Being fair, making a good point

[trinityvixen]

Warning: feminist approach to the news ahead!

I've been meaning to mention this story about Oprah since I got my Newsweek on Monday. It's a great read, and a scary one, about the particular problem of fame that Oprah faces and, alas, more often than not, abuses. When one has a bully pulpit like a talk show in addition to having billions of dollars, and one also has a talent for ingratiating oneself with the common person (to be frank: the common woman) despite those other things, then one has a lot of power. That power buys influence. It sets opinion. (Look at the rise and fall of James Frey, for just one example.) Oprah's a kingmaker, but she's also a queen. Because she actually has power, her picks for health and safety and beauty royalty are unassailable. This is a dangerous, dangerous sort of situation. (Really, do read that article. It is quite chilling.)

BUT? Putting a cover on this story that makes her look like a deranged bag lady is, to say the least, inflammatory in the extreme.


I have no problem with the magazine attacking Oprah's support of quackery (nor its probing of her self-serving guests who conveniently "forget" to mention while on camera the problems with the treatments they advocate). But this picture adds nothing to the discussion. Indeed, it prejudges Oprah's physical appearance in a way that not even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got on the same magazine a week or two before, and I think we can agree that even Oprah's subversion of science isn't nearly as bad as the things that guy prattles on about.

And this is a problem. When I complain about sexism in reporting, that's what I mean. For no reason at all, we have to assist a credibly reported story about why a particular woman with power is using it irresponsibly by visually showing her to be a loony tunes. (Some of the pictures inside the magazine aren't any better.) This is Us Weekly crap. This isn't news. So knock that shit off already, Newsweek.

Comments

[saturn-shumba.livejournal.com]

What really bothered me about the whole Susan Boyle thing is how it holds up next to that cell phone salesman that could sing opera. He wasn't exactly Mr. Fucking Darcy and yet there were no comments about his looks in regards to his singing ability.

And the pressure on him was way less. He won and got to record some opera albums. Susan (barely) lost and fucking goes to a hospital for exhaustion because of all the pressure and obsession about her looks and her voice and whether or not she should get a makeover and blahblah die.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I hadn't followed the story beyond the initial event, so I hadn't heard. That's ridiculous and awful and yeah, now I'm all grrrr-y.