Oprah Winfrey spoke out against fat shaming in a recent show on ABC named, “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution.”
Winfrey shared her experience of being ridiculed for her overweight years, saying, “For 25 years, making fun of my weight was a national sport.” She recalled being called “bumpy, lumpy, and downright dumpy” on the cover of TV Guide in 1990.
How did Oprah describe the impact of weight loss medication?
Her aim throughout the segment was to end the stigma around weight loss and medication. “I come to this conversation with the hope that we can start releasing the stigma, the shame, and the judgment, to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they choose to lose—or not lose—weight, and, most importantly, to stop shaming ourselves,” said the star.
Winfrey had earlier in December admitted to taking weight loss medication, empathizing with guests who shared their journey and why they turned to prescription medications like Ozempic, Mysimba, Victoza, and Wegovy.
“For people who feel happy and healthy about celebrating life in a bigger body and don’t want the medications, I say, ‘Bless you.’ And for all the people who believe diet and exercise are the best and only way to lose excess weight, bless you too if that works for you.”
She also spoke about how using weight loss medication helped her find relief, sharing her experience as to how it helped her stop obsessing about food and feeling full. “All these years, I thought all of the people who never had to diet were just using their willpower, and they were for some reason stronger than me… It’s not that you had the willpower; you weren’t obsessing about it!”
Throughout the hourlong segment, Winfrey emphasized that obesity is “a disease, not a character flaw.” Alongside calling out celebrities for being unethical, “Many celebrities look good naturally, but many also have work to do. And when they’re not honest about it, I think they’re being unethical because they’re in the spotlight.”
