Oprah: “I’m sorry for the weight…”

In the latest issue of “O” Magazine, Oprah confesses her weight “problems” and her compulsion for eating, admitting that she is currently weighing in at over 200 lbs.  She writes, “I’m embarrassed… I can’t believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I’m still talking about my weight. I look at my thinner self and think, ‘How did I let this happen again?’”

I can appreciate her last statement of “How did I let this happen,” as it reflects her own need for something she has decided she wants for herself. But her first comment of being embarrassed is based on the micro-evaluation of women celebrities—their appearance, their clothing… and their weight. Some of this is to be expected, as anyone who puts himself or herself out there is subject to the potentially brutal onslaught of the public—a public that is granted the reach and accessibility of mass media, yet protected by an anonymity that only the internet can offer.

And Oprah isn’t the only one under the magnifying glass. EVERY female celebrity has been measured, observed and stalked by the press… from Madonna to Britney… even Cheryl Burke (of Dancing with the Stars fame—who is a size 4). Cheryl was really taken aback by the “you’re fat” comments, and told People Magazine last October: “Maybe I’m not at my thinnest right now, but it’s a little bit like, ‘Wow, do you really think I’m fat? Would you call me fat, honestly?’” (Uh, no Cheryl… you look great.)

And it’s interesting that anyone has anything to say at all. Yes, we live in a culture where physical appearance counts first (perhaps driven by primal instincts), but to sit back and pontificate on what these women—normal women, sans their fame—are built like by dissecting their oddly-angled photos is asinine. Besides… if you back up just a few years—before women were convinced that the way to keep their husbands happy was to stop by the local mall for a breast augmentation—women were appreciated for being built like women… not like pre-teen girls.

Oprah… we love you. You are giving, insightful, and supportive of the human race. Tip the scales at whatever number strikes your fancy. If you are happy and healthy, then you are fine. And either way—and in spite of your celebrity/iconic status—you have nothing to apologize for.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Etiquette, Media Influences, Other Sites, Public Figures, Training a Man. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.