Another Oprah Weight Pitch? No Thanks, I'm Done

Cassie St.Onge is a longtime fan of Oprah Winfrey, and, like Oprah, she's struggled with her weight for years. But the TV writer and producer had a revelation of sorts while hearing Oprah talk about her latest attempt to keep off extra pounds via her investment in Weight Watchers. "I have put on my sneakers and jogged down this road with Oprah before," she writes at Vox. But no more. After all, if Oprah of all people can't keep off the pounds that society says she's supposed to keep off, what chance do more ordinary folk have? And might that not suggest something is seriously skewed about our ideas on the subject?

"My epiphany was this: Oprah is one of the most accomplished, admired, able people in the world," writes St.Onge. "So if Oprah can't do permanent lifelong weight loss, maybe it can't be done. Oprah is also crazy rich. If Oprah can't buy permanent lifelong weight loss, maybe it can't be bought." On the one hand, "that sucks," but on the other, it's "incredibly freeing," writes St.Onge, who can tick off a lifetime of slights and insults from even well-meaning people about her appearance. So good luck Oprah, but this time you're on your own. "After trying to change so, so, so many times, I'm starting to realize it ain't me who needs to be different." Click for the full column. (More Oprah Winfrey stories.)