No one can convince me that this is lead-story material. It’s right down there with “Oprah limits her caloric intake to six almonds and a glass of water to fit into Oscar dress” on the list of things that merit extensive scrutiny.
Detouring myself here a bit: if a friend or a teen-ager of your acquaintance told you that they were cutting their diet back to a few dry-roasted nuts and H2O to fit into a particular outfit, what would be your response? Mine would be, “Didn’t it come in your size?” Or possibly, “Where’s that ‘So You Think You Have An Eating Disorder’ pamphlet?” Seriously, with a growing obesity crisis on one end of the spectrum and the continuing prevalence of anorexia and bulimia on the other, isn’t it kind of difficult to look at this as charmingly wacky celebrity eccentricity? “Oprah starved herself to be pretty! You can, too!” I would think nutritionists and psychiatrists would be lining up around the block to note that fasting, while effective for short-term weight loss or political activism, isn’t healthy.
That pointless tirade was brought to you by the American Council for the Promotion and Enjoyment of Carbohydrates and Comfortable But Flattering Clothing. Moving on.
This isn’t really news, either, but I really hope Martha Stewart takes a great and horrible vengeance on those who tried to paint her as the Poster Mogul for Corporate Fraud. Because in terms of scale and the lasting impact of her misdeeds, she absolutely pales in comparison to many of her peers. Of course, since Martha was a polarizing public figure and since her misdeeds were easier to grasp and communicate than, say, Enron’s, Martha was the most obvious target. That isn’t the same thing as her being the most despicable example by any stretch of the imagination.
I’m looking forward to her version of The Apprentice, partly because I’ve made it a personal mission to support her comeback, and also because I’m hoping her version will be free of the distasteful sexism that mars Donald Trump’s original. I’m sure she can find minions as imposing as George and Carolyn (who’s coming to my town to speak next week!).