GP

Gwyneth: The Biography. I loved this (unauthorized) biography about Gwyneth Paltrow. I enjoyed the look inside GP's upbringing, rise to fame, family life and entrepreneurial path. I'm a fan of Gwyneth and I enjoy following her on social media, reading her recommendations on Goop and listening to her podcast. Author Amy Odell, however, is clearly a hater of GP.

I had read Odell's biography about Anna Wintour. That book is more generous and puts Wintour in a positive light. Odell touts Wintour as ambitious and a hard worker, while painting Gwyneth as money hungry and spoiled. Odell is so blatantly biased against GP. Perhaps it's her privilege, her Jewish heritage, who knows. Maybe Odell is just feeding into the tired narrative of people who just love to hate on Gwyneth for being Gwyneth. Either way, Odell puts a negative spin on just about everything GP ever accomplished; it verges on bullying in the book.

Gwyneth is thoroughly researched, I'll give the author that. I loved all the details about GP's life and work. I see her as a trailblazer. Gwyneth was one of the first celebrities to essentially brand herself. She started out just sharing information and resources with friends and followers. GP still shares the scoop on everything from restaurants to wellness, all for free. I see her as extremely generous. Sure, she might make commissions and she also promotes her own products. That's business acumen, and this is America. I don't recall Odell ripping apart Anna Wintour for wanting to be successful. This biography of GP is essentially a smear campaign, but I read beyond the author's opinion and appreciated the juicy facts for what they are. The story of an accomplished, savvy (not to mention stylish) woman.

Despite Odell's bashing, I'm rooting for Gywneth steadfastly. GP seems to be living in integrity, in alignment with her values, and she's helping her audience along the way. I stan, as the kids say.

AS