Biography of Oprah Winfrey

In a world where everybody is in a constant competition to make a name for himself/herself, it is so easy to forget those that made a significant impact. In the current times, people are willing to do just about anything to be famous and get their names on the papers. However, they forget that the goal is not to be famous but to leave a mark in the world before your time expires. An old saying motivates us to aspire to inspire before we expire. Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore, people are more than ever, focused on their needs and man for himself and God for us all seems to be the thing lately. Selfishness has found a permanent spot in our lives, and we have gladly integrated and accepted it into our culture. People are reluctant to heed the call of humanity that is to make the world a better place but instead have become self-centered and buried into their cocoons, and they could care less about the next person. This is the sad reality of the modern world, and the values of humanity we held deep are gradually but consistently fading away. This is the biography of Oprah Winfrey, a woman who believed in herself and rose to fame without compromising on her values, principles or morals.

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She is often known as the most powerful and most influential woman in the world. Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954 in Mississippi, and most of her early life and youth was spent in abject poverty. She was always moved around the country to live with various relatives before attaining the age of a teenager. These families would support her with basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter for some time before she could be passed on to the next relative. From an early age, Oprah displayed high intelligence and excellent speaking abilities. Thanks to her grandparents who would encourage her from time to time and motivate her to pursue communications as a career. They recognized her talent at a young age and helped her nurture and perfected it. An old saying goes charity begins at home, and Oprah was one person who illustrated this only too well. Her light began shining brightly at a tender age, and it was not long before people around started noticing it. She won full sponsorship at Tennessee State University where she majored in communication.

Winfrey then worked at a local radio station and subsequently at a local, national television station where she became the youngest news anchor and first black female news anchor at the same time. This was such an achievement back in the days when you had to try extra to make it, especially if you were black let alone being female. You had to do more than the obvious and then you had to do more than that. In 1984, she relocated to Illinois where she took over hosting duties of A.M. Chicago as her career required. With the amount of talent and diligence she possessed, it was only a matter of time before her show overtook most talk shows in the ratings making it the most popular show and viewers choice. She signed a syndication deal, and two years later, in 1986, she launched her national television show. On that same year, Harpo Productions was founded, and Oprah was the president. As a host, Oprah was unique in many ways. For example, she was better tuned to her audience than other hosts. Oprah had a personal mantra that, you dont become what you want, you become what you believe, and she believed in herself.

She had the upper hand as compared to other talk show personalities of her time because she would connect with her audience and interviewees at a deeper level even if it meant sharing stories from her dark past just to get them to open up. Oprah showed the world the real she and not a single moment was she ashamed of the woman she was. For instance, in 1986, she revealed to the world on her show that she was molested in her youths. She was also very vocal when it came to matters concerning her weight and her relationships. Unlike other television personalities who portray themselves as saints and perfection at its purest, Oprah showed her true colors to the world, and this even made it easier for her interviewees to open up. She showed us she was not without flaws and that these flaws did not stop her from achieving her dreams. This type of public confessional therapy came to be known as Oprahfication. She helped raise the issues of people with different sexualities such as gay and bisexual and therefore enhancing their mainstream acceptance worldwide.

Turn your wounds into wisdom, is one of Oprahs favorite quotes and she gave meaning to it

In 1993, she made television history once again when she interviewed the legendary and late King of Pop; Michael Jackson. This single show was a masterpiece, and it became the most watched television interview ever with a worldwide audience of over 100 million viewers. In 1994, Oprah attained the status of being powerful enough to influence Americans on social, educational, financial and political opinions. In 2011, she launched her network known as OWN, Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah is the worlds first black billionaire as well as the United States richest self-made woman. She donates most of her proceeds to charity illustrating philanthropy. She has won herself a spot in the history books and will be long-remembered for her massive contributions to the popular culture. Oprah declares that passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you, and she illustrates this in her day-to-day life.