Just when you thought it was impossible for Gwyneth Paltrow to get any more pretentious, she finds a way. She obviously thinks she is better than every human being on the planet and she is not shy about saying it. It is like she has no self censor button. Do you think when she gets drunk, if that ever happens that she becomes someone sweet and easy going who would share cigarettes and have burping contests? She gave an interview to InStyle and immediately got on my nerves because she says her kids get cross with her sometimes. Gwyneth, just because you are married to a guy from England and live there a few months a year does not make you British. Just say your kids get mad at you. Anyway, the reason they get mad at her is not because of what she named them. That will come later in life. It is because she only lets them watch television if it is in French or Spanish. I'm assuming it is because she wants them to be able to speak several languages because she has grown up feeling inadequate because she can't. Either that or she thinks any English language television programs suck which means her kids don't have to watch her in Glee although she probably tells them they can watch English television and movies as long as it stars her. Great. Shakespeare In Love tonight or View From The Top.
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ReplyDeleteMeh. If I didn't want my kids watching a lot of TV, I might do that, too, so that at least they're learning something.
ReplyDeletemy mum did this to my brother & me when we were kids, she only let us watch stuff in english or german (our mothertongue is spanish).
ReplyDeleteIt sucked but I can understand her, i'll do the same.
yes, she's such the parenting expert. when her kids stop having parental supervision at every possible moment things will change. the teen years will be interesting to watch, because she seems to think she has absolute control/say/influence..
ReplyDeleteimagine having to learn about life from watching "sliding doors."
ReplyDeleteMy Gran always said cross and she was American all the way...
ReplyDeleteI'm no Goopie fan but she speaks Spanish like a native and also French...
My best friends mom is German, when she was enrolled in school the teacher told her not to speak German around her because it was confusing her...
Anyway my friend is still pissed at this teacher...
It would certainly be nice to provide a little basic tutoring to go along with the TV programming...
ReplyDeleteI hear of plenty of people that don't let their kids watch TV period. It's only once in a blue moon they get to watch movies. I see nothing wrong or pretentious about this. The kids are at the perfect age to become multilingual, which is very important in this day and age. Hell, I'm going to Paris next week and I am scrambling to just learn some basics. Unfortunately my gut reaction to any foreign language is to respond/ask auf Deutsch. Oy.
ReplyDeleteIf you want your kids to know and understand other languages- teach them latin first! I took only 2 years of latin but when I took spanish- it was so easy.I was the only one in my class to get a 100% for the entire year. After all latin is the basis for romance languages!
ReplyDeletewhile i'm all in favor of raising a child to be multi-lingual, and give major props to parents who understand the value in this, i am horrifically embarrassed for her. she has absolutely no tact. i also think her children are at the age where they are noticing how ridiculous she is, and are probably pretty embarrassed by her too. #poorfruitandbiblicalhero
ReplyDeleteI think she's pretentious and annoying but I understand the cross/mad thing. I've lived here for coming up to a year and often say words that I would have seldom said in the UK. For example, I will often say 'awesome' whereas before I'd have said 'brilliant'. I do it automatically and not because I'm trying to fit in. I think if you're surrounded by words enough you absorb them.
ReplyDeleteJust because something is in French doesn't mean it's not trashy. When I was in France, they were airing old A-Team and Melrose Place episodes dubbed over in French. Who's to say that Apple and Moses aren't sitting in front of the Telly every night watching a French-speaking Heather Locklear having sex on a desk with her flavor of the week? ;)
ReplyDeleteCan I just say I will forever laugh my ass off at that blind reveal about Chris Martin hiring someone to respond to her texts.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteGoop speaks fluent Spanish.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't click on anything Goop-related because the woman simply has no self-awareness whatsoever.
@ Pookie " i am horrifically embarrassed for her. she has absolutely no tact." Uh....what? She has no tact because she makes her kids watch french and spanish TV? I do not understand this train of thought. Enlighten me.
ReplyDeleteI'm not seeing the big deal about this. Its so easy to hate on her, but this is quite a reach. I think its smart, if your kids are gonna watch crap at least they'll get some benefit from it.
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ReplyDeleteEnty Fail! As many people have already mentioned The Goop is fluent in a few languages. All the Montessori training is paying off!
ReplyDeleteI was supposed to go to a multi-lingual immersion elementary school. But my mom wanted me to have all day kindergarten in a different neighborhood. Thanks mom! I never went to the same school as the kids in my neighborhood and my French is only good enough to order food...
Amber, have an amazing time in Paris! I love, love, love that city!!! When do you leave and will you send me pastries?
And what is up with this stupid green picture!?! Just why?
ReplyDeleteHer poor kids. Do you think they get teased or do they bully their friends into eating organic and wearing hemp clothes?
I happen to really like both Shakespeare in Love and View from the Top.
ReplyDeleteI think its a great idea!! But i wkd restict it to their equivilent of pbs. Cant hate her for this; i think its brilliant! Hey! Now im british, lol. I mean yeah, she's a pretentious little thing but this i like.
ReplyDeletemother campfire, no. she has no tact b/c she speaks out her ass. often and repeatedly.
ReplyDeletehope that helps.
I can't stand her. I am waiting when her husband finally leaves her. See what explanation she will have for the end of her marriage.
ReplyDeleteShe speaks fluent Spanish and lived in Spain once
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I like the goopster! She is a little pretentious but hey this is hollywood and she grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth from the get go!!!
ReplyDelete@Amber, you lucky dog you:) I am dying to go to France but the husband sees no appeal in it whatsoever!! Have a blast and don't forget to wear your beret:)
I say 'cross' at times and write whilst- but I am Canadain- monarchist roots and all..;)
ReplyDeleteBut Goop just comes across as condescension in heels!
I still irrationally adore her.
ReplyDeleteI give her a pass. I lived in London for only two years, and that was 9 years ago, but I *still* revert to some British phrases when I'm talking about the UK or traveling there. I fly to London on Thursday, and for the last two weeks the British phrases have been randomly popping into my speech. My slight british accent come back within 15 minutes of landing. Gwyneth is surrounded by Brits all the time, so it's natural for her to pick up some of the phrases.
ReplyDeleteIf I had kids, you'd better believe I'd be teaching them foreign languages. Limiting their TV - what a great way to do it. Though how do they have that much French and Spanish language tv to watch? -- I doubt Gwyneth encourages her kids to watch Univision.
@rejectedcarebear - I agree with you about Latin. I also took 2 years of it and then took French - made it a lot easier. Also, when I went into health care and started to learn the vocabulary it gave me a head start there as well. It's a shame that teaching it seems to be dying out.
ReplyDeleteI support wanting your kids to become multi-lingual (it's MUCH easier to learn multiple languages in childhood than later in life, especially when you've had a knock on the head that's rendered you hearing-impaired, says one who knows...), but surely there's some good English-language programming out there as well?
ReplyDeleteAs for the "cross" business, there's yet another way to take it, so here's your Halloween joke 6 weeks early:
Two nuns are driving along a lonely road through dark woods at night, when all of a sudden a vampire leaps out of a tree and on to the roof of the car, eyes glowing, scratching at the window, and drooling blood. The driving nun freaks out and yells to the other one "Sister! Sister! Show him your cross!" So the nun riding shotgun rolls down her window, sticks her head out, looks up at the vampire, and yells "HEY, ASSHOLE! GET THE FUCK OFF OUR CAR!!!"
...Thank you, I'll be here all week... ;-)
In all truth our grandparents had bigger and better vocabularies than we do....
ReplyDeleteShe truly is nauseating and I don't know how a lovely woman like Blythe Danner could have raised such a self-absorbed, posturing flibertygibbet.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it is good to get your kids to absorb a second or even third language when you can. Hers are at an optimal age to do so.
fyi, kids don't learn language from just exposure. it has to be meaningful exposure, ie from a parent or teacher. if the kids LOVE the tv program (unlikely if they have never seen it) they might pick up something. but to think that your kid would learn a language just by having the tv on is false. if that were true you could just play vocabulary tapes for your kids, in a language they already know, and they would ace that portion of the SAT. its been proven with certin lnguages that unless kids have exposure before theage of 2, they will never speak like a native speaker. the ear loses its sensitivity to hear certain inflections. when they tried playing tapes for kids under 2 of these languages, it did nothing. exposure needs to man something to the child. hearing mom speak spanish is helpful.hearing random stranger speak it is not.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I wish I would have been exposed to other languages growing up, didn't get introduced until 7th grade & unfortunately, the french I remember is very little.
ReplyDeleteAlso, random tidbit, Gwyneth is aware people don't like her. A couple of years ago, she was on Chelsea Lately, and Chelsea was gushing over her and said, "I love you, hell, everybody loves you" (along those lines) and Gwyneth kinda chuckled and said, "oh thanks, uh, but not really" It made her seem pretty honest and (more) down to earth to me, a lot of people would have just sat there and taken it like they are the best thing since sliced bread.
Btw, @Amber-have a magnifique time in Paris! I went 20+ yrs ago, on a school trip and absolutely LOVED it! Eat a lot of baguettes and drink plenty of wine or me, thanks in advance! :)
@ dia - I leave next Wednesday. We have a direct flight! I will try to send you pastries, but I cannot promise that I won't cave and eat them. 0 self-control, over here.
ReplyDelete@ Roman - He needs to suck it up! Perhaps you can combine it with a trip to Amsterdam or Germany? I actually do wear a beret often in cold weather (among other hats), but I'd be afraid it'd come off as a try-hard over there. LOL
@ Lurky Loo - Adding "flibertygibbet" to my list of fav words!
i don't think this is as bad as some of her other things, so i'll say 'meh'. i have used cross in the past and i'm not british(i didn't know it was exclusive).
ReplyDeleteI just like to exercise my kids vocabulary muscles. Especially my tween. From my experience if you speak like a grownup to your teachers in school, they will generally give you the benefit of the doubt when something is questionable. Also, Pepper is fluent in italian. At one of the last Avenger junkets, there was a funny clip of Pepper speaking with one of the reporters in italian, as he was struggling with his english.
Amber - I love all the art museums. I spent days inside looking at all the amazing things. There's a multi-pass thing you can buy. My favorite part of the city was the view from Montmartre and all the cheap shops up there.
ReplyDeleteYou will eat everything! And not gain weight! It is the most amazing thing :) I love Paris. I have been there twice with my guy. We would live there if we could.
I know you don't like her but that's no excuse not to get your facts straight. She speaks fluent Spanish.
ReplyDeleteShe can come across as "uppity", but I honestly think if we were out having tea, or a beer she would be fun and nice to talk to about most anything.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that she wants her kids to multilingual.
You do pick up the common words from your environment. So she gets a pass from me on using cross instead of mad. I've even said "bloody" this or that, after reading a British author, now that's probably pretentious.
She is a prep school kid so I suspect she does speak several languages. That and a lifetime of world travelling. Fitzgerald already explained this to you 80 years ago. The rich are very different than you and I.
ReplyDelete@Amber totally jealous, but have fun! I would love to see the Opera Garnier, the Louvre, and the Catacombs. Let us know how it goes. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat...are her kids watching mun2 and TV5Monde day in and day out or do they interact with their fluent-in-Spanish mother and attend L'Alliance Francais kiddy functions?
ReplyDeleteI get her meaning but, as per the usual, she came off as a pretentious cow.
That fucking bitch! Imagine the audacity to use an expression she picked up because she lives somewhere. Whore! And limiting the type of tv her kids watch? That cunt!
ReplyDeleteShe is truly this generation's Hitler.
Newsflash, lots of parents limit the tv their kids watch. And if she wants them to only watch foreign-language tv, so be it. It's her choice and I'm not going to judge a mother on her choices.
This is by far the most desperately "reaching" post about Gwyneth ever.
@ Coriander - Thank you! And thank you for reminding me about the Catacombs. We only have 5 days, so I have to be strategic :)
ReplyDeleteI find it really easy to hate GP every time she opens her mouth, but she's clearly got a few fans here! Interesting. Or maybe disturbing. In any case, allowing your children to watch television but then demanding that they only do so in another language IS pretentious. Otherwise, it's pointless.
ReplyDelete1. I dont get the gwyneth hate. People have the right to be stuck up.
ReplyDelete2. I use the word WHILST occasionally. Does that make me pretentious?
She spends alot of time in england, why wouldnt some of the culture rub off on her?
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with GOOP is when she makes these comments, she doesn't realize how she alienates people. Escpecially w/people struggling right now. There is a lot of horrible shit on TV, so I don't fault her. I think she lacks a certain amount of self awareness. Unfortunately she is setting herself up for people waiting for her to fail.
ReplyDeleteI believe she speaks French, Spanish, and a little Italian very well. Seems like I saw her on something years ago where she answered the questions in French. I also do not understand the hate. I totally get that she wants a good life for her and her family.
ReplyDeleteHave fun Amber! I loved Paris and want to go back so badly. My faves were Montmarte, the Louvre, and Marie Antoinette's estate at Versailles. Yes, eat whatever you want. There's so much walking.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Megerz! I've added to my list. :) I'm planning on packing lots of lycra and tunic-length tops just in case all of my eating catches up with me. haha. I may unlock my blog and do a big Paris post, so I'll let you guys know if I do! (I probably will.)
ReplyDelete@Robin
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I got a good giggle from your joke, thanks!
As for Goop, I have always liked her, and always will.
@ Reno - I like her, as well. I realize people think she's "snooty", but if she tried to come off as relatable and all down-to-Earth but lived a completely different way, people would be calling her out for being a total fraud. She was raised in a certain lifestyle and has maintained that lifestyle. Big deal.
ReplyDeleteBloody hell, this Is nothing. Could someone please pass the bacon?????
ReplyDeleteApparently, Enty is the only one who is unaware of Goop's linguistic skills.
ReplyDeleteUgh. She's a smug elitist with no sense of self-awareness. Does anyone remember that clip of her on The Chew where she said that her kids had to take a bite out of a new food and at least try it before turning it down? How many millions of us grew up with that rule and Fishsticks was acting as if she'd invented motherhood or something.
ReplyDeleteOh and she says other stupid shit, like Beyonce is the most talented human being on the planet. Seriously??
LOL!!! I LOVE Gwyneth. She makes me laugh. It's people like her that add color to life.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand GOOP the person. The weird thing is that as an actress, I find her quite charming. I love her as Pepper Potts in the Iron Man movies. I thought she was great in Proof with Anthony Hopkins. Okay I didn't like Shakespeare in Love. But as a person, she has THE most pretentious persona in the world. She's worse than Martha Stewart, because at least Martha isn't always doing weird diets and juice cleanses. GOOP is mindbogglingly annoying to me.
ReplyDeleteGoop is so pretentious that I expect goopish behavior from her but I don't think using "cross" and wanting her kids to be multilingual is a negative.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a much more common practice these days especially in stricter households with parents who are both educated. I've interviewed countless number of parents and it shocked me to see how common it was for parents to not allow tv at all or just restrict it to very educational programming that they previewed before showing it to their kids. I grew up in this type of household and was only allowed to watch pbs. Myself and all of my siblings performed well in school because of it. Also I love all the comments to this post! I'm in ed research so it's fun to see how people react ;)
ReplyDelete@Me: I totally agree with you. I speak a few languages, and I learned them all after age 22. If you want to learn something, you can! Living in a different country helps, but if there is no connection between what her kids are watching and what they should be learning at that age (if it is not Sesame street or kiddy shows) they won't retain it. I agree with @Julie-- her comments alienate people because most parents won't plonk their kids down in front of a tv show they wouldn't understand themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhile ordinarily GOOPy irritates me just because of nepotism/lack of ability to act, I can't hate on her here. I say cross and quite (when I mean kind of) and brilliant at times and that's just because I spent 6 months working in London, it rubbed off, sorry. I also still say y'all because that's where I'm from. I don't think adding these new words to my vocab is putting on airs in any way for me, or for her. And the TV restriction- her kids are lucky- I was only allowed to watch 2 hrs of non-PBS a week until I was 13. At the time I just wanted to go over to my friend's houses and I definitely missed some cultural references my friends know but at the same time I read instead which I really think helped me in life, in terms of performance on standardized tests, at my job, etc. So I don't see what is so wrong about these TV restrictions. And wanting your kids to speak more than one language is also a good thing if we want our kids to understand the world someday... so I kind of really don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI mean I get that for someone who has been struggling to find work in this economy in the US that this comes off as pretentious and douchey.... but so does everything she does so... I find this way less annoying than recommendations to purchase bags that cost $15k or that to prepare the healthiest meals for your family you have to use esoteric and expensive ingredients, as she often gets on her blog.
she speaks spanish, but not fluently and not like a native. sweet jeebus...
ReplyDeleteShe's such a buzzkill....She's that person that wants to go for a walk after dinner just when everyone is starting to relax "to burn some of it off".....Or the one that wants to play charades when everyone is chilling.....
ReplyDeleteShe's probably cool in real life, but in writing she comes across as insufferable. Then again, tv will rot your brain, so she's probably onto something.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, she just doesn't bother me.
ReplyDeleteAs for British vs. American phrases, I wish I could pull off so-and-so is "called" rather than so-and-so is "named." Does the fact that my great-grandfather was English give me any latitude? :)
Ah, the Paris trip details! Now I get it, have a blast!
ReplyDeleteDizzy eggs, right there with you, my now all grown up son gets many compliments on his vocab, and I always tried to challenge his language skills vs. dumbing down our conversations. I like GP, and this is not the worst thing a parent can do. I used to only spend summers in Cape Cod, and I would come back to Cali saying "wicked" for months...
And Anita, hilarious!
I don't see why it's so bad to use a word common to another country.
ReplyDeleteWe all speak English, I use some American sayings I picked up over there. So what.
Enty seems really have it in for skinny women lately.
I know so many people like Gwyneth. I used to like her too. The more interviews I read, and the more I got to know about her, I realized how pretentious she is....She 'puts on airs', as the old saying goes.
ReplyDeleteI think she's beautiful and a talented actress though, and I admire her self-discipline.
She seems like the type of person who would always have to be one-up on you.
It's not the limiting your kids' TV that's so annoying, it's the need to advertise that you are doing it and the pickle-up-the-butt uber control. She'll be like those parents who have started accompanying their grown kids to job interviews!
ReplyDelete@karate That's it...it the need to advertise it.
ReplyDeleteHow can she be such a control freak with such a squeaky-clean life, yet be married to a rock star...and have a perfect marriage and they don't get photographed together?
There are so many contradictions, that the way she presents her life doesn't ring true for me....I just can't imagine Chris Martin caring about fancy-schmancy cookery and lucite tray sets. Also, how can you be a foodie, be 5' 7" and weigh 110 lb.?? What does she do, spit everything out?
Another thing recently that bothered me was that she tried insinuating herself into rap culture!! As if. She behaved in a way that really bothered me and said something really inappropriate that caucasians should never ever ever say.
@TuxedoCat and karate, I completely agree. Have you seen that Cheetos commercial where the two moms are watching their kids' soccer game? One of the moms is SUPER pretentious and is going on and on about her son's trilingual program at school and how he's absolutely excelling in Mandarin. THAT is how I think of GOOP.
ReplyDeleteHere's the commercial. I'd be the one eating.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgoDcCQZzIg
g.strathmore Hahaha!! Totally
ReplyDelete