Watching Oprah from the U.S.

In Jeff Jacoby's Boston Globe editorial Watching Oprah from behind the veil (commenting on a NY Times piece Saudi Women Find an Unlikely Role Model - Oprah) he writes,

[Oprah] is famous for her message of confidence, self-improvement, and spiritual uplift. They [the marginalized women of the Arabian peninsula] are denied the right to make the simplest decisions, treated by law like children who cannot be trusted with authority over their own well-being...

...And so they avidly analyze Oprah's clothes and hairstyles, and circulate "dog-eared copies" of her magazine, O, and write letters telling her of their dreams and disappointments. Many undoubtedly dream of doing what she did - freeing themselves from the shackling circumstances into which they were born and rising as high as their talents can take them.

Mr. Jacoby is writing about women in the Middle East, but couldn't he be writing about women in the U.S.

It's true that I can get a job, make a decision, show my face, but am I confident, empowered?

Some days.

I own (and will continue to own) my fair share of dog-eared O magazines.  I've even entered a contest hoping to spend a few days with Oprah and her staffers.  Remember this postcard for the Miraval Spa Vacation? 

   
Here's my bottom-line:

1.  Women in the Middle East, who are marginalized, admire Oprah.
2.  If Western women admire Oprah, does this mean we feel marginalized?
3.  If this is true, why, when comparatively we have so much?
4.  More importantly, what do we do about it?

What do you think?

Is it possible that women in the Western world respond to Oprah for the same reasons that women in the Middle East do?

And if we really do get depressed, and sometimes desperate despite being placated and pampered, how can daring to dream make a difference?

P.S.   For another perspective on Jeff Jacoby's article, take a look at Barbara Torris' post Commentary on Boston Globe article on Oprah. 

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Comments

[b]

When my son was working in Saudi Arabia his wife would tell of going through customs as they returned to the country. Women would dawn their abiyas and veils on the plane. Then they would proceed to transform into entirely different women. The thing she always remarked on was how mean they were to each other.

b

[EHD]

I like Oprah, but I confess that her magazine makes me nervous. Sometimes the message is so focused on "me" that it drowns out decisions based both on principle and morality. To be a fully realized being requires a balance between serving others and filling one's own vessel. Sometimes Oprah's magazine errs in favor of the latter. The justification for any decision often seems to be whether or not it brings short-term satisfaction, regardless of long-term ramifications or ultimate happiness. (I confess that I deeply distrust "life coach" Martha Beck, which increases my skepticism towards the entire magazine.)

Jeff Jacoby is one of the few bright spots at the Globe. I discontinued my subscription last spring, because the quality of the paper had declined precipitously and because I was so weary of (a) inaccurate portrayals of Mormons and (b) the overwhelmingly liberal slant of the paper on social issues. I was tired of supporting something so antithetical to my belief system, so I decided I wouldn't any longer!

[Janna]

Oprah embodies the paradox of what it takes to be a successful woman - she is assertive and compassionate. She stands as an individual and connects to others. She speaks and she listens. Like Whitney, she moves forward but brings along anyone else who wishes to join her on the journey.

And that's the key - bringing others along. I think this is the quality that resonates with most women.