Wonder Woman-Oprah Style.
Le Wonder Woman—Oprah Style Oprah Winfrey continues to rise in popularity daily with her award winning television talk show, magazines, production company, and television network. She sets a high standard of success for all minority groups, and women. But what is it about this African-American star that made her so popular with over 14 million television viewers and readers daily? Could it be because she is a real-life example of an ideal woman? That it is possible to be true to yourself, achieve long-lasting love, and maintain one’s dignity in the face of suffering, pain, and loss. It could be her generous contributions to charitable organizations and her sense of social responsibility. Oprah has achieved iconic status as an entertainer who defies all common societal separations; she is the timeless epitome of an ideal role model for people to look up to and follow. Oprah’s transformation from rags to riches and comfortableness to share her life’s stories are key elements in identifying with her audience. Born illegitimately in Mississippi, Oprah experienced some overwhelming struggles before becoming successful. She was raped at the age of nine by a cousin, became pregnant as a teenager, and experimented with cocaine in her twenties (Russell and Dampier 143). She was able to pull herself together from this troubled beginning, became the first black woman to form her own production studio, the first black woman ever to own and produce her own talk show. Even so, with a half billion dollars in assets, she still struggles through life just like any ordinary person. She has problems like maintaining an ideal weight, managing personal relationships, and handling legal quarrels. Although she has the luxuries of a private chef, a personal trainer, a Michigan Avenue apartment, and a vast Indiana farm; she claims to relish most are weekends when she can gobble up three books “and never take off my pj’s” (Russell and Dampier 143). Oprah’s willingness to share all of her experiences, whether they are bad or good for her image, connect her with her audience and instill the image that it is acceptable to struggle through life. She went through it and came out on top; hers is a great example that has inspired millions of viewers. Deborah Tannen, a contributor to Time, reported, “Oprah did not create the talk-show format. But the compassion and intimacy she put into it have created a new way for us to talk to
one another” (Tannen 196). Oprah biggest contribution and most influential source is her talk show. The Oprah Winfrey Show, a talk show that is not so much like a talk show but more of a the-entire-family-can-watch-and-share show, went national in 1986, and quickly became the number one talk show in the nation. Oprah’s performance on the show has garnered some of the most prestigious awards. For example, in 1987, The Oprah Winfrey Show received three Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding host, outstanding talk/service program, and outstanding direction (Pendergast et al. 416). According to communications expert Deborah Tannen, the show’s popularity ...
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one another” (Tannen 196). Oprah biggest contribution and most influential source is her talk show. The Oprah Winfrey Show, a talk show that is not so much like a talk show but more of a the-entire-family-can-watch-and-share show, went national in 1986, and quickly became the number one talk show in the nation. Oprah’s performance on the show has garnered some of the most prestigious awards. For example, in 1987, The Oprah Winfrey Show received three Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding host, outstanding talk/service program, and outstanding direction (Pendergast et al. 416). According to communications expert Deborah Tannen, the show’s popularity resulted from Oprah’s ability to blend public and private in such a way that viewers, especially women, felt as if she were a friend. Rather than producing pointless shows to gain ratings, Oprah revolutionized the television talk show, focusing on self-revealing intimacies that are the basis of female friendship; “She turned the focus from the experts to ordinary people talking about personal issues” (Tannen 196). She divulged her own secrets, making the show more intimate, confessional, and personal. Oprah’s show became a medium, then, not only to inform and entertain but also to empower. Oprah’s ability to empower is not limited just to her show. Oprah can be considered an evangelist for gender freedom and equality. She challenges the typical female image of a house wife, staying at home and taking care of the children. Her various heart-moving performances in movies like The Color Purple, Jubilee and Beloved, help instill the image of an ideal strong-willed woman that overcomes adversity. Oprah stars as Sofia, the woman who beats up her abusive husband and spurns a white woman with terrible consequences. Her role in this film conveys the message that it is important to strive for success and surpass other’s expectations. In Alice Walker’s Jubilee, she played the role of a slave fathered by her master, set in Civil War era—“the Negro Gone with the Wind,” it was called when it first came out in 1966 (Johnson 46). Oprah’s acting ability was graphic and dramatic; she was able to portray the true image of the oppressed of women everywhere and stood as a voice for liberation. Oprah’s success and triumph from her life struggles can be seen as a model for women everywhere to follow. Oprah is not only a role model in terms of empowering women, she is also the epitome of generosity. Even with riches beyond imagination, Oprah is still that wonderful generous woman people look up to in time of need. She is a heroine in the real world. Her numerous contributions to society are a part of the features that made her so popular in the public eye. The Oprah Book Club is one of Oprah’s greatest contributions to society. The books that Oprah chooses often consist of messages about overcoming challenges, and pursuing the things one longs to accomplish. Every book that Oprah selects instantly becomes a best seller (Tannen 196). Nearly 10 million copies of eight serious novels, including Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, have flown out of bookstores on Oprah’s word. Morrison was the first black writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature; without Oprah’s assistance, her book would not receive the necessary amount of attention for success. Through the book club, Oprah exposed society to some of the greatest literature of all time, like The Deep End of the Ocean and The Color Purple. Another contribution of from Oprah’s book club is its educational value. Oprah’s books get the public reading and a reading public is an educated public. She is able to educate the public in literature and expand society’s knowledge while lessening the illiteracy rate. Aside from the book club, Oprah contributes to society through charitable foundations like The Boys and Girls Club and Unicef. When Oprah asked her loyal T.V. audience to donate money for the formation of the world’s biggest piggy bank for disadvantaged students, she raised one million dollars in one day. The fund was collected to provide college tuition, and Oprah matched the million dollars she raised with her own contribution. In 1998, Oprah drastically changed the lives of children in Africa when she journeyed half way around the world to bring gifts to malnourished children. The children called it “Christmas in summer,” she showered them with gifts like shoes, backpacks, school supplies, and toys (CNN News). Oprah’s acts of generosity and her ability to get the public involved demonstrate how influential Oprah can be in the public eye and her commitment to social responsibility. Oprah understands the need for a higher education and fully supports children in need. To further illustrate Oprah’s iconic power one can look at the legal quarrels Oprah has been involved in and understands her amazing power to influence the public. When mad cow disease was raising fears worldwide, Oprah was quoted on her show saying “just stopped me cold from eating another burger!” (Tannen 196). Cattlemen in Texas alleged that the broadcast caused the cattle industry to lose millions of dollars in the beef future market. Oprah went to court and won the law suit. Oprah is more than a talk show host; her iconic status has earned her the ability to affect millions of people’s opinions. Another example is when Oprah complained on her show that Frito Lay did not produce a ridged version of the baked fat free chips. Frito Lay quickly responded by creating an “Oprah-friendly” version of the ridged chips. Oprah obviously is very influential on her show, and her decisions deeply affect the public’s opinions. Oprah has made some of the greatest contributions of all time to society and earned herself iconic status. Her media venues continue to be an influential part of our daily lives. Oprah has accomplished all the things she longed to do and proved that it is possible to have a dream and live up to it. In a recent interview with Larry King, Oprah promised to make her show more “celebratory about life, have more diversity in the show, and more actively involved in the industry” (King). Let’s hope Oprah holds true to this promise and continues in her pursuit to make the world a better place. Works Cited Johnson, Marilyn. “Oprah Winfrey, the Color Purple.” Life Magazine Sept, 1997: 44-47.Marilyn Johnson, a long time contributor to Life magazine and respected writer, reports on Oprah Winfrey and her connection, personal and professional, to literature. Her childhood and the books she read; the effect of books on her life; “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker and its influence on her career. This is not a full autobiography of Oprah’s life and her contribution and why she is an icon of popular culture. It, however, contributes greatly with very specific details regarding Oprah’s childhood which further assist in considering why Oprah has made some of the greatest contributions to society. King, Larry. “Encore Presentation: Interview with Oprah Winfrey.” CNN News 20 Dec, 2003.Larry King, with 45 years of experience in television broadcasting, for the first time, interview one on one with Oprah. The interview was very informative. It gives details into Oprah’s life, coming straight from Oprah. Her views on different aspect on society and the goals she hopes to accomplish from her show. The interview points out some of Oprah’s strongest ability, and talks about her abnormal childhood; what she has done since then to overcome her horrible past. The interview gives a peek into Oprah’s life and proved most informative with comments from Oprah as a strong support. Pendergast, Tom. “People in the News.” Encyclopedia of Popular Culture 2000 : 416-417.Tom Pendergast, a contributor/author of the Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, a long with his colleagues, reports on Oprah’s life, her great success, what she has gained and contributed to society. The article was great but it only gives details on her awards and what she has done to obtain them rather than focusing on why she did those things and what impact do they have on society. Further more, with only two pages, the article did not do a very good job of even summarizing all the good deeds of Oprah leaving out some of the important information that I had to look for in other articles. Russell, Lisa, Dampier, Cindy. “Oprah Winfrey.” People Magazine Mar, 1999 : 65-68.Lisa Russell and Cindy Dampier, both great writers/contributors to People magazine, in their article “Oprah Winfrey,” did a wonderful job of profiling television talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The influential nature of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and devotions shown by fans of the television program demonstrate Oprah’s appealing iconic status. They gave great examples of motion pictures Winfrey has appeared in such as “The Color Purple” and plans Oprah has for the future including works on Oxygen Media, a cable television channel which is devoted to women’s issues. All in all, the article proves most useful compare to all the other sources. It was short and informative rather than focusing on irrelevant information. It shows Oprah’s influential power and what she did with it to improve society. Tannen, Deborah. “Oprah Winfrey.” Time Magazine 8 June, 1998: 196-198.Deborah Tanne, a respected writer for Time Magazine, reports on Oprah Winfrey as one of the top 100 most influential people of the century. In her article, Deborah gave a mini bibliography of Oprah and a synopsis of her life contributions with much more details on why she did it and the impact it has one society, more specifically Oprah’s contributions to charity and children fund. Deborah’s article appeals to people of all ages; it showcases the great iconic features of Oprah and her generosity. There was not much flaw in this article except for Deborah’s decision not to include Oprah’s performances in The Color Purple and her book club. Those are two important contributions that Oprah has made that impacted society’s view on literature.
