As the Oprah Winfrey Show ends after 25 years we should celebrate this dynamic woman, a symbol of survival and success
Oprah Winfrey shattered every barrier put in front of her. Every single one.
All of her remarkable feats are a little hard to remember. After all, many of us under the age of 30 don't have a clear memory of a time when there wasn't Oprah. She's been an icon for the last 25 years, a shining beacon of calm beaming out from household televisions all over America in early afternoons. This feat is even more remarkable when one considers her upbringing ? a poor, sexually abused black girl growing up in the newly desegregated south, without many hopes for a grand or illustrious future. Yet, somehow, Oprah managed to become part of the fabric of American life. But what legacy does Oprah leave in her wake, departing in just five days from her eponymous talkshow? Is she the personification of the American Dream, or a savvy marketer, turning pop-psychology and insecurity into an industry?
Oprah has been a lot of "firsts". She is most known for being one of two African-American billionaires ever identified by the Forbes billionaire list ? and one of a handful of black billionaires worldwide. The road for black billionaires is tough: both Oprah and Bob Johnson (the founder of Black Entertainment Television) bounced up and down the rankings for a few years as their fortunes rose and fell. Oprah is currently the only African-American to grace the list.
But people don't connect with Oprah's money. In fact, in some ways, she seems almost embarrassed about her wealth, often proclaiming she is "not a business woman". Instead, she has relied on her tremendous power of empathy to allow people to connect with her. Brutally honest about almost all of her life, Oprah ushered in what some would call a "confession culture". While pop culture critics believe Oprah is indirectly responsible for the wave of tell-alls, memoirs and reality shows about increasingly banal subjects, it is easy to forget that back when Oprah opened the way, most of these issues were shrouded in secrecy. She openly discussed being sexually abused, her poverty, failed personal relationships and battles with her self-esteem. Before her, these topics were heavily stigmatised ? in many ways, they still are. But Oprah became a symbol of survival and success ? that you could tell the truth about your life, that you could be yourself, and still be successful.
That doesn't mean Oprah lives without criticism. She receives much attention about where she places her considerable influence. Oprah's "favourite things" show is a marketer's dream, placing products before a willing audience of millions ... and it comes with a printable shopping list. In 2007, she backed The Secret, which emphasised the power of positive thinking to "attract" good things into your life. It has been embraced by those needing a lift in life, but also widely denounced as "cultish" hogwash that ignores the real issues behind problems. In addition, Oprah is known for appealing to people by avoiding hard, unpleasant or complicated stories, focusing on personal conflicts as opposed to messier global or structural issues. With clear, person-focused solutions, or clear narratives of good and evil, Oprah appears to be out of her depth.
However, Oprah doesn't quite get her due when she does, occasionally, veer into controversial territory. In the post-September 11 fervour, she bucked the national trend toward war and retribution, instead running thoughtful shows on Islam. To help combat xenophobia in the wake of global terrorism, she invited Queen Rania on the show to discuss her faith. And, most tellingly, Oprah ran a series of shows questioning the validity of war as a solution to global problems.
Staunchly in favour of peace, Oprah found herself going toe-to-toe with George W Bush and Colin Powell, who were making a case for war. Oprah, in a cordial offensive, aired clips of people in other nations asking that the US give peace a chance. Despite Oprah's unwavering commitment to the education of girls across the globe, she declined an offer to join Condoleezza Rice's public relations visit to Afghanistan. The official reason was that the show kept her too busy ? but we all know that Oprah does what she wants, when she wants. The damning snub was a way of expressing her disapproval at trying to use the hallowed "Oprah effect" in the service of war.
Perhaps Oprah is best remembered for what she symbolises, as well as who she is. She represents a modified American dream ? from abject poverty in Mississippi to a glamorous international citizen. A woman who bets on herself again and again ? and seemingly always find the odds in her favour. A dynamic woman in her 50s, still on top of her game. And a truly, thoroughly, American icon.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/may/20/oprah-winfrey-show-end
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