitness regime. Some have gone one step further, claiming that she’s been following a dangerous “green juice diet” based on… well, based on nothing at all. Others have stated that the singer looks “unrecognisable” – as if they hadn’t already written reams and reams of drivel about her “HUGE three stone weight loss” last December.

All came together, however, to reinforce the message that being thin is something to celebrate. All conveniently forgot the fact that women are worth so much more than the sum of their physical parts. So much more. And all assumed, wrongly, that Adele’s Instagram photo was an invitation for them to speculate, scrutinise, and cast judgment on her physical appearance.

It’s boring. It’s really fucking boring. And all of this body-shaming (because that’s what all of these before-and-after photos really boil down to, don’t they?) means that we’ve missed out some key details. The message to health workers, for example, has been lost in the noise. The birthday messages from Adele’s many famous pals, including Chrissy Teigen, have been ignored. And Adele’s brilliant power move, too, has gone largely unnoticed.

We’re talking, of course, about the fact that the singer liked her own post.

Adele: the key detail you missed in that viral Instagram birthday photo