Kirstie Alley bares it all on Oprah

I've been commenting all morning on this "happening"  (first on Vancouver's Breakfast Television and then on Vancouver's CFUN Radio with Nik and Val (actually it was Val and Valerie this morning... what whatev!)  but I'm still not done ranting and raving yet.

So didjall catch Oprah yesterday?  And if so... what we're your opinions?  Cause I gotta say that in my opinion it was a most distressing episode.

FIRST, they showed all these clips of Kirstie from a year ago saying "I hate being fat"   "I don't want to have fat sex" and all these really horrible, disparaging comments about fat people.  I mean, where was the love and body acceptance etc?  She was just spewing self-hatred and dragging the audience along with her.

THEN, there was all this hoopla about her in her bikini... and she came out with all these moves and lighting and music that alluded to strippers and porn.  And oh, how the audience applauded!  Now  before I go further, let me make something clear:  I absolutely agree that obesity is an alarming problem in north America and congratulate Kirstie Alley for realizing the seriousness of the health issue she’s been battling, I think her decision to do a bikini appearance—and Oprah’s decision to be a vehicle for it—raises several concerns.

First, the appearance contributes to the “normalization” of the idea that being thin is important, desirable, and something really worth going after.  It underscores the connection between thinness and today’s beauty ideals and ultimately suggests to Oprah’s (largely female) audience that it’s a requisite for being considered attractive.

Second, the hype about Kirstie’s weight loss edges out the possibility of other women—women of important accomplishments--being on Oprah.  It sends the message that dramatic weight loss is newsworthy and worth celebrating.

Ultimately, I feel that by dedicating an episode to this "bikini reveal" just reiterates that women who look good end up being talked about, celebrated etc, while women who do good continue to receive less buzz, less hype, less press, less notice. I mean, hey, O... all that air time could have been spent on highlighting women who are actually out there changing the world or doing something more important that worrying about conforming to a look... while hypocritically going on about how we ARE good enough exactly as we are.

(Really Kristie?  Cause you didn't seem too happy with yourself... and I'm not sure you are now either).

Post some comments, s'il vous plait, cause I am MOST interested to hear how all of this is sitting with you...

Comments

[Danae Mesa]

i respect what you are doing and your opinions. i think to say oprah should expose more people who are doing good to the world is a good thing, but don't forget that she has done this. there is a time and place for everything. but no doubt, the stipping/porn crap is indeed crap. and it doesnt have to go that far, but tell the world that, eh? anyway, im glad kirsty alley is bold. no one is going to present anything perfectly.. so oprah does good things, and so do you, and so do i. i just want to discourage bashing, which is easy for all of us to do.

respectfully.

[Sunnyday]

I think the Kirstie Alley feature which had her wearing a bikini does more bad than good because again, you have all this emphasis on the body instead of reminding us all that there is much much more to every person than just the body. And body exposure is everywhere, thinness as the standard of beauty is everywhere. If it were something like what Jamie Lee Curtis did in More magazine, I'd see the merits. The intention of exposing more of your body to the public is crucial, I believe.

I think what would have been a great feature is one that had Kirstie parading in clothing that brought out her beauty as someone who has trimmed down and is healthier -- clothes that flattered her new figure and thereby made her look more dignified (and stylish, too).

I'm glad you blogged about this, Audrey. Thanks =)

[miranda]

I could not agree more with what Audrey's blog said about the Oprah show. I am so sick of the media valuing a women by how she looks. Every time I turn the T.V on there is another movie, show, or commercial portraying women as merely sex symbols. It is so degrading! Women and girls should be valued for who they are on the inside, not what they look like on the outside. The Oprah show just reaffirmed the idea that inorder to be happy and noticed as a women, you need to look a certain way. Oprah has done many great things for women, and usually a wonderful role model, but I wish she would do more to take a stand against how women are portrayed in the media!

[Shanel]

Oh, please, this is rediculous. I agree that women are seen as sex symbols in a lot of the media, but this Oprah show has nothing to so with that. I don't believe that hardly any person really enjoys being overweight, not because of the sex appeal, but just because it's unhealthy. Being overweight is a serious health problem. Kristie Ally made a difference in her life and she should be congradualted for it, losing a large amount of weight is a difficult thing to do. Oprah has many episodes that bring up the topic about what people are doing around the world, and this is a television program, she can only do that so many times until people get bored with it. I think Kristie Ally had every right to strut her stuff, she made a huge accomplishment and is a role model for every women who didn't think they could lose weight. Being thin isn't just to look good, but to also feel good while being healthy, just exercising more and eating helathy can make a huge difference on how you feel mentally and emotionally.

[Ashley]

Honestly, i think this was a good episode because I think that every woman should feel comfortable in their body and that everyone should take health into concern.
I mean, women should be more considerate about their health, and excercise and eat more INSTEAD of get all that lipo and surgical crap. I give props to Kirstie Alley because she DOES look AND feel better about herself, and she even did this public. She lost so much weight, and even though her weight doesn't seem believable, she still had the courage to go out there in a bikini and show women that if they really try hard enough, they can lose weight, without having surgery.
Kirstie Alley is one of my fav actresses, and as i may be only 15 years old, I know what Kirstie Alley has gone through before her dramatic weight loss, believe me.
Kids used to make fun of me because they thought I was too skinny, and it hurt, I know. So imagine what Kirstie went through, with all those paparazzi's trying to get embarrassing footage and gossip on her. I think that she looks FANTASTIC and that she was absolutely beautiful in that bikini of hers. Any of you who disagree are just hatin on her. She has inspired so many women now, and i think that the oprah audience that day were all bitches because I think Kirtie was AMAZING in that bikini, and so many people would do anythin to be her size, and that she HAS lost so much weight compared to what she used to be. We should all be happy for her now that she feels more comfortable in her body and has gained more confidence in herself. =)
SO DONT BE HATIN ALRIGHT??