The August issue of British Vogue has Oprah Winfrey on the cover talking about her presidential aspirations (or lack of).
The media mogul looks stately on the cover, in a custom gown from Stella McCartney and bejeweled earrings from Buccellati, reports the Huffington Post.
In the accompanying interview, Winfrey explains why running for president would “kill” her, the positive changes she’s seen as a result of the Me Too movement, and the royal wedding.
Earlier this year, Winfrey gave an inspiring speech at the Golden Globes, and her long-time partner, Stedman Graham, hinted that she might be interested in running for president. But the 64-year-old quickly shot this down, and has again reaffirmed her stance in the interview with British Vogue.
“In that political structure ― all the non-truths, […] the nastiness, the backhanded backroom stuff that goes on ― I feel like I could not exist,” Winfrey told British Vogue. “I would not be able to do it. It’s not a clean business. It would kill me.”
Though she’s staying away from entering politics, Winfrey has repeatedly voiced her support for the Me Too and Time’s Up movements against sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation. And she feels that change is imminent. “People talk about ‘these are such dark times,’ but what if we shift the paradigm? Because I see it differently,” Winfrey says. “I see, ‘Isn’t this remarkable that we’re waking up?’ For years, women have endured craziness. This is what’s happening to people. They’re allowing themselves to not just become corroded, but to become hysterical. You’ve got to lean to the happiness.”
Winfrey stunned earlier this year in a Stella McCartney number at the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, at which she was an invited guest. She tells the magazine that she almost wore a white dress to the wedding – but opted for pink to avoid any controversy. In the rest of the Vogue pictures shared on Monday, Winfrey oozes elegance in a rich, red satin gown from Alexander McQueen and a floral gown from Erdem, one of the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite labels.
