Comments on: Finishing up the July 2007 Issue (Men! Men! Men!)

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:39:07 +0000

I have been a O! reader since the beginning (but havent kept the issues– they are so heavy, not to mention space-hoggers).

I came across your blog while searching for the winners of the $250,000 sweepstakes (as much as I thought it would be me, I havent heard from them yet….Do you know who won?!)

Anyway, I am glad to see these comments about the changes in the magazine- I started noticing it a year or maybe even 2 years ago. I thought exactly the same thing: it is becoming like every other woman`s magazine.

Sometimes I think we do not need to change- even as Bean says- why do we think we need to fix ourselves? Looks like the magazine is doing that, when, in my opinion, there was nothing to change in the first place!

By: oprahproject

oprahproject — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:17:35 +0000

WHAT WHAT WHAT??!!!! The September issue is sitting on my desk, mocking me because once again, I have put this project on the back burner. I haven’t looked at it yet, but yes, it does look like “Breathing Space” is gone. Thanks for making your magazine more like every other one on the newsstand, O staff!

Thanks for pointing this out, Bean, and you have excellent points. I do wonder if Oprah’s stretching herself too thin with all these projects. You can’t do everything well. And what’s wrong with being a different magazine? How can you possibly tell your advertisers how you’re different from every other women’s magazine?

My guess on your second question is that we tend to think the grass is greener in someone else’s life, and since we need to keep up, we’d better get some help doing so.

Thanks for your comments!!

By: Bean

Bean — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:37:14 +0000

You know what else is missing? Breathing Space. I couldn’t find it in the newest issue and was very disappointed. The format of the magazine has changed little by little over the years. Almost like the influence of Oprah herself has become diluted. Is she still as involved in it now that she is creating her own network and running the radio program? Has she stretched herself too thin?

One other question to ponder: why should we be so intent on fixing ourselves? Isn’t it possible to be enough in who we are that we don’t need advice or columns on how to be better?