Is Oprah a Hypocrite?

Oprah, who recently apologized for weighing in at 200 lbs, has been labeled a hypocrite by some. Oprah sells dieting and health books by the millions, but at the same time she admits to failing at her own dieting strategies.

So I ask you, is Oprah a hypocrite?

She is quoted to say,
"I definitely wasn't setting an example," she writes. "I was talking the talk, but I wasn't walking the walk. And that was very disappointing to me."

I say no. Oprah is not a hypocrite.  My reasoning is this. If I labeled Oprah a hypocrite,  I would also have to give this label to each of my favorite high school and college teachers/professors. Everday,  teachers teach their students lessons, facts, theories and methods-crucial to succeeding in a particular field of study. These lessons allow students to become famous writers, scientists and artists. But most of my amazing teachers had not actually attained the heights that they hoped their students would climb to professionally.  They didn't necessarily reach the goals they set for those their students. Like my favorite English teacher wasn't a best selling author. My favorite music teacher didn't have a Grammy winning CD. And the most amazing Chemistry professor I ever had was not a high profile chemist or surgeon. (True, there were exceptions to this reasoning, of course.)

To me, Oprah is a teacher. She has an inner thirst for knowledge and thus comes intelligence. She knows a lot, and shares her insights, theories and experiences with others. However, I do not expect her to be perfect in practicing her conclusions about life perfectly.

True, when someone writes a how-to book. How-to lose weight, how-to save money, how-to build relationships. You expect them to be the authority on the topic and in turn practice what they preach. But that's not real life. That would be the same as saying that every single doctor is in perfect health.

I don't know about you, but I know a lot of doctors who are overweight, smoke, and even some who do not exercise.

I don't think that we should scold Oprah for having imperfections. In fact, I do not think Oprah should have to apologize for her weight at all. She has flaws-like everyone. I actually find it very sad that a woman with so much power, character, charisma and influence finds it necessary to apologize for her weight. And to say that she is embarrassed? And then to say she doesn't want to be 'thin, just fit'? It all feels unnecessary to me. Everyone, men and women, want to be the picture of health and fitness. But sometimes life gets in the way of that.

Instead of feeling embarrassed, I wish Oprah would just say,

I'm doing the best I can, and that's what counts to me.

Do you think Oprah is a hypocrite for selling dieting books and then not practicing what she preaches?

Read People's Oprah Winfrey Weight article here.