It must be fun being the most powerful celebrity in the world. Right now, that mantle apparently falls to Oprah Winfrey. Oprah was recently turned away from a boutique in Paris. They’ve apologised, but boy, is she mad.

Oprah was shopping in Paris and wanted to visit the Hermes store in Paris after closing time. When Hermes turned Oprah away, she felt "humiliated" and is planning to talk about the incident on her TV show.

But…but…she’s Oprah Winfrey (DVDs), and the French staff had the audacity to treat her like a normal person? How dare they!

A spokesman for Oprah’s production company has called it her "Crash
moment", referring to the miserable race relations movie that recently opened in
America. It’s not for us to suggest that the incident was or wasn’t
racially motivated.

But, by the accounts given, it seems like Hermes had just closed,
and the staff were busy preparing an after-hours presentation of some
ready-to-wear clothes. Too busy to stand around aimlessly while a
puffed up woman off the telly meanders around wasting everyone’s time,
at least.

Being allowed to shop when a store is closed is a perk of celebrity,
not a right. And some might suggest that for Oprah to throw her toys
out of the pram because a French woman told her she couldn’t look at
some clothes comes across as, well, just a little arrogant.

Sure, she’s the most powerful celebrity in the world, but for doing
what? Recommending some books? Jumping up and down shrieking "Everybody
gets a car"? Inviting Tom Cruise onto her show for one of the most
nauseating pieces of television in the history of the medium?

And now she wants to discuss the Hermes incident on her programme. How
fortunate for her to have a large captive audience where she can
complain about shops that wouldn’t let her in when they were already
closed. What next? A half hour documentary about the time her local
newsagents ran out of wine gums? A hard-hitting film about the shocking
incident when one of her servants had a wonky bow tie.

Oprah’s audience isn’t made of people who will identify with not
being able to get into a Paris boutique after it’s closed. How will
they relate to watching an out-of-touch celebrity stamping her feet and
whining about how she really wanted some overpriced clothes? Oprah
should think very carefully before mentioning this on her show.

Hermes have apologised, by the way. But it needn’t have. Would you
have got a formal apology if you were turned away from Hermes as it was
closing? Of course not.

Where do you stand on this? Do you think Oprah was right to be offended? Or maybe you think she’s behaving like a spoilt brat. Leave your comments below.

[story by Stuart Heritage]