In the United States of America right now, there is a culture reckoning going on. Movements like #MeToo and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 are fueling this. People are now paying more attention to Oprah Winfrey because she asked the Olsen twins directly about their “size” during an interview in 2004. At the time, the twins, who were 17 years old at the time, were being accused of having an eating problem.
Since the film was found again on the internet, it caused a lot of controversy, and Oprah has had to defend herself against claims that she is insensitive. This is when the interview took place, and both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were reportedly having trouble with an eating disorder. This conversation shed light on the problems that child stars have to deal with.
Oprah, who was 50 years old at the time, talked straight about the eating disorder claims during the interview and then asked about the girls’ weights, which caught them off guard. Ashley tried to take the focus off of herself by saying that being famous meant that people could write whatever they wanted, whether it was good or bad. Even so, Oprah began to talk over them by asking, “What size are you, by the way?”
When asked about the surprise question, Mary-Kate said she had always been “petite.” The girls looked shocked by the unexpected question. That was meant to be funny, but Oprah said it anyway: “Oh, that’s so interesting!” The talk show host has been open and honest about her own struggles with weight. To help her get her weight under control, she has even become a spokesman for Weight Watchers.
Right after the question that made her feel uncomfortable, Oprah tried to calm down by making fun of her obsession with size and saying, “I’m obsessed with size, and you’re like, ‘I really don’t know!'” In answer to another question, Mary-Kate said, “If we were obsessed with our size, it would be, I don’t know, a different story.”
Right after the interview, Mary-Kate almost immediately checked herself into a therapy centre to get help for her anorexia. She spent a total of six weeks in the prison before being let out in July 2004.
Many people are upset about the revived interview, which has led to criticism of Oprah’s form of questioning:
“Wow. ” Has anyone ever said bad things about Oprah for this? Why does it seem so wrong?
“While I understand that we live in different times, I still can’t believe they thought it was okay! Because they are still young?
Since the event, there has been talk about whether or not interview questions are acceptable, especially when they involve sensitive topics like mental health and body image.