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Your achievements mean nothing if you're fat. Huh?

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Oprah Winfrey has had a long and public struggle with her weight. And although she is the epitome of philanthropy, inspiration and healthy mind and body living, her recent Weight Watchers ad sends out mixed messages. Are they suggesting that we can't achieve all that we want to unless we first lose weight?

According to Upworthy, Oprah Winfrey asks women to join her on a very personal weight loss journey. She also encourages viewers that beneath all that excess weight lies the very person we know we can be.

This statement seems a bit ironic, doesn’t it? Oprah Winfrey is a beautiful full-figured woman, but so much more than that. She is the woman millions aspire to be.   

MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry’s reaction mirrors exactly this. In her open letter addressed to Oprah, Melissa says that even if Oprah never shed a pound, she is still a ‘genuine, singular, unprecedented and flawless boss.’ Melissa goes on to empathise with Oprah’s own painful journey with weight under the public microscope as she too has experienced fluctuating weight.

In the ad, Oprah also suggests that there is not one thing that you have done that would not have been more extraordinary if you’d done it with a 25-inch waist.

Wait, what?

Is the woman who was once the most influential person on earth saying that it would have meant more with a tiny waist? Seems a little ridiculous doesn’t it? It is madness that despite her amazing success in life, Oprah still thinks she's not good enough because she isn't thin. It's also very sad.  

Who makes a greater point? Oprah or Melissa? Is your weight effecting your life? We'd love to hear your thoughts.  Email us     

 

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