Gwyneth Paltrow speaks out about eliminating shame from female sexuality

Gwyneth Paltrow quickly made a name for herself in the wellness space with her brand Goop. But now the 48-year-old is also becoming synonymous with feminine pleasure after releasing the brand’s first vibrator.

“Our sexuality is such an important part of who we are and even the fact that when you think about it, we’re on morning television, so we can’t talk about female pleasure,” Paltrow said. TODAY during a Thursday performance. “It gives you a little insight into how culturally it is still taboo.”

The vibrator isn’t the first of Paltrow’s products to tap taboos, as Goop previously launched a “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle and vaginal jade eggs. “One of the things we really believe in at Goop is to remove shame from these topics,” she explained to co-host Savannah Guthrie. She has made this clear since speaking openly about her own sexuality in 2016.

“We feel that you cannot be a mother and a businesswoman and enjoy having sex!” she said SelfHow is an intelligent woman a sexual being? It’s really hard to integrate those things. … But I think it is important, as mothers and as women who contribute to society in any way whatsoever, that our true sexuality is not lost or pushed aside. “

Paltrow expanded this with the release of The sex problem, a book by Goop editors, with a foreword by her, that promises to explain “everything you always wanted to know about sexuality, seduction, and desire”.

“Sex is the big hot-button issue. While this is not surprising, it was an eye-opener for all of us to see how for so many conversations about women’s pleasure and sexual health can get going,” Paltrow wrote. . “Women who talk about sex – about what they like and don’t like, what they do and don’t get in their intimate relationships, the toll of sexual trauma and how they heal – tend to be people (both men and other women)) extremely self-aware and uncomfortable. “

The mother-of-two went on to write, “Right now, there is a collective opportunity to do away with the dangerous idea that women shouldn’t be completely comfortable talking about their sexuality – or that someone should be ashamed of themselves. asking. asking. “

According to a subsequent interview with Glamor UK, selling products like Goop’s own vibrator is one of the first steps in removing the stigma. “We feel that when we start a conversation, sell a product and shine a light on it, the shame starts to disappear,” she said.

Paltrow echoed the sentiment when the product launched just two months ago, telling the US New York Times, “I think in contrast to ‘Why a vibrator now?’ it’s kind of like, “How can we make a vibrator that helps keep reducing the stigma around that stuff?” ”

Even less explicit products, like the infamous vagina candle, were part of that destigmatization effort.

“Goop has certainly been a partner in forging that path and in creating a culture around female health, sexual health and sexuality. That’s why we created a vagina candle,” she said. Let’s get rid of all this stuff. Get your projections off me. Let me experience myself, my body and my pleasure in my own way. ‘

Still, Paltrow said she “always” gets an answer from her 78-year-old mother, Blythe Danner.

Gwyneth Paltrow with her mother, actress Blythe Danner.  (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)

Gwyneth Paltrow with her mother, actress Blythe Danner. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)

“She is [proper], ‘Said Paltrow TODAY on Thursday morning. “But even real ladies have sexuality too.”

And while Paltrow is proud to use her platform and her brand to showcase these topics, she’s not alone. Dakota Johnson, who is currently in a relationship with Paltrow’s ex-husband Chris Martin, is also working to dispel the sexual wellness embarrassment for women as part of the Maude company’s “This is not a toy” campaign.

“For too long, sexual health has been poorly marketed, hyperaggressive and strong genders,” Johnson said In style“With our This is not a toy campaign, we want to activate hearts and minds in an effort to destigmatize sexual and intimate aids. The use of language around sexual products is often outdated, gender-specific and small-scale. “

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