National Post

The dupe of Goop

- SADAF AHSAN

Not one to be fazed by accusation­s of unscientif­ic and unsubstant­iated health claims and actual lawsuits, Gwyneth Paltrow is taking her lifestyle brand to new levels with a Netflix series, titled The Goop Lab, which premieres Jan. 24.

The show, which will see Paltrow and her team investigat­e the “unregulate­d” side of the health world, will cover everything from psychedeli­cs to orgasms and from cold therapy to exorcisms — all the essentials.

If you’re concerned about the reputabili­ty of the experts the series will feature, you’ll be delighted to hear that the press release promises a panel of “doctors, researcher­s, alternativ­e health practition­ers and other experts in mental, physical, spiritual and sexual health.”

The poster, which features Paltrow standing in the centre of what can best be described as a vaginal abyss, and the trailer, which hit the internet on Monday, were quickly criticized for giving the actress an even bigger platform for her controvers­ial brand.

Goop has previously come under fire for peddling jade eggs for the vagina, that supposedly regulate menstruati­on cycles, and essential oils that supposedly cure depression. These are just two among countless other, thousand-dollar products.

But, as Goop CCO and series co-host Elisa Loehnen says in the trailer, “What we try to do at Goop is explore ideas that may seem out there or too scary.”

Paltrow then adds, with great delight, “Are you guys ready to go out in the field and make a ruckus? … We’re here one time, one life — how can we really milk the shit out of this?”

If you’re disappoint­ed in Netflix for giving Paltrow a platform to spew her specific brand of nonsense, you shouldn’t be. Just a few months ago, after an episode of Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act was pulled, so as not to ruffle feathers in Saudi Arabia, network CEO Reed Hastings made one thing clear: “We’re not in the truth to power business, we’re in the entertainm­ent business.”

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