Oprah to mauling victim: Blind? Disfigured? At least you won’t get fat

20th November 2009

Oprah to mauling victim: Blind? Disfigured? At least you won’t get fat

posted in Fat Bias, Rachel, Television & Film |

Oprah and chimp victim Charla Nash

You’ve heard of the Connecticut woman who was mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee, right? Charla Nash, 65, was visiting a friend last February when her friend’s pet chimp attacked her, tearing off her nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot dead by cops. Nash later lost her eyes to infection and her facial disfigurement is such that she is a candidate for a face transplant.

Nash went on the Oprah show last week to reveal her disfigurement and share heartbreaking details on her life since the attack, including the fact that she now has to eat everything through a straw. The plus side of getting mauled by a chimp? In a cringe-worthy response, Oprah told Nash that eating through a straw will help her keep her weight down.

Oh, Oprah. I’ve certainly been known to blurt out awkward gaffes that I later obsess over and curse myself about for weeks after, but never have I stuck my foot in my mouth quite this far. I’m sure Oprah was trying to defuse an emotionally-charged situation with humor, but to use her own weight woes as a point of shared commiseration with such a horribly mangled victim goes beyond the pale.

I would post a clip, but as as Newsweek’s Jesse Ellison discovered, that particular segment seems to have mysteriously disappeared from YouTube despite other clips allowed to remain. When she asked Harpo if they had specifically targeted that clip for copyright violations, a spokeswoman simply replied, “Unable to confirm.” I think we can all confirm that Oprah’s response warrants a major FAIL.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Fat Bias, Rachel, Television & Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On November 20th, 2009, Meryt Bast said:

Oh, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. Oprah, you’re a jerk.

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

2 On November 20th, 2009, Ashley said:

I don’t think what she said, in its self was all that bad, but it seems a little inappropriate given the context of who she was speaking with and why. It’s lame that they are trying to hide it from youtube as well.

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

3 On November 20th, 2009, Bree said:

You know, it makes me glad she’s ending her show in 2011…

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

4 On November 20th, 2009, rachel with a little "r" said:

hmmm…perhaps this is the next diet Oprah will embark on? Getting horribly and permanently injured so that you can’t properly eat?

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:16 pm

5 On November 20th, 2009, Squillo said:

It’s not the crime (so much) as the cover-up. Oprah should publicly acknowledge the gaffe, and apologize.

Isn’t she always talking about taking responsibility for one’s actions?

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:36 pm

6 On November 20th, 2009, Labrys said:

Honestly, Oprah annoyed me past words ages ago. Seeing that she had Sarah Palin on this past week was a rather new low point. And the constant pandering to “stay thinner” beauty standards has long been a major “Why should I bother?” for her show.

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

7 On November 20th, 2009, Shannon Russell said:

I’m pretty stunned. I would love to watch this clip to see the tone she uses. Was she making a joke? What the hell? No matter what the tone, though, this just seems beyond offensive. Like telling Helen Keller, “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about another pesky woman driver on the road.” What the hell?

Peace,
Shannon

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 7:06 pm

8 On November 20th, 2009, Frankincensy said:

It was horribly inappropriate and says some sad things about Oprah’s priorities and preoccupations.

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 7:16 pm

9 On November 20th, 2009, Jeani said:

“hmmm…perhaps this is the next diet Oprah will embark on? Getting horribly and permanently injured so that you can’t properly eat?”

Isn’t that the definition of stomach mutilation aka gastric bypass surgery?

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm

10 On November 20th, 2009, Me said:

Oprah to Nash: “Here, lemme get this for you.”

*leans over and wipes fluid from face*

Still can’t really get over that one…

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:22 pm

11 On November 20th, 2009, Miriam Heddy said:

Ashley wrote, “I don’t think what she said, in its self was all that bad, but it seems a little inappropriate given the context of who she was speaking with and why. It’s lame that they are trying to hide it from youtube as well.”

The word “lame” used to convey negativity is ableist language, and that’s especially sad in a post decrying Oprah’s ableism.

Just… no.

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:24 pm

12 On November 20th, 2009, Cute Bruiser said:

Well, this IS the same woman who told a young man who had been held captive by a sexual predator for years and years that he was very attractive …

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:33 pm

13 On November 20th, 2009, Me said:

http://jezebel.com/5404351/10-things-you-may-have-missed-on-tv-this-week

Scroll down..

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:37 pm

14 On November 20th, 2009, Bilt4cmfrt said:

A perfect example of the twisted mind state that diet culture can put people in. Did she mean it? Who knows. I hope not, however, shocking this isn’t. We’ve heard it all before in every office, any group or social setting where a person has the misfortune of becoming deathly ill. There’s always someone who’ll spout ‘At least their thinner / I wish I could. . . / or even just ‘Their SO thin!” in that over awed, envious, tone. It’s almost as if they’re so indoctrinated in the prevailing cult-think that spewing this kind of garbage is almost reflex. Hence the disappearing video trick. It might, well be time for her to retire and maybe get her head screwed on straight. Who knows, maybe she’ll decide to do a come-back and tell folks JUST how screwed up all this crap had her when she does. Not real likely but one can dream.

posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:44 pm

15 On November 21st, 2009, June said:

Yeah, cuz losing your face, being blind, and having to eat through a straw is TOTALLY better than being fat.

posted on November 21st, 2009 at 12:19 am

16 On November 21st, 2009, Charlotte said:

Wow…I’m so glad Oprah announced her retirement. I’ve been fed up with her for quite a while.

posted on November 21st, 2009 at 12:50 am

17 On November 21st, 2009, Laura said:

I noticed Oprah’s stupid comment immediatley when I watched. It was the first Oprah show I’d watched in a long time. I’m so relieved that you’ve posted about it. What complete absurdity.

posted on November 21st, 2009 at 1:10 am

18 On November 21st, 2009, Ro said:

Oprah has always been philanthropic for pay. I have no idea why people assume it’s for anything other than PR and ratings. She’s so transparent it sickens me, and it becomes obvious that she isn’t the sympathetic diva her company paints her as when it comes down to actually displaying compassion and understanding.

posted on November 21st, 2009 at 2:20 am

19 On November 21st, 2009, Bronwyn said:

I’d be happier if she just acknowledged that she made kind of a rude comment and move on.

I can’t really make myself get too worked up over her insensitivity here because let’s face it, none of us are perfect. I’m sure even the best of us have made poor comments at one time or another, and most of us have hopefully realized our mistake, acknowledged it, and moved on to be a more understanding or sensitive person. That’s what I’d hope to see happen here.

At the end of the day Oprah is a woman just like the rest of us and she can’t filter her thoughts 100% perfectly any more than the rest of us can. My hope here would be that she might realize how sad it is that she’d say something like this. The statement not only was insensitive to her guest but was also sadly telling of how Oprah feels about her weight.

posted on November 21st, 2009 at 2:23 am

20 On November 21st, 2009, Ashley said:

“The word “lame” used to convey negativity is ableist language, and that’s especially sad in a post decrying Oprah’s ableism.”

You know I didn’t mean it like that. Just stop.

posted on November 21st, 2009 at 11:09 am

21 On November 22nd, 2009, LLL said:

And we all know that straws prevent people from sucking up high calorie things like milkshakes, so there’s no possible way to gain weight.
Sigh.

posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 3:12 pm

22 On November 22nd, 2009, PlusSizedFeminist said:

Oh wow. Seriously? This woman nearly DIED being mauled by a wild animal, and all Oprah can think about is “oh, but just think of the calories you won’t be eating!!!!” *headdesk* I honestly have no more respect for Oprah.

posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 7:09 pm

23 On November 23rd, 2009, Amy (No More Thinspo) said:

I have self-depricating sense of humor. I could see myself taking a similar jibe at MY weight…but saying this about another person?!

-sighs-

posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm

24 On November 23rd, 2009, Seegz said:

Play her out, keyboard cat.

posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 1:59 pm

25 On November 23rd, 2009, Lu said:

I can’t believe she said this. CAN’T BELIEVE IT! If that isn’t one of the most insensitive comments I’ve ever heard I don’t know what is. Perhaps it was meant as a joke, but seriously? That is just awful.

posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 3:17 pm

26 On November 23rd, 2009, rachel with a little "r" said:

““hmmm…perhaps this is the next diet Oprah will embark on? Getting horribly and permanently injured so that you can’t properly eat?”

Isn’t that the definition of stomach mutilation aka gastric bypass surgery?”

that is a good point, yeah.

posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 7:21 pm

27 On November 23rd, 2009, rachel with a little "r" said:

““The word “lame” used to convey negativity is ableist language, and that’s especially sad in a post decrying Oprah’s ableism.”

You know I didn’t mean it like that. Just stop.”

Please read:
http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/12/ableist-word-profile-lame/

posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 7:30 pm

28 On December 2nd, 2009, All Women Stalker said: