ReThinking Oprah Magazine

I've passed Oprah's magazine many times on the newsstand. I've admired how sometimes O looks like my mom but then I quickly turn to Jet, Ebony, Village Voice and other mags that still grace us with their celebrity news, world events, and UFO reports.  I was at the airport looking for a couple of magazines to read on the plane and I decided to take a chance on Oprah.

I bought the mag plus Essence.  I thumbed through Essence first.  Essence is Essence. [shrug] I move to Oprah's mag with hopes that it wouldn't be filled with ads of blond white women, articles about Martha's Vineyard and more of Oprah's favorite things.  The first ad I see - Blond White Woman.  [deep sigh]  I didn't give up.  I flipped and flipped the pages before reading anything.  I wanted to see what O had to offer a 43 year old Black, single mother, living in the Midwest.

 Give me something O. 

I continue to flip and I see an article about the founders of the Rebecca Project, two awesome sistas serving women in the DC area.

Perk

I'm into it now.  Let me flip some more. There's a brief article on Carla Boutin-Foster, Director of the Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Disparities Research and Community Engagement, a fabulous organization serving people in NYC by providing healthcare services like medical van tours to barbershops offering free on-site diabetes and blood pressure screenings.  I'm beginning to love Oprah's mag. 

I read an article about Asian mothers and about Mary Williams, the "daughter" of Jane Fonda and her life living with Jane as a young black woman.  I had no idea.

The diversity of the magazine is to be appreciated.  Oprah does try to give you a slice of life from the perspective of women...period. Some may still pass on it but I'd say, try it on for size just once.

Just once.