Goop, she did it again
Edmonton professor Timothy Caulfield on what Gwyneth Paltrow gets wrong
Don’t steam your vagina. That is the latest advice from everyone who isn’t Gwyneth Paltrow. As part of her ongoing transformation from Hollywood starlet to Hollywood lifestyle guru, the “v-steam” is Paltrow’s latest advice for improved health and wellness. Timothy Caulfield, a professor at the University of Alberta, has a love/hate relationship with Paltrow and the celebrity culture she represents through her online magazine Goop — and he’s written a whole book to explain why. The Post’s Jen Gerson asked Caulfield a few questions about Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?
Q I really enjoyed the book. It was a good read, but in some ways it felt slightly misleading. You start it with a chapter about how Gwyneth Paltrow is wrong, and you think you’re going to get a book debunking celebrity myths and celebrity trends. But by the second or third chapter, this book is about celebrity culture.
A That’s right and I think — I don’t know if Trojan horse is the right term — I do want to use celebrity culture to talk about the impact it has on our lives and also to use celebrity culture to talk about some of the big topics I cover in the book, including health and wellness. It is absolutely about celebrity culture more broadly. I don’t think I pick on just Gwyneth Paltrow. I think she is a symbol of the place celebrity culture has on our lives right now. She is more than just a celebrity, more than just an icon. Part of her brand is tied up with health.
Q Are you in love with Gwyneth Paltrow?
A I’m not. I don’t love her and I don’t hate her. When I was younger she was one of my favourite actresses — around the Seven era. So she absolutely has a place in my personal history. And I love popular culture, but I don’t love Gwyneth Paltrow. She frustrates me frequently, though.
Q That’s a symbol of love, you know. A Being frustrated? Q Yes. A I don’t think I’m in love with Gwyneth Paltrow. And the restraining order says I have to stay 50 metres away from her anyway.
Q It’s intriguing that someone with such an academic background would take on this topic. You’ve also written the book in a way that is intended to be accessible. Tell me about that decision.
A We’ve done academic work on the impact of celebrity culture. For example, we did a study on the impact of Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy. There is a lot of research on the way science and health is reported and the impact that might have. There is an anecdotal sense I have that popular culture seems to be having a greater and greater influence on health and well being. From an academic perspective, that’s what drew me to it. Celebrity culture isn’t going away and I think it’s important for the research community to be engaged in these topics.
Q Are any of your peers in the academic world raising eyebrows?
A I’ve been an academic for 20 years now. And I do think there is a growing interest in public engagement; had this been published 10, 15 years ago, more eyebrows might have been raised. But increasingly, the academic community realizes the need to engage the public.
Q This is a strange interview, in that you are more engaged and interested in celebrity culture than the journalist interviewing you. I don’t care about any of this stuff. Why do you?
A I do love celebrity culture. In my early years, I wanted to be one of the members of the Partridge family. As a young adult, I wanted to be a rock star. If you went back and time and asked me if I was interested in celebrity culture, I would deny it of course. But I feel I can relate to that desire. Why does anyone like celebrity culture? I find it entertaining. I find that it helps me forget my stresses in my day. It’s a light part of our universe.
Q Are you hoping this book will vaunt you to celebrity?
A I don’t really, no. But I do feel fortunate to have the opportunity to talk about issues around health and well being. That was one of the goals of the book, was to use it as an excuse to engage on these topics.
Q There seems to be a growth of sorts toward more sciencebased approaches to seemingly shallow topics (like beauty, and diet for example.) Is that a backlash to Goop culture?
A My gut says there is, but I don’t have anything to support that. People often email me about that, they explicitly that they’re doing something in the spirit of pushback against all this celebrity nonsense. But I should point out, I’m not blaming celebrities. It’s a very complicated phenomenon where celebrities are also influenced by this information as they influence others. It’s a vicious cycle. I don’t blame celebrities. I don’t think there’s some kind of Star Chamber where Gwyneth and Oprah are making decisions about how we’re supposed to live our lives.
Q What is the most destructive advice from a celebrity figure?
A The easy one to go to is Jenny McCarthy and the advice we get around vaccinations and diet and weight loss. All those things are destructive. But more broadly, it’s how celebrity culture is influencing the way we think about our future, how we’re spending our time, where our resources are placed. It’s destructive in more subtle ways.