Ann Wintour tells Oprah to lose some weight!

Hi Jennifer and friends! I just read an interview of Ann Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, in which she admits to telling Oprah Winfrey that she needed to lose 20 pounds to be on the cover of the magazine back in 1998. Wintour said that Oprah was a "trooper" and went on a stringent diet and lost the weight and then some. She made the cover, (left)looked amazing, and it was a huge hit.

In the 60 Minutes interview, Wintour, 59, also defended the use of Photoshop to make people "look their best." "That's one of the things that makes me rather angry, that I don't understand," she said. "That if you look wonderful, does that make you less important? Less powerful? Less serious?"

Although Vogue typically only covers stick-thin models within its pages, she said her magazine maintains an awareness of obesity. "I'd just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as little houses," Wintour said. "There's such an epidemic of obesity in the United States, and for some reason, everybody focuses on anorexia."

Wintour, who commissioned a feature on the topic complete with illustrations, said that it was an important issue. "We need to spend money time and education on teaching people to eat, exercise and take care of themselves in a healthier way," she said. "It [has gotten people] provoked, which is really the point."

I can sympathize with Oprah and her struggles with weight gain and her busy schedule. That happens to me as well. I can only imagine how hard it must be for Oprah.

I also agree with Ann Wintour when she says that the focus and criticism on stick thin models is ridiculous when the obesity issue is out of control. I can't even tell you how many times have I've heard the comments.

Lynn Los Angeles, CA