Here it is nearly the end of January and I still haven’t talked about the Oprah article. You know, Oprah’s article in her magazine O: The Oprah Magazine, where the cover showed Oprah alongside her past Oprah self, who had appeared on a previous cover of O: The Oprah Magazine back when that Oprah was a skinnier Oprah? Yes, that Oprah article. And already I’ve gotten the Feburary copy of O: The Oprah Magazine, with another Oprah, meaning the Oprah of the future is now the Oprah of today, so I figured I really ought get around to discussing her whole weight gain thing, right?
Except then I realized I really don’t want to talk about the Oprah article. I mean I stared at the cover photo and at Oprah’s tidy purple sweatsuit of remorse and just felt tired. And you know, I like Oprah. I like her magazine because it has some very good books coverage, and I guess I’m at that age where I’ll read the Suze Orman column and nod yes, yes, and feel almost kind of tingly about having a Roth IRA. But you know what? I think Oprah should stop making her body news. That’s all.
As for me, you’ll noticed I haven’t been saying anything about my Progress or My Journey or This Thing I’m Doing at all, not for the past year, really, and maybe some people who’ve read I’m Not the New Me have been wondering what’s up. I don’t know: nothing. Or rather, the “problem” of being at this totally uninspiring and conventionally unacceptable purple-sweatsuit weight has become less and less of a preoccupation over the past few years as most of the crappy habits and shitty sorrows that used to be lumped in with The Problem have been taken on and managed. My instincts to go to the gym on a regular basis, eat vegetables, and not stifle my tears with fistfuls of cheese are in pretty good working order. Doing these things has not made me thin, and maybe that’s a mystery, but one that seems more trouble than it’s worth to solve right now. These days, The Problem is mostly about how sometimes I wince at photos of myself and don’t much like that number on the scale. And who else has that problem? Oh, everyone everywhere? Okay, then.
I’m not going to pretend I have it all figured out. I can read something on body acceptance and nod wisely and be completely convinced. Then two days later I’ll read about how all I need to do is to just write down everything I eat and track all my calories every day and simply say “no thank you” to slices of cake at parties, and I’ll nod yes, yes to all that, because that, too, seems perfectly reasonable. It all depends. But I don’t see why I should concern you guys with any of that, you know? Because it’s not news. In fact, it’s nothing new at all. But stick around, I’ll be here.
Good for you! I LOVED “I’m Not the New Me” and mostly for the reasons that you detailed above. I KNOW what needs to be done and I do some of it, but if I never get “thin”, so what? If I can be happy with myself, then I’m already in a good place. Which is why it is such a fun read and had me laughing all the way through (the scene with the Venezia jeans was my favorite).
Why anyone cares what Oprah weighs is beyond me. And if she’s willing to sell herself like that to ‘shame’ herself into dieting, I just feel bad for her. I respect the way you’ve discussed your ‘journey’ or ‘thing you’re doing’ without all the pretension. I don’t have any beef with Oprah, but she’s already a talented showman, she doesn’t need to sell herself as a sideshow too (“the incredible shrinking woman! Scrutinize every bite she takes! Comment about her appearance from every angle!”).
Wendy – I have to say I really love what you wrote in this post. Absolutely.
Also – great news regarding your new book!
Victoria
Oh Wendy, you have no idea how timely this is for me. I am at a great place in my life…I haven’t binged or eaten large quantities of chips or cookies to quell some crazy emotional uprising inside me in I don’t know how long. Guess what? Still fat!! I too, know what needs to be done. Good grief though, I just can’t be bothered. I guess I will continue to do what I’m doing and as long as my dogs get their two walks a day I’m not going to feel shitty about myself. Thanks Wendy:)
Beautiful. Congratulations on your new book deal. I love your work.
Yes yes yes to all of it.
I feel sort of schizoid re: The Problem, sometimes sure that I will find the answer in body acceptance and sometimes positive that if I would only be more diligent about traveling the straight and narrow in my food/exercise choices, The Problem would be solved. I have yet to resolve these conflicting thoughts, and so I try and take the middle ground: I love my body and try to appreciate its many capabilities, but at the same time, I am more conscious of how I eat (and what kind of exercise I get) in the hopes of lets, face it, losing some weight.
Anyway, count me among the legions who loved “I’m Not the New Me,” and enjoy hearing stories about That Thing You’re Doing or, well, just about anything you set your mind to.
I meant to blog about the Oprah thing, but never got to it, mostly from the perspective of understanding what it’s like to have a health problem fuck up your life in multiple ways, including weight.
I also hear ya’ on branching out. Last September I opened up my blog to other topics and it’s been good and bad. Good to talk about other stuff besides weight, but bad because it opens up my life to criticism from readers. I’ve basically come to terms with it lately though and feel like I’m in a better place.
I’m looking forward to your Wilder book, particularly because I always knew you were more than your weight.
Wendy, congrats on the book! I have a friend who is an avid LIW researcher . . . if you’d like to talk to her for the book, let me know!
Really nicely put. And why weight in (no pun intended, truly) to the Oprah Weight Jamboree if you don’t feel the need to?
I’m here reading this because I dig your writing, you built an audience not based so much on the body-stuff – lots of people, including Oprah, covering that – but because you’re a heckuva writer. Look forward to the new book, congratulations!
Hello! I just finished “I am not the new me” (as recommended by Jen Lancaster) and I just wanted to say, you are hilarious. I read the whole thing in one day, sitting on the kitchen counter, drinking tea and laughing so hard I almost choked. Thanks for brightening my day! (Oh, hey, you know what doesn’t count as one fruit for the day, and still totally rocks? Rum and diet cranberry lime Sierra Mist.) You rock!
I was certain you would have something to say about the Blagojevich mess yesterday..
The Oprah thing has been on my mind and I haven’t talked about it. But now that you bring it up, I have to admit that I was relieved that she put the weight on even as my heart broke for her. It’s the public acknowledgment that nothing, not money or power or fame, or good skin can keep the weight off. It’s an insidious problem and even years of “mastering” it do not innoculate a person from the tyranny of eating issues. Issues? I don’t even know what to call them any more. Anyway, I’m glad you’re still the old you.
Hey Wendy, it is good to hear that. Seems like most of your readers are diet-site readers but I found you through Shapely Prose (I think) and I’ve always wondered how that pop-culture critical eye meshes with writing a book about weight loss. I for one would much rather read about your weird experiences in parking lots than anything involving calories, so go on with your non-caring self, you’ve got an audience.
Here’s what I think about the Oprah thing (this involves the admission that, yes, I was in fact READING Oprah’s magazine) – she’s focusing on the wrong problem. She is making compulsive eating/food addiction her excuse. Too often those with eating disorders of any kind, of any severity, use their body and weight as the goal to determine whether or not they are in a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ place, or if they are ‘better’ or ‘sick’. I feel like the parents in the old ‘Peanuts’ strips going “wah wah wah”, but that’s what I think.
Which is why I enjoyed your book, and wah wah wah you’ve heard visitors say that before, but I liked that it sort of forgot to keep talking about diet. Which was…sort of the point, wasn’t it. Keep writing, I’m reading. 🙂
OMG I love OPRAH WITH A HUGE PASSION <3<3<3<3<3
For all of those that hate her you are wrong. She does so much for the community and i want to have babies with her. She is so nice. So Fuck off if you think otherwise!! Have a wonderful day…
Oh, we DID have a wonderful day, Maranada, thanks to your exquisite misguidedness and all those little heart things you typed!
May you have all the crazy Oprah babies that you can possibly squeeze out of wherever it is you think babies come from.