Gwyneth Paltrow is hardly an enigma. From crystal “healing” eggs to vagina-themed candles, the actress and entrepreneur has cultivated a persona that feels both hyper-accessible and endlessly polarising. And yet, we really only know her through the headlines. For more than three decades, she has been at the centre of public fascination — from her relationships with Brad Pitt and Chris Martin, to her tearful Oscar acceptance, her “conscious uncoupling,” her testimony against Harvey Weinstein, and most recently, her viral 2023 ski-crash trial.
Now, journalist and author Amy Odell takes on her story in Gwyneth: The Biography, a book that dissects how Paltrow became one of the most divisive figures in modern celebrity culture.
A talent for divisiveness
Paltrow herself seems fully aware of her polarising presence. Known for her sharp yet deadpan wit, she often delivers soundbites that blur the line between sincerity and satire. From lamenting the inconvenience of losing a ski day after a collision to admitting she “can’t possibly pretend to be someone who makes $25,000 a year,” her acid tongue is, more often than not, firmly in her cheek. It’s a wink-and-nudge style of self-presentation that ensures she stays in the spotlight — loved and loathed in equal measure.
When she launched Goop in 2008, critics rolled their eyes, with The Guardian remarking that she had “found a way to be even more annoying.” Medical experts were quick to question her wellness empire, particularly after the Netflix series The Goop Lab aired in 2020. The NHS’s Simon Stevens went as far as to accuse Goop of promoting the views of “quacks, charlatans and cranks.”
Still, Paltrow has always brushed off criticism with casual defiance. “I will never understand the level of fascination and projection,” she once remarked. “But we don’t want to not change the conversation just to please everybody.”
Turning controversy into opportunity
What makes Paltrow unique is her ability to capitalise on divisiveness. Most recently, she fronted a viral PR campaign for the US tech firm Astronomer after two of its employees became the subject of a meme at a Coldplay concert. With her butter-wouldn’t-melt delivery — reminiscent of her ski trial performance — Paltrow transformed a fleeting viral moment into what SmartCompany called “an iconic PR turnaround.”
A larger-than-life persona
In Odell’s book, Paltrow is described as “one of the most resented celebrities in the world.” While the star herself didn’t participate, Odell conducted more than 220 interviews with friends, colleagues, and insiders to map Paltrow’s trajectory from Hollywood ingénue to one-name icon.
Odell’s previous book, Anna: The Biography, explored Vogue editor Anna Wintour — another ambitious, divisive woman who commands fascination despite criticism. The parallels between Wintour and Paltrow are clear: both are women who don’t shrink from public scrutiny but thrive within it.
Ultimately, Gwyneth Paltrow’s career shows how controversy, criticism, and charisma can intertwine to create not just celebrity — but cultural mythology.
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