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Oprah Winfrey speaks onstage during the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.

Editor's note: Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise Kellen '68 Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She is the author of We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance and co-host of the podcasts This Day in Esoteric Political History and You Get a Podcast! The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

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This week, Oprah Winfrey announced that she would step down from the board of the Weight Watchers (WW) brand and sell her 10 percent stake in the company. Many will remember when Oprah began her partnership with WW almost ten years ago. At the time, the company was struggling to make new profits, and Oprah's Midas touch took the company and its shares to new heights.

Who can hear Oprah’s famous “I. Love. Bread.” commercial? With slogans like: “Eat bread. Lose weight. Whaatttt?” She also had me on bread. I remember joining WW shortly after the birth of my second child in the early years of Oprah's partnership. America has followed Oprah on every major weight loss trend for decades, and this was no exception.

At the height of Oprah's daytime talk show, viewers tuned in five days a week to learn “how to live their best life.” Oprah illustrated the many ways to achieve wellness, and the topic of weight loss dominated her 25-year life, for better or worse. In 1988, she rolled out 67 pounds of animal fat in a red wagon to illustrate how much weight she had lost on a 30-day liquid-only diet. She later deeply regretted the stunt, calling it a “big, big, big, big, big, big, big mistake!”

In 1994, Oprah ran her first marathon to celebrate her 40th birthday. Her time at the Marine Corp Marathon was 4:29:15, which became the benchmark to beat for any celebrity who wanted to beat Oprah. She graced the cover of Runner's World in a matching coral spandex sports bra and running shorts with the caption: “Oprah did it, you can too.” In 2008, Oprah sparked a vegan craze when she and the The entire staff of her production company Harpo Studios decided to adopt a vegan diet for a short time.

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U.S. Marine Corps personnel escort Oprah Winfrey and her partner Stedman Graham to the starting line of the 19th Marine Corps Marathon on October 23, 1994.

Throughout her professional life, Oprah's struggles with weight loss and weight gain have been iconic. But this year also saw Oprah turn 70, and the public still can't let go of their gaze on her body and her health journey. During her red carpet events for the premiere of The Color Purple, the internet was once again obsessed with Oprah's tiny waist and thinner figure. The question arose as to whether Oprah was taking medical weight loss medications such as Ozempic or Wegovy. She is known for her transparency and shared that she was actually taking weight loss medication. Perhaps she hoped her own choices would remove the stigma associated with medical procedures.

WW has also strategically launched a plan for its members to utilize weight loss medications and even telehealth services to offer virtual prescriptions to patients when appropriate. Oprah's departure from WW comes at an interesting time in our weight-obsessed culture.

What happens when our goal of “living our best life” no longer requires 30-day liquid diets, marathons, or a vegan diet? While many will certainly see this as a progressive change, I'm not sure Oprah's departure from WW is a fulfilling moment. The solution to weight loss seems to be to “take the shot” or “take a pill.” In some ways, it feels like the culture is out to figure out what “fat” actually is. Scientists still don't have a definitive answer to what makes someone fat; It's not just what you eat or how much you eat. Most Americans are convinced that fat or obese people are always unhealthy: That's not true. Additionally, the public is generally led to believe that thin people somehow cannot be sick. These ideas harm everyone.

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In 1988, Winfrey transported 67 pounds of animal fat in a red wagon to illustrate how much weight she had lost on a 30-day liquid-only diet. She later deeply regretted the stunt, calling it a “big, big, big, big, big, big, big mistake!”

When Oprah steps down, many people will lose their measure or reference point for what is ahead or behind the curve when it comes to their weight and health. Hollywood has taken its fixation on thinness to new levels. But celebrity voices are hardly needed when social media influencers can shake up the culture with their medical weight loss journeys for all to see. The dopamine rush from shedding more pounds drowns out any canaries in the coal mine pointing out the potentially harmful side effects of Ozempic and other similar drugs.

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Oprah's departure will also have special meaning for the black community. As a result of their announcement, the value of WW shares fell by 25%. Oprah stated that she would donate her shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. While it may seem like a significant donation to the museum, the shares are only as valuable as the company, which has just suffered a major blow. For the museum to see a blessing, the company must continue to do well. One might also wonder what it means for the country's preeminent black history museum to be economically tied to a weight-loss company.

Ultimately, Oprah can do whatever she wants with her money, her time, and her talents. Resignation is their prerogative. But perhaps it's finally time for our culture to also abandon its obsession with Oprah's body — and with it its anti-fat bias and its attachment to seemingly quick fixes to much bigger problems.