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BlogHer Series Part 1: Gwyneth Paltrow on Life and Business
I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks since I’ve attended the BlogHer Conference in New York City! It was such an exciting time with so much to learn and take in. I could certainly do a write-up on the whole thing, but that would be like a BOOK. I’ll break it up into a series of five posts. We’ll start off with keynotes from actress Gwyneth Paltrow and film director Ava DuVernay. Then we’ll move on to lessons learned in branding and writing workshops. Finally, we’ll discuss everything else including the pros and cons of attending BlogHer from this first timer’s point of view.
Expectation vs. Reality
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from Gwyneth Paltrow’s keynote. While I admire her track record as an award-winning Hollywood actress, I kind of expected this grown-up version of Blair or Serena in Gossip Girl. Having grown up in NYC’s Upper East Side, attended Spence School, being born to Hollywood’s elite, and Sex in the City character Stanford Blatch’s comment of GP as one who suffers from “excessive high self-esteem” didn’t exactly put her in a positive light.
So I was pleasantly surprised by how candid, funny, and “human” she came across on stage in her interview with BlogHer co-founder Elise Camahort. The fact that she had a very public divorce must have been hard and she was really real about it.
I think as people who are (blessedly) NOT in the public eye, and seeing these celebrities on the cover of major magazines, there’s this perception that these celebrities have their shit together, have all the money, love, success, happiness, whatever. Really they have the same struggles as everyone else – it’s just that for better or worse their lives get publicized.
On Children and Social Media
She shares the same concerns about young children and technology. Her 11-year old daughter Apple has a private Instagram account and has been asking for an iPhone but feels she’s too young to have one. Paltrow says:
… I explain to them that some people in the world are creepy and you gotta be a little careful and you know obviously the internet and safety is a huge thing for any parent it completely freaks me out, it really does. I think there’s an aspect that’s really dangerous but I think you try to deal with it as best as you can, it’s a conversation that I have a lot with my friends who are moms but hopefully I can stave off a little…
Then she had to go through a divorce in the public eye and had to explain to her kids:
You know that daddy and I are famous and there’s gonna be a lot of stuff out there and I can’t control what you’re gonna see. You’re gonna ask your friends and they’re gonna say whatever, but you know what it is to be here in this house. You know what’s real you know we love you and love each other and I think they understand that there’s a difference between the outside world and the inside world.
Still, it seems Gwyneth and ex-hubby Chris Martin are still trying to be there for their children despite their decision to “consciously uncouple”:
Even though we couldn’t stay in a romantic relationship, our values are very much around the importance of family and the importance of those relationships. I’m lucky that we’re aligned in that way and you know, it’s been hard like we’ve gone through some very difficult times but we’ve always said these children are our priority so that means even though today you hate me and never want to see me again, we’re going to brunch because it’s Sunday and that’s what we do… our children are our commitment. If we could maintain the family even though we’re changing the shape of it, that would be our ideal scene and that’s what we’re trying to do.
Elise Camahort moves on to other topics like GP’s involvement with Glee, whether or not she plans to go back to acting (she wants to do theater again but is focused on her business), then on to her lifestyle blog business GOOP. Asked where the untapped growth market is for online entrepreneurs, GP replies:
I really do think people are looking for that voice, if you have a really strong point of view. I think people want to see things through a filter. In our business circle there’s a lot in food and wellness and there’s a lot of meaning into that but it’s I think that there’s white space everywhere. It’s just the more that you know who you are and what you’re doing I think the more that white space gets revealed for that particular person.
Overall, I can’t complain, I would have loved to hate GP and bash her for selling overpriced luxury products on her website. On the other hand, I have to give her credit for putting herself out there, sharing what she likes, being an advocate for clean eating, creating a new organic skin care line (which comes out 2016) and finding success in something she created.
[…] last post of the BlogHer series. (If you haven’t already read the last four parts, here they are: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4). Overall, I thought the BlogHer event in NYC was great and would […]