Editor’s note: kelly carter jackson Michael and Dennis Kellen are Associate Professors ’68 in the Department of African Studies at Wellesley College. She is the author of “.We Refuse: A Powerful History of Black Resistance” and co-host of the podcast “This day in arcane political history” and “Get the podcast!The views expressed here are hers.read more opinions On CNN.
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This week, Oprah Winfrey announced she would step down from the Weight Watchers (WW) brand’s board and sell a 10% stake in the company. Many of you may remember when Oprah began her partnership with WW nearly a decade ago. At the time, the company was struggling to generate new profits, and Oprah’s Midas touch lifted the company and its stock price to new levels.
Oprah’s famous “I. Love. Bread” commercial? It has a catchphrase such as “Eat bread.” Lose weight. eh? ” She also fed me bread. I recall that early in her partnership with Oprah, she joined WW shortly after her second child was born. For decades, America has followed Oprah in every major weight loss trend, and this was no exception.
During the heyday of Oprah’s daytime talk show, viewers tuned in five days a week to learn “how to live your best life.” Oprah describes various ways to achieve her health, and for better or worse, the theme of weight loss has dominated her 25 years of activism. In 1988, she infamously loaded up her red wagon with 67 pounds of animal fat to account for the weight she lost on a 30-day liquid-only diet. She later deeply regretted the stunt, saying, “It was a big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big mistake!”
In 1994, Oprah ran her first marathon to celebrate her 40th birthday. Her time at the Marine Corps Marathon was 4 hours, 29 minutes, and 15 seconds, which set a benchmark for celebrities who wanted to surpass Oprah to break. She appeared on the cover of Runner’s World wearing a matching coral-colored spandex sports bra and running shorts with the headline, “Oprah did it, so can you.” In 2008, Oprah sparked a vegan boom when she and the entire staff at her production company, Harpo Studios, chose to eat vegan for a short period of time.
Throughout Oprah’s professional life, her struggle with weight gain and loss has been symbolic. But even though Oprah turned 70 this year, the public still doesn’t pay attention to her body and health journey. During the red carpet event for the premiere of ‘The Color Purple’, the internet once again took notice of Oprah’s slim waistline and her slender figure. Questions arose about Oprah taking medical weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wigovy. Known for her transparency, she revealed that she is actually taking weight loss drugs. Perhaps she hoped that her own choice would remove the stigma posed by her medical intervention.
WW has also strategically launched plans to give members access to weight loss medications and telehealth services that provide patients with virtual prescriptions when needed. Oprah’s departure from WW comes at an interesting moment in our weight-obsessed culture.
What if our aspiration to “live our best life” no longer requires 30-day liquid diets, marathons, and veganism? Many will certainly see this as a progressive change, but I I’m not sure Oprah leaving WW is a mission accomplished moment. The solution to weight loss seems to be to “take a shot” or “take a pill.” In many ways, I feel like this culture is more focused on understanding what it actually means to be “fat.” Scientists still don’t have a definitive answer to what makes people fat. It’s not just about what you eat or how much you eat. Most Americans believe that fat and obese people are always unhealthy, but that’s not true. Also, the general public is fooled into thinking that people who are thin cannot somehow get sick. These thoughts are harmful to everyone.
Oprah’s resignation will leave many people with no yardstick or standard for what is and will be when it comes to their weight and health. Hollywood has taken its obsession with thinness to a new level. But now that social media influencers can shake up the culture by making medical weight loss efforts visible to everyone, celebrity voices are hardly needed anymore. The dopamine released by shedding a few more pounds is drowning out all the canaries in the coal mine about the potentially harmful side effects of Ozempic and other similar drugs.
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Oprah’s departure will also have special meaning for the black community. As a result of her announcement, the value of WW stock fell by 25%. Oprah will donate her stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, she said. It may seem like a large donation to a museum, but the stock is worth as much as the company that just took a big hit. For the museum to benefit, the company needs to continue to do well. One might also wonder what it means for one of the nation’s leading black history museums to be financially tied to a weight loss company.
After all, Oprah can do whatever she wants with her money, time, and talent. It is her prerogative to resign. But perhaps it’s time for our culture to let go of its obsession with Oprah’s body. And with that, it may be time to let go of fat stigma and our obsession with seemingly quick solutions to much larger problems.