Jessica Alba covers the April issue of Redbook. The cover is kind of meh to me, but it did make me want to go look at peasant blouses online, which is probably the point (sidenote: if anyone knows where to find cute peasant blouses, please give me a tip!). Alba gets magazine covers at this point just to promote The Honest Company, her billion-dollar company which makes very clean-living products, everything from diapers to floor cleaner to whatever. The Honest Company has been hit with lawsuits in past years because they seemingly misrepresented the clean-quality of some of their products. Alba answers those criticisms with a shrug though. You can read the full Redbook piece here. Some highlights from the cover story:
On starting work young: “I was always in trouble with my parents for speaking up and wanting to be an equal part of the conversation. I started working young so I could get that respect.”
On the power of goal setting: “People always ask, ‘Did you know Honest would be what it is?’ And I’m like, ‘Of course I did,’ because I set this goal for myself. You have to set big goals before you can reach them.”
On being hit with lawsuits in 2017, claiming that some Honest products were misrepresented: “Employees who’d worked at consumer product goods brand before Honest told me that when things like that happen at other companies, it’s not news. The fact is, when you make hundreds of thousands of products, not everything is going to turn out exactly the same. But because my name is attached, the story is clickbait.”
On her workout philosophy: “I like to go hard. That effort level where you’re pushing yourself to the limit is almost meditative.”
On her typical weeknight: “I always try to get home from work for bath time and to cuddle the kids before bed. After that, Cash and I have dinner together and talk about our days. I need ‘us’ time all the time.”
On perceptions across social media: “I don’t have it together at all. I just don’t need to use social media as therapy and tell everyone, ‘Today I f—-ed up as a mom.’ It’s none of your damn business,” she says with a laugh. “I’m fine if people want to air their dirty laundry online, but people know enough about me. I make mistakes all the time…and sometimes when I get together with my friends, we’ll reflect on how we’ve made similar good and bad decisions. It’s like ‘Yeah, that was humbling.’ Then you move on and have a glass of wine.”
On being a role model for her daughters: “I hope that their seeing me get out of my comfort zone will give them some degree of fearlessness to try stuff. I want them to know that you can’t give up when it gets hard; when it gets hard is when you learn the most. You can’t teach kids that by just talking the talk – you have to walk the walk and reinforce it with talk.”
I always found her rather boring and nothing has changed. I get her argument about the lawsuits, that of course not everything is going to be the same… except that the whole point of making this huge company that brands itself on being the perfect (and high-priced) solution to people who want chemical free products is that the products should actually be useful?
As for this: “I just don’t need to use social media as therapy and tell everyone, ‘Today I f—-ed up as a mom.’ It’s none of your damn business.” Word. I like her for that. It seems like some people – Chrissy Teigen – need to share their every OMG SO REAL moment online and it’s exhausting. In fact, I kind of believe Alba was making a pointed comment about Teigen specifically.
Photos courtesy of Justin Coit for Redbook.
looking at you, busy phillipps!
She’s a snooze fest to me personally
Agree. Yawner.
Bravo! I wish other celebrities were less exposed.
Eh. I’d find the social media comment more affecting if she hadn’t spent and continuing to spend years taking her children on paparazzi walks. She has no problem putting her “mommyhood” out there for a buck.
Interesting that she’s trying to be an actress again. With the company apparently quite successful I thought she had accepted she is a poor actress and focused elsewhere. I guess it’s hard to let go.
I don’t know, I kind of took that comment as “I do that in all other parts of my life, why would I do that online,” which seems honest to me.
I think she should try a nice ensemble series, yes I have a soft spot for “average” actresses, because like in everything in Life, not everyone needs to be Meryl Streep. I liked everything I have watched her on. Especially Dark Angel.
Also, she can pap stroll or whatever, i guess what shes talking about here is “oversharing on parenting and relationship stuff” which she doesnt – I follow her. She shares photos of her kids, she has a brand thats connected to children anyway, and she’s been sharing a lot with her little boy that she clearly is elated to have, but I agree shes not there posting her failures and successes like many others.
And I like what she says about big goal setting!!!