Oprah played a big role in my understanding of what it meant to be female and to really step into your own power. I wouldn’t even call her a role model; she was literally a reference point. You have the dictionary, you have the Bible, you have Oprah.
https://www.colorlines.com/articles/lupita-nyongo-named-glamours-woman-year
What is the difference between "role model" and "reference point" here? They seem similar to me.
role model: a person who someone admires and whose behaviour they try to copy (the Cambridge Dictionary)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/role-model
reference point: something that is used to judge or understand something else (Merriam Webster)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reference%20point