Gwyneth Paltrow is far from my favorite person, but she looks great on this Shape Magazine cover. Her body looks amazing – whoever did her boob job did great work, they’re perfectly proportional. The whole beach-sexy vibe is a good look for Goop. Now, the interview… well, bless her heart. It reminded me of how tone-deaf Gwyneth sounded in that Town & Country cover interview back in April, where she smugly rolled her eyes at her critics and claimed that they only hate her because she’s “pretty and had money.” That was the energy she was bringing into a global pandemic. What energy has gotten out of a global pandemic? Well, it turns out that Gwyneth has been enjoying herself. All of that wellness shtick was so time-consuming and unhealthy, and without it, she’s been… a lot healthier. Who would have thought. Some highlights:
The new perspective she has: “I had not realized how much the normal pace of life was overburdening our bodies, our minds, and our nervous systems. As we have been forced into the confines of our own homes, that has brought up a lot of emotional distress for some, and for others it has been very peaceful. In my case, I have experienced both. I have started to settle down in my brain and body. It has given me new perspective about how much I will take on going forward.”
Before the pandemic: “I was constantly trying to pack in wellness moments, but I wasn’t really decompressing until the weekend or when I went on vacation.”
During the pandemic: “Now I feel different, letting my body go to sleep and wake up in its natural rhythm, having my kids around all the time, eating meals together and having meaningful conversations. We linger at the table; our dinners are an hour and a half long. My heart feels fuller, and my mind feels calmer in that respect.”
She’s Zooming herself into an early grave as well: “I haven’t fully figured that out [regarding fitness]. I try to do exercises every day for my back and neck because of all the Zoom calls I’m on. My husband, Brad, and I take a walk at least three or four times a week. And I’ve been doing a lot of online classes: Tracy Anderson, the Class by Taryn Toomey, Bulldog Yoga, CorePower Yoga.”
She spoke to Nadine Burke Harris, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., California’s first surgeon general, for the Shape cover story: “I was intrigued that we’d never had a surgeon general in California. When I saw that Dr. Burke Harris was a female African American M.D. and had spent her career helping children who’d grown up in adverse childhoods in disenfranchised neighborhoods, I watched her TED Talk. And I sort of fell in love with her.”
It’s very Gwyneth to talk about how much better she feels when she’s not so focused on wellness. You know, “wellness,” the billion-dollar industry which profits from the perceived suffering of wealthy white women. Is Gwyneth admitting that she’s one big fraud? Of course not. I don’t even think she realizes what she’s saying: that the wellness “moments” were horses-t and all she really needed to do was slow down, eat better, spend more time with her kids and get into a better sleep rhythm. WHO KNEW. Who knew it was that simple? Now if she can only find a way to package that and sell it to gullible women!
The rest of the Shape piece is Gwyneth interviewing Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, and they talk about childhood trauma, domestic violence, the virus and sleep. I appreciate that Gwyneth used her magazine cover story to speak to an actual, accredited doctor. Baby steps.
The actress consulted the state's first-ever surgeon general on how to fight stress and feel better amid the pandemic. https://t.co/Q87nlbLBcT
— Shape Magazine (@Shape_Magazine) June 12, 2020
Cover courtesy of Shape.
So you’ll peddle it but you’ll also admit it’s bs? Dang goop, you’re smooth.
That’s all I got out of this as well.
She wants it both ways. All the ways. She will do whatever she’s got to do, say whatever she’s got to say to be seen as some kind of authority. I blame these magazines for continuing to give her more avenues for self-promotion. The photo is flattering, but she’s still one of the least relatable people on the planet. I don’t care how she’s handling this pandemic, whatsoever.
She needs to shut her pie hole about how nice the pandemic has been. People are sick, dying, unemployed, broke.
While I’m no goop fan (seriously, when I see youtube influencers buying goop stuff, I lose my mind), I have to say this lockdown gave me an opportunity to wake up and go to sleep on my natural rhythm… it turns out I don’t have a problem with insomnia when I work from home. Which is a shock because I’ve had insomnia problems since I was a child
I’m almost the same! I’ve always had sleep problems, usually not major but been perma-tired to a greater or lesser degree for about ten years. I know my body clock likes regularity but a life when some days I need to be up at 5 and other days not until 7 or 8 just didn’t really allow for that. Working from home since lockdown started has given me the longest period of consistency since my 20’s and it’s amazing what it’s done for me.
The damn Zoom calls mess up my neck and back too. I can’t help but slouch into the camera a little. So that’s a real thing that exercise does help. This isn’t in defense of Gwyneth, or a claim I’m zooming myself into a grave, just a minor pandemic complaint!
I would suggest elevating your laptop/ipad whatever about 6″-8″. Until my company shipped out a webcam/screens/keyboard, I was using my laptop and I felt like I was constantly slouching and it was killing my neck and shoulders. My temporary solution wasn’t fancy-I stole a big box from my son’s game room and put my laptop on it for calls and I immediately felt better. If I’m outside my home office, I have gotten creative-even sitting on the floor with the laptop on a chair, anything to avoid the shoulder slope.
+1
Elevating my screen has worked for me too.
I spend a TON of time in online meetings, and have been saved by a larger, second monitor and regular keyboard. My laptop still does all the processing, but the elevated monitor and keyboard has taken a lot of the stress off of my neck and back because I’m not hunched over a laptop keyboard. My workplace actually provided them to me as an “ergonomic” solution when I brought it to the attention of HR. Many companies are willing to do this to help their employees, if employees make the request.
Definitely elevate your screen, or if you use a tablet or phone, get an adjustable arm bracket for it.
It’s more flattering on camera, too, to have your screen/computer camera elevated. Helps to alleviate the dreaded double-chin-from-drowning-my-sorrows-in-too-much-ice-cream look…
She’ll be touting how she discovered the importance of downtime, relaxation and family when all she’s really done is come face to face with common sense. Wait. Has she invented common sense?
You made me spit my coffee LooooL!
You are so right! She’s going to claim she invented down time and family dinners.
I also predict she’ll go right back to shilling all the “wellness” stuff as soon as possible too. As soon as another fad comes out she can latch onto. I do have to think she’d be so much happier if she weren’t so obsessive about it all.
If you feel better not doing it, then it’s not “wellness”.
Bingo!
IDK it’s sort of this cultural phenomenon that we’re getting sold wellness.
Just a few generations ago people were more vigorous because they had to walk everywhere, ate “natural foods” which was just food and all that was available, family meals which were just meals, and if you’re from the west had a built in day of rest every week where you socialize with community.
It’s funny that a wellness guru is getting this huge lightbulb moment that all this shit is free, you don’t need to cut gluten or do yoga to feel well!
Simplicity plus a vag scented candle and life is good! Thanks Gwyneth. You’re such a guru.
Gwyneth is tolerable here.
I kind of understand what she’s saying re: trying to squeeze in wellness — I’m not a Goop person by any means, but I do think when life was normal, I’d feel guilty for not making time for yoga, or messing up my sleep schedule, or not doing a mask on my face for weeks on end, and when I did do it, it was more of the sake of checking it off my to-do list than feeling genuinely better after. Now, with so much extra time at home, these things come a little more easily for me and have been really beneficial to keeping myself mentally well. I have a better sleep/waking up routine than I’ve ever had in my entire life — I’ve turned myself into a morning person, finally!
As I try to keep my mental health in check these past few months I’ve learned just how much effort it takes to stay on top of self-care. Hopefully when we’re through with COVID I’ll be able to continue to maintain the balance I’ve found.
The level of disorder GP promotes is wild. Not to mention chronic restriction/ underfeeding, which can seriously mess someone up both physically and emotionally. So of course she finds it stressful. She should consider not profiting off of insisting people are inadequate and reinforcing models of self-hatred.
I guess it makes her feel better about herself. Between her nepotistic acting career, her privileged white upbringing and her lack of education, she sees looking down on people as her only personal accomplishment.
When my kids tell me to go running or do yoga and light a candle and meditate and eat healthy and whatnot I tell them it can be very stressing to destress. Most times it’s down time, disconnecting and a loving family that does it.
Whatever else I think of her, I have to admit she looks STUNNING on this cover. Sexy, even. And ‘sexy’ is not a word I usually associate with GP.
She does look good though I am distracted by the half sweater with swim bottoms – I know it is purely for the aesthetic but huh?
Also, whose boobs did they ‘shop on her because they are perfect!
They ARE perfect! Never in my life have I been (superficially) attracted to this woman before now! (Although I did quite enjoy her chemistry with Downey Jr in the first two Iron Man films)
Lord, she is wearing a sweater as a bikini top. Like Gwen it’s totally impractical and stupid (on everyone else).
I love what the good doctor is saying. She should have a national platform.
She looks absolutely amazing and I’m not really a fan
How does one make sense of her thinking?
Lol How generous to call it thinking!
I sometimes have to deal with people like her. Goop only put out there the way the 1% lives. They all talk like her, shop like her and are insufferable like her. Really disconnected from the real world.
That’s why she’s so successful. She caters to the way her lady friends « think ».
I know a few who have less notorious brands like her and their friends find them SUPER CLEVER and ENTREPRENEURIAL because they couldn’t be arsed to write a text in a blog let alone have an assistant brainstorm with them for 30mns and do the work for them rather than shop and go to cocktail parties.
This is a bit like marketing and selling cars and then saying “I actually feel a lot better without driving and traffic.” The next book will be something like “Live Like You Only Had One Day! – Why Having That Cupcake Is OK.”
I have always liked her movies. I think she is a good actress. GOOP is stupid though.
It really is a testament to her acting abilities because I really enjoy watching her work but CHRIST I cannot stand who she is as a person. She’s scary good at playing “normal” everyday people.
And I scrolled right past the screen cap of the zoom call at first because I thought it was an ad. I didn’t recognize her.
Say what you will but she is stunningly beautiful. She looks great. Wow.
Next she’ll be shilling “Conscious Unwellness”…
She looks gorgeous on this cover. FYI I bought this issue and the photos are from a 2019 shoot that they agreed to use because of Covid-19, sorry I won’t be getting up to find more info.
I totally skipped reading what she said and scrolled down to comments. 😂
She’ll be shilling jade dinner plates or stickers to help you sleep better next…
GP got super obsessive about exercise and wellness when she was in her miserable marriage with Chris Martin and they were living out of the limelight in London. She was desperate for attention. Trying weird new ways of being healthy, exercising like a maniac and restricting calories gave her a purpose, and then Goop gave her an outlet and a way to get her name in the news again.
Fast forward a few years and she seems to be happily married to a guy who likes to be seen in public with her and isn’t afraid to display his affection for her on instagram. It’s no surprise to me that she’s relaxing her views on health and isn’t exercising 2 hours a day. She’s content.
That’s my take on it, anyway.