Although there was a lot of fun stuff that happened on the show today, what made the most indelible mark was Oprah discussing her favorite hotel (The Bel Air in Beverly Hills). She's been going there for 20 years and says they treat her like family when she stays there. Of course they do. She's Oprah. First of all, I doubt I'll ever be able to book a room thru my travel agent, Priceline.com. Second of all, I bet they'd treat me like family if I stayed at the hotel and was...oh, I don't know...OPRAH. Oy! I decided to check out the cost of staying at the Bel Air. Prices ranged from $395 (low end guest room) to $4000 (specialty suite). Luckily, she didn't state that everyone should experience a weekend at the luxury hotel or I'd have to start selling plasma ASAP.
It was so odd to jump from a story about decorating on a budget to Nate Berkus' and Oprah's favorite luxury hotels that are completely out of range for the average Jane. It actually irritated me and I had been having such a lovely time watching the show up until that point.
It was on this episode that Oprah revealed her terrible 21-year secret...her shoes make her feet hurt! She's gone to the emergency room as a result of suffering for style. I literally felt feminism and women's empowerment being sucked out of Harpo Studios into a the Style-Over-Comfort Vortex (joining the residual effect of Chinese foot binding which ended in the early 20th century). I mean, sure, we have all worn painful shoes before, but EVERY SINGLE DAY? She admitted until today, when she experimented with Cole Haan Nike Air boots, she's never been able to walk down the one flight of stairs from her office to the studio. Wait wait wait! Oprah, you're a role model for us gals, say it ain't so!
I am pretty bothered by today's show, but have some added assignments given by Nate and advocated by Oprah. Switch from overhead lighting to lamps; put stuff up on my walls that might become art when I hang it, but isn't necessarily thought of as art; add sea life to a room (not my cup of tea, exactly but, luckily, someone gave us a conch shell for our wedding present some time back and it's already on our shelves); add a fabulous chair to each room; frame important notes*; add books about subjects you love to your space; make your rooms personal. This might take a little while. Somethings we have already and other things will take a bit of time to acquire. Still, we're really avid second hand store shoppers, so we'll make it work and I'll check this assignment off my list. I think I'll even have fun doing it!
* OK OK OK. Oprah shared a GREAT piece of advice that President Clinton gave to her. You should only write one-page notes in case the recipient wants to frame them. This might be a piece of advice that doesn't apply to me as I can't imagine people lining up to stick my correspondence in a frame. However, when I am either a) Commander and Chief of the United States of America and/or b) one of the most powerful media personalities in the world, I will understand the intelligence behind this recommendation.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
holy shit! her feet hurt her?
her tootsies are not immune to stiletto pain? next, she'll be telling us that her poops aren't like perfect sausages per dr. oz.
yet, another telling truth that oprah's not an alien.
I saw that show when it aired, and 2 months later am still bummed that Oprah wears painfully uncomfortable shoes. I like so much about her but it's hard to take her seriously. I kind of feel like she should be taking advice from ME: life's too short to hurt yourself (daily!) for no reason. We'd still love you in flats, Oprah.
If you wrote me a one-page note, I'd frame it.
So Okay, I watched this show and I was also bothered by the mere notion that someone would prioritize "fashion" over comfort. I see this all the time with the women I work - they are killing their feet to wear heels. Whereas I am just fine wearing flats. Makes you kind of wonder how we got to this place of torturing our feet to live within the construct of what's societally acceptable or expected of us. Sigh
Re: luxury hotels
I used to live in a litte Route 66 town called Holbrook, AZ. Not long before I moved there, Oprah was doing her cross-country excursion, advising people on the best places to vacation or just stop off along the road. One of the most famous sites along Route 66 is a hotel in Holbrook called the Wigwam Motel (featured in the Disney movie 'Cars') which Oprah paused at to interview the proprietor and maybe a few locals. What she didn't count on was just how far out of her element she was. The proprietor was happy to be interviewed, but at the end asked WHO SHE WAS because he had never seen her on tv or in the movies.
I had to laugh when I read this post about Oprah admitting that her feet hurt from her shoes. I just posted in my own blog a picture of my much beloved boots and much be-hated pair of tights lying on the floor of my office - Damn shoes gave me the absolute worst blister of my 33 years!
Post a Comment