The Big O...

I'm sure everyone has heard or read about Robyn Okrant, the Chicago woman who has dedicated a year of her life to living according to Oprah's standards or commandments so to speak. She watches the show everyday and reads Oprah's magazine and every time Oprah says do something, Robyn does it. She's very specific though, she only does it if Oprah actually utters "you must buy this" or "try this", if something is just mentioned in passing then Robyn does not feel obliged to heed to it. Robyn is blogging about her experience recording the cost, time and energy it takes for her to fulfill this project she's undertaken.

To be honest, I've been pretty skeptical or rather indifferent about the whole ordeal until I read an interview with her in one of our local papers (I can't remember which one). She is asked if having to live by someone else's suggestions has been taxing. Her answer was intriguing; she said that at first it was because Oprah makes many suggestions, but that now it's made her life almost easier. She doesn't have to pick out movies anymore, she just watches the latest one that Oprah endorses. This applies to everything from music, books to exercise, food even toothpaste brands. If anyone has a problem with her choices, she can say they most certainly weren't hers.

I've read some of her posts on her blog and surprisingly, some of them are very refreshing and honest. She was bitter about having to buy an expensive grill from Lowe's because she suspects that Oprah just encouraged the purchase of this item because Lowe's is one of her show's sponsors.

In my opinion Robyn's project isn't a mockery at Oprah or even loyal Oprah fanatics; it's a look at a brand that has captivated so many women and asking, does this woman truly have the key to happiness or is this all just a huge marketing ploy? I do believe that Robyn choosing such a famous figure as Oprah may be a marketing ploy for her own interests but I'm interested to see the results. Something tells me though that she'll write a book about the experience and Oprah will turn around and put it on her book club list at which point I will puke and delete this post.