Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous celebrities in the world. Despite her fame, the longtime television host and media mogul is no stranger to controversy, using her platform to promote her liberal political ideology.
Most Americans know that Oprah is a Democrat, and her vocal support for Barack Obama in 2008 likely helped him secure the Democrat nomination over Hillary Clinton.
But now Oprah has once again stirred up some controversy, this time over comments she made about motherhood during Mother’s Day Weekend!
Oprah under fire for controversial remarks on motherhood https://t.co/kimgLphYFi pic.twitter.com/h45bWXjlFI
— Yahoo (@Yahoo) May 13, 2017
From Yahoo:
On Friday, the talk show posted a photo on Instagram featuring her and a friend, whose dogs were sitting in a baby stroller. Oprah captioned the image, which received almost 60K likes, “Jill and her fur children. Happy Mother’s Day to mothers of all varieties of children!”
The sentiment was clearly sincere; however, that didn’t stop commentators from exploding into debate over its meaning. “…Just don’t,” wrote one person. “All women mother in one way or another along the way, but only some carry that responsibility 24/7 for every day of their life.” Another chimed in, “Animals are animals. You’re a pet owner. Great! Not a mother. And that’s ok.”
Meanwhile, others appreciated the inclusion. “Aww, thanks Oprah!” wrote one woman. “There ’aint no childless woman’s day so this is the first time I ever felt included. Thank you!” And: “Who really gets to define who a mom is? This is 2017 and there are many ways that women mother.”
Here’s the picture of Oprah’s controversial comments:
Yahoo notes that Oprah is no stranger to controversial comments on motherhood:
In February, she told Good Housekeeping U.K., “When people were pressuring me to get married and have children, I knew I was not going to be a person that ever regretted not having them, because I feel like I am a mother to the world’s children. Love knows no boundaries. It doesn’t matter if a child came from your womb or if you found that person at age 2, 10 or 20. If the love is real, the caring is pure and it comes from a good space, it works.”
She continued, “For me it was perfect, because I didn’t want babies. I wouldn’t have been a good mom for babies. I don’t have the patience. I have the patience for puppies, but that’s a quick stage! But this is so rewarding.”
In recent years, more and more individuals started the trend of calling their pets their “children” which many rightly think minimizes true motherhood. While pets certainly can be viewed as part of the family, raising a cat or dog is by no means the same as having an actual child.
Oprah, who has no children of her own, doesn’t seem to be truly qualified to speak on the true value of motherhood. No one is questioning her love for her pets, but the responsibility and privilege of having a child far outweighs what is required of pet owners.
What are your thoughts on Oprah’s comments? Was she out of line? Share your thoughts below!