Dear Oprah and other OWN network executives.

I have had two very negative experiences with your OWN channel.  The first took place when I recently watched the documentary Miss Representation on your network.  I was thrilled to be able to see it.  However, as soon as the commercials came on the majority of the commercials were all promoting weigh loss or anti-aging - commercials aimed at telling women that their is someting wrong with their appearance and it should be changed. The commericals were promoting products that perpetuated the issues the documentary was talking about.  I was appalled that you would choose to allow these advertisers on during this amazing documentary about how females are represented in the media.

The second negative experience came when I watched the documentary, Dark Girls - another topic I think is so very important.  During the film, they brough up the issue of how people all over the world are using "whitening" creams to try and make their skin lighter.  And then, what was the first commercial that came on after that section?  A commercial for a product to reduce dark spots on you skin - a skin whitening product.  Outrageous.

What kinds of sales people are you hiring?  I see you announced that OWN recently made a profit.  Really?  Are you proud of this when you are effectively destroying the messages that you - Oprah - are trying to promote?  I realize you need advertisers but I think a little extra time could have been spent on finding appropriate advertisers for these two documentaries.

I will no longer be watching OWN when these wonderful documentaries or any other program air.