Saturday 20 March 2010

OH, OPRAH WOMAN… (R)*

Why, oh why, can’t you get to grips with the fact that YOU ARE FAT?
What’s wrong with BEING FAT?
Who made you believe that FAT means NOT BEAUTIFUL?
And what is BEING FAT anyway?
Everybody in the world must have heard by now things like “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and that there are as many concepts of beauty as there are cultures and societies in the world. Why, how come, apparently NOT YOU OPRAH?

I mean, I am a Oprah admirer, for her beauty and her accomplishments – yes, we out here in the world outside the US of A watch and know about Oprah’s existence, life history and… weight problems! But, really, what and how much do we care about her weight problems, except perhaps to the extent that they make any sense in some of our own cultures?

I must confess that, in my teens, I had a weight problem. And what was it? It was that I was too skinny for the prevailing notions of beauty of that particular time in Luanda – Angola. So, I went on to the pharmacy to buy what I was told were 'fattening pills'… but I never gained any weight worth noting by anyone around me. The fact was simply that my genetic make-up didn’t make me as curvaceous as all the girls about my age who attracted the most attention. These days, I often feel weightier than I was made up to be – could it be that those alleged 'fattening pills' I took in my youth only now started to make effect? I don’t know. But I know exactly why and when that comes about and how to control it if I feel like or absolutely need to, without necessarily becoming paranoiac about it, provided that I feel healthy, both physically and psychologically.

So, I keep asking myself why can't Oprah come to terms with the fact that her genetic make-up made her fatter than others or just than what she would like to?


*[First posted 14/12/08]
Why, oh why, can’t you get to grips with the fact that YOU ARE FAT?
What’s wrong with BEING FAT?
Who made you believe that FAT means NOT BEAUTIFUL?
And what is BEING FAT anyway?
Everybody in the world must have heard by now things like “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and that there are as many concepts of beauty as there are cultures and societies in the world. Why, how come, apparently NOT YOU OPRAH?

I mean, I am a Oprah admirer, for her beauty and her accomplishments – yes, we out here in the world outside the US of A watch and know about Oprah’s existence, life history and… weight problems! But, really, what and how much do we care about her weight problems, except perhaps to the extent that they make any sense in some of our own cultures?

I must confess that, in my teens, I had a weight problem. And what was it? It was that I was too skinny for the prevailing notions of beauty of that particular time in Luanda – Angola. So, I went on to the pharmacy to buy what I was told were 'fattening pills'… but I never gained any weight worth noting by anyone around me. The fact was simply that my genetic make-up didn’t make me as curvaceous as all the girls about my age who attracted the most attention. These days, I often feel weightier than I was made up to be – could it be that those alleged 'fattening pills' I took in my youth only now started to make effect? I don’t know. But I know exactly why and when that comes about and how to control it if I feel like or absolutely need to, without necessarily becoming paranoiac about it, provided that I feel healthy, both physically and psychologically.

So, I keep asking myself why can't Oprah come to terms with the fact that her genetic make-up made her fatter than others or just than what she would like to?


*[First posted 14/12/08]

4 comments:

Yakima said...

Koluki,

A very interesting question! I would venture to guess that a large part of what makes Oprah a successful pundit and businesswoman is her ability to embody the struggles faced by a large number of women, especially in America, but also around the world. I suspect that if Oprah had not had controversial and highly publicized "problems" with her weight, then she would not now be as famous or revered as she now is.

Koluki said...

Hi Yakima,

Thanks for passing by and for the comment. I agree with you on Oprah embodying some os the struggles women face in America and around the world, but I'm not sure that all the fame and 'reverence' she gets is entirely due to her publicised weight problems. My own guess is that she gets all that because of her professional achievements as a black woman in America, against all odds. At least that's why I admire her.

Yakima said...

Oh I agree completely, Oprah's weight issues are merely one facet of her connection with so many women. I was mainly trying to say that one reason people like her so much and are willing to take her advice (or buy her products) is because she is so open about her own struggles and experiences. Certainly she is successful merely because she has well publicized issues with weight, I think that her success in the face of adversity gives her the strength to discuss her body image in a way that endears her to others, and helps many.

Koluki said...

OK, Yakima. Now I get your point better.