Oprah Changes Lives

Oprah changes lives is something my mom and I say a lot in jest when we're talking about her or her show, but anyone who's watched Oprah with any regularity over the past 20 years knows that she straight up does change lives.

It's the reason why whenever you see Oprah talking to women on the street at least 50% of the time the women break out crying before they can say anything.

There's an article today in the NYTimes about the unstoppable popularity of Oprah in Saudi Arabia where the show has been broadcast since 2004. The weird thing is, only shows on homosexuality are censored. Why weird? Because most women in Saudi Arabia can't drive, can't show any part of their body including their face, and in many cases can't leave their homes. If you want to prop up that kind of strict patriarchal system maybe you shouldn't show Oprah twice a day.

In a country where women are forbidden to vote, or to travel without the permission of a male guardian, a sense of powerlessness can lead women to look for unlikely sources of rescue, Ms. Muhammad explained. “If women here have problems with their fathers or their brothers, what can they do but look to Oprah?” she asked. “The idea that she will come and help them is a dream for them.”

Nayla, the homemaker in Dammam, a Persian Gulf port city, says Ms. Winfrey helps her cope with a society that does not encourage her to have interests. “The life of a woman here in Saudi — it makes you tired and it makes you boring,” she said, sighing.

Like many Saudi women, Nayla struggles with obesity, a major issue in the kingdom because many women are largely confined to their homes and local custom often prevents them from participating in sports or even walking around their neighborhoods.

She says that Ms. Winfrey has inspired her to lose weight and to pursue her education through an online degree course, a method acceptable to her husband since she will not have to leave home.

God Bless you Oprah!