Sometimes I forget how different the world is for the rich and famous than it is for the rest of us. After reading the new interview with Gwyneth Paltrow in Bustle, I was once again reminded that we may as well live on separate planets. The article opens by discussing the price tags on the clothing Paltrow wore for the interview as well as for outfits she’s recently worn in Instagram photos. No single item was under $300. That should have been my first clue that this piece wasn’t for me.
During the interview, it’s noted that the actress-turned-entrepreneur sees herself as “out of it culturally.” Although she’s active on Instagram, she says she only follows “cool functional psychologists and psychiatrists” and food accounts. Paltrow tends to avoid anything going on in the entertainment and news worlds. This is the same woman who starred in several Marvel movies without ever watching them. (Lest we forget the hilarious moment when she completely forgot she was in one of them.) I understand not wanting to be eternally plugged into the news cycle, but being this oblivious seems odd. Not all of us have the privilege of living in such a bubble. Unfortunately, this was just the start of the total lack of awareness—from both Paltrow and the feature itself.
GOOP for all
The main purpose of the article was to promote Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, GOOP. The brand has a new line called good.clean.goop that launches on October 22. This line will only be sold at Target and Amazon and will feature products under $40. The items will include things “such as a $19.99 glycolic acid toner and a $24.99 vitamin C eye serum” because Paltrow wanted to bring GOOP to a “wider audience.” When asked if making “clean” (meaning non-toxic, in this case) products less expensive for customers was difficult, Paltrow responded:
Yes. What happens is that you use a lower amount of actives and botanicals and stuff like that. It’s all about ‘At what concentration will this still be efficacious but affordable?’ In certain cases, you’re balancing, like, ‘It would be so nice to also have this in there, but it’s going to make the cost of goods too high.’
To remind everyone, GOOP sells cosmetics and skin care products. They don’t make magical serums that can cure cancer. It feels very elitist to discuss making facial cleanser into a cheaper product so even us Target shoppers can afford it. The way the question was phrased makes it seem as though Paltrow is doing an act of charity by making a less expensive version of her brand’s products. I guess we should all thank Paltrow and GOOP for helping us avoid wrinkles on our budget.
Paltrow weighs in on the “nepo baby” discourse
When discussing her 19-year-old daughter, Apple, Paltrow talked about how she doesn’t like the negative connotation of the term “nepo baby.” Paltrow said, “Now there’s this whole nepo baby culture, and judgment that exists around kids of famous people.” To be clear, they aren’t being judged for existing. Plenty of them are talented and capable people in their own right. The term points out that children of the famous have a clearer and easier path to fame than children born to people with regular jobs. “But there’s nothing wrong with doing or wanting to do what your parents do,” Paltrow insisted. “Nobody rips on a kid who’s like ‘I want to be a doctor like my dad and granddad.'”
What Paltrow misses in her comparison is that people don’t just walk into their doctor-dad’s office and become doctors. To become a doctor, one must go through years of higher education, internships, and licensing exams. However, to become an actor, all you have to do is walk onto your dad’s movie set. Paltrow is the child of Bruce Paltrow, a filmmaker, and Blythe Danner, an actress. So it isn’t shocking that Paltrow’s first role was in a movie her dad made. It isn’t difficult to realize that Paltrow, and others like her, lead different lives than most of us. But maybe they could just take a moment to think about what they want to say before telling the rest of us how to think and feel.
(via Bustle, featured image: Getty Images / Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic)
