Just another verbal barrage between celebrities to remind you living in the limelight isn't always all it's cracked up to be.

Plus-sized diva Adele, the voice behind such hits as 'Chasing Pavements' and 'Rolling in the Deep,' has been dodging daggars recently about her weight, and the tone of her songs.

It all started in early February when fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was asked about his views on the current bevy of women pop stars.

"The thing at the moment is Adele," Lagerfeld said. "She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice." So, do you think that was unkind or simply stating a fact?

Now, you take the 'too fat' barb with a grain of salt when a fashion designer puts it out there. He's used to associating with pencil-thin women, so his sense of reality is extremely skewed.

I guess in his own warped brain, he thought he was giving Adele a complement, all in all.

But on top of Lagerfeld's comments (of which he later apologized) fellow singer Rihanna decided to get in the mix, saying that the tunes on Adele's new album "21" are 'depressing.'

Now, again, the grain of salt comes into play. Rihanna and Adele are in direct competition in entertainment circles.

Rihanna later issued a sideways apology, saying the album 'spoke to her too much,' and eventually she had to take a break from listening to it. She also made it evident she's a 'big fan' of Adele's music.

To her credit, Adele is taking the high road amid all the fervor. Her strong voice speaks volumes for the less-than-skinny set. And in an industry (entertainment) that is all about visual "talent" as much as actual talent, Adele has endured due to her focus and inner strength.

I sang my fair share in high school, always a member of the choir, and our school had a swing choir during my years there. One of my dance partners was not exactly petite, but her voice was one of the strongest I had ever been around. She made everyone around her sound better and her positive attitude about life made her popular in our clique-less school.

She had transferred from a larger school as a junior, and you could tell she was very happy to be somewhere where it was much easier to fit in.

It's the old 'never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover' line, and of-course, Lagerfeld never saw a 'healthy' body that was suitable to his cockeyed eye.

For us living in the real world, it's what's on the inside that counts.

Rock on, Adele. If you want to see something thinner flopping around onstage, go see Lady Gaga. I dare you.

Jerry Hitchcock is a copy editor for The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at [email protected]