Oprah Winfrey: What Makes Her Special?
Oprah Winfrey- Humble beginnings paved the way
Did you know that Oprah was originally named ‘Orpah’ but was later called Oprah because her family and friends found it too hard to pronounce? On a serious note, Winfrey was born in extremely poor circumstances, to an unmarried teenage mother in rural Mississippi. Reportedly, Winfrey often wore dresses made out of potato sacks and got her very own first pair of shoes when she was 6. On the flipside, she learned to read at 2 ½ years of age. You know what I find really amusing? In kindergarten, Oprah wrote a letter to her teacher– insisting she should be in 1st grade. This was done and after 1st grade she was skipped to 3rd! Abused and molested by a cousin when she was nine, hit by her grandmother, watching relative die from drug and AIDS related causes– Oprah had gone through a tough upbringing. Can you even imagine what it’d be like to go through all that? I think this has laid the stone to a strong character. She has fought back with a vengeance and taken the world by a storm.
Oprah Winfrey- Making her life an open book to the public
Not everyone’s cup of tea, definitely not mine, Oprah has held no qualms in putting her life out in the public. She publicly announced that she was molested by her cousin, hit by her grandmother, her struggle with weight loss, and many more intimate personal details. Right from talking about her turbulent love life to crying with her guests on National TV – confessing in public has made this cheerful woman the nation’s therapy. The therapy of love and care! What is more important is that the nation has accepted her with open arms. Celebrities, models, workers and the common man– all have shed a tear or two on their couches while watching the Oprah Winfrey show. Did you know that the Wall Street Journal has a term for this– ‘Oprahfication’, which means public confession as a form of therapy. Personally, I think Oprah has become a family member for millions of people across America, and the world.
Oprah Winfrey has been a solid role model for women across the globe. We all love her for the bold stance she has taken in addressing our rights and individuality, don’t we? I sometimes wonder– is it the talk show? Is it her bubbly personality? Is it the great humanitarian inside her? Or is it how she has risen from ordinary means to being one of the most powerful personalities on the planet? I think it is just– Oprah Winfrey, the legend.
