This post picks up from where an earlier one left off: with Oprah Winfrey in the late 1980s. She was an incredibly popular show-biz figure and media icon, whose global fame spread partly because of her wide variety of interests. Her opinions were respected, her tastes admired, and droves of people relied upon her judgment in such matters as which books to read. Fans responded to her empathy, spontaneity, generosity, and numerous other attractive personal qualities, and related to her like a sister or dear friend.
People, especially women, trusted Oprah and felt understood by her. As both a television host and a sympathetic surrogate friend, she must have felt strong pressure to cover the issue of overweight and everything connected with it, because such a large portion of her audience was dealing with the specter of obesity, and needed help. At the same time, a person in her position would be well-advised to tread carefully, and avoid promoting the anti-obesity culture or appearing as an anti-obesity crusader. Coming from her, any hint of blame or shame could alienate the audience.
An ancient shadow
These conditions resembled an ancient philosophical and theological conflict that so many individuals and institutions over the centuries had to face, and somehow reconcile: how to love the sinner but hate the sin. How to deplore the existence of too much fat, without insulting those who grew too much fat and then suffered for it.
Oprah was not yet the mega-wealthy star she would eventually become, but one thing was clear, and worth repeating :
All the fame and the success doesn’t mean anything if you can’t fit into the clothes. If you can’t fit into your clothes, it means the fat won. It means you didn’t win.
Also, on the personal level, for Oprah to actively campaign against obesity was at the same time to wage war against herself. This was especially evident in the aftermath of the much-regretted 1988 “wagon of fat” TV appearance. To continue wearing those skinny jeans, it would only be necessary to remain on a liquid diet for the rest of her life.
The winds of change
A couple of years later, she told a magazine reporter about the four months of enforced starvation that preceded the wagon stunt and confessed, “I thought I was cured. And that’s just not true. You have to find a way to live in the world with food.” At which point, she did a 180-degree turn and decided to never diet again. By 1992, her weight had reached a peak 237 pounds, too much for a 5’7″ frame to carry. At some point she met trainer Bob Greene and they had a conversation which she recalled years later for her O magazine.
He asked why she was overweight; she replied that she loved food. This was not the exact answer Greene was hoping to elicit, however, and it was quite some time before Oprah was comfortable with admitting that the purpose of eating so much food was to numb her emotions.
As we have mentioned, the investigation into any one person’s obesity needs to include several aspects of family and individual history. Of course their habitual dietary practices are a big factor, but so are their other customary activities, including purposeful exercise. Also to be considered are the psychosocial environment, medications, and their idiosyncratic pattern of weight loss and gain.
Oprah had never consulted a psychiatrist, but subsequent conversations with Greene turned out to be, in her words, “priceless therapy.”
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “The Highs and Lows of Oprah Winfrey’s 50-Year Weight Loss Journey,” MSN.com, 2024
Source: “Top 10 Oprah Moments,” TIME.com, 05/25/11
Source: “Oprah Winfrey’s Weight Loss Journey,” EOnline.com, 03/24/24
Image by Pat Hartman
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