Oprah Winfrey Regrets Influencing Diet Culture, Vows To “Do Better”
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Oprah Winfrey has long been a champion of weight loss and has recently backed fat-shedding supplements. Now, the coveted media mogul has apologized for years of influencing diet culture in WeightWatchers‘ “Making The Shift: A New Way to Think About Weight” livestream on Thursday (May 9).
In the special conversation, Winfrey opened up about the damage diet culture has done for some and how her own dieting influence may have contributed to that over the years.
“I want to acknowledge that I have been a steadfast participant in this diet culture through my platforms, through the magazine, through the talk show for 25 years,” she began. “I’ve been a major contributor to it. I cannot tell you how many weight loss shows and makeovers I have done and they have been a staple since I’ve been working in television.”
The OWN founder then mentioned a 1988 episode of her self-titled, cult-classic daytime talk show, in which she brought out a wagon of fat before the audience. Today, she calls that moment “one of my biggest regrets.”
“It sent a message that starving yourself with a liquid diet and set a standard for people watching that I, nor anybody else, could uphold,” she reflected. “The very next day, I began to gain the weight back. Maya Angelou always said, ‘When you know better, you do better,’ so these conversations for me are an effort to do better.”
The 70-year-old icon asserted, “I own what I’ve done, and now I want to do better.”
Winfrey served as a stakeholder and spokesperson for WeightWatchers for many years before denouncing her position as director earlier this year.
In April, she spoke of her “transition” from the company. “I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” she stated.
Instead of sitting on the board, Winfrey now looks forward to participating in forums and panels to “advance” the conversations around weight loss. “Weight health is a critically important topic and one that needs to be addressed at a broader scale,” she continued. “I plan to participate in several public forums and events where I will be a vocal advocate in advancing this conversation.”
Take a look at Oprah Winfrey speaking about her contributions to diet culture above.
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