In October 2015, Oprah Winfrey purchased a 10% stake in Weight Watchers. She is now a Weight Watchers member, as well as a spokesperson. In time for the 2016 new year, Weight Watchers launched a series of commercials featuring Oprah. One commercial in particular is gaining a lot of attention because of a statement Oprah made about overweight women.
“Inside every overweight woman is a woman she knows she can be. Many times you look in the mirror and you don’t even recognize your own self because you got lost, buried, in the weight that you carry. Nothing you’ve ever been through is wasted, so every time I tried and failed, every time I tried again, and every time I tried again, has brought me to this most powerful moment to say, If not now, when?”
MSNBC television host Melissa Harris-Perry took issue with this part of Oprah’s statement: “Inside every overweight woman is a woman she knows she can be.” Oprah is much more than her weight, her weight doesn’t define who she is and certainly hasn’t stopped her from accomplishing so much. Watch Melissa Harris-Perry’s open letter to Oprah below. Very thoughtful.
