The price Paltrow puts on wellbeing is bad for our health

Hold on to your hats, people – Hurricane Gwynnie is about to hit the UK, and by the time she’s done with us, no vagina will be left unsteamed. (Yes, she once advocated doing this on her “lifestyle” site Goop.)

Gwyneth Paltrow will be rocking up in London next month for her Goop summit, a sort of wellbeing festival with workshops “for the spirit, for the body, for the mind and for beauty”. Given some of the advice she has doled out on Goop, I shudder to think what those workshops entail.

And how much will all of this cost? Well, for £4,500, you can have “VIP” access, which includes staying in a five-star hotel, but if you just want to go to the event, a day pass is £1,000. Still a bit steep? Well, thank God lovely Gwynnie is putting on yoga classes – a snip at £30! There are some things that are worth paying for in life, but being “well” shouldn’t be one of them. Worse, when you put an extortionate price on happy, healthy living, you send out a message that says anyone who can’t afford it doesn’t deserve it. In some small way, you contribute to making everyone else feel more miserable.

Of course, wellness warriors will correctly note that we are all responsible for our own feelings, but wouldn’t it be nice if someone as rich as Paltrow – someone who presumably doesn’t need the extra money from Goop – used her position to bring some of her “wellness” to people who can’t usually afford it? Who knows, it might even be good for her body, mind and spirit.