An Ode to Oprah

All topics were placed in a domestic or personal context and presented within a dramatic structure that invariably plays out as a confrontation between individuals. (Moorti, 523) The Oprah Winfrey Show did not give in to mainstream television like other shows decided to do in order to saw their ratings. Oprah used her show to provide a forum for the expression of multiple perspectives in dealing with particular instances of sexual violence. (Moorti, 527) Women were allowed to speak out against sexual assault on the Oprah Winfrey show and for the first time in talk show history, the host was able to relate to the guests firsthand. These storied voices of rape victims called into question prevailing stereotypes of rape and female sexuality and clarified a woman-centered understanding of sexual assault. (Moorti, 536) The Oprah Winfrey Show finally allowed women to speak for themselves and talk about a topic that was not often talked about on television and made it a topic of discussion. No other talk show had reached this goal. Oprah's role as the interlocutor allowed rape victims to articulate their pain and confusion. (Moorti, 528) The Oprah Winfrey Show became the place where women felt comfortable to share their pain with other women who could relate to their problems and offer help and support to get them through the hard time. This became the milestone for the Oprah Winfrey Show; no other talk show had accomplished this feat.
             The Oprah Winfrey Show today is quite different from the Oprah Winfrey Show from the mid to late 90's. Oprah's show today is about uplifting the audience and turning them on to things that they never knew about. Oprah has begun to let her audience in on what it's like to be Oprah and has often spend thousands of dollars to surprise her audience with her favorite things. .
             A recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show included husbands and wives switching roles for a period of 48 hours.