Blogger lives like Oprah for a year

Image: Alan Light

When Chicago blogger Robyn Okrant decided to walk in Oprah Winfrey’s shoes for a year by following all of the iconic talk show host’s lifestyle suggestions , she never knew that her unique experiment would not only cost her $4,782 in expenses, but would eventually land her a book deal and international fame in the blogosphere. Okrant was never your typical Oprah fan. She did not clap and cheer enthusiastically as part of the perpetually exuberant television audience, nor was she uncritical of Winfrey’s message. But like Oprah, Okrant is based in Chicago, and she wanted to see where following every single one of Oprah’s tips for an entire year would land her. When Oprah suggested that all women should own at least one pair of white jeans and a matching jacket, Okrant went out and bought just this, right before she subscribed to the television talk show host’s three week-long “Vegan cleanse” diet.

Okrant purchased nearly every product that Oprah recommended on her television show, including a Panini maker, even though it turned out to be of neither use nor ornament to her. In fact, over the course of Okrant’s Oprah adventure, she discovered a glaring contradiction in the magnetic talk show host’s message. One day she called in experts to convince her viewers to de-clutter their houses and go beyond mere consumerism, while the next moment she energetically ordered her followers to buy an invaluable fire pit, Barbara Walter’s autobiography, a Panini maker and white jeans.
In the end, the Oprah blogger never used the Panini maker, dumped the white jeans off with a charity and no longer watches America’s most popular talk show. But what Okrant did manage to pull off is to publish a headline-catching book entitled “Living Oprah—My One Year Experiment to Walk the Walk of the Queen of Talk.” If the numerous headlines across the world are any indication, Okrant will be able to recover the $4,782 spent on her project with handsome interest, thanks to her book deal.