Gwyneth Paltrow revealed the “crazy” childbirth experience she had with her first baby and that they both almost died during delivery.
The Goop founder talked openly about the two cesarean sections she underwent to give birth to her 17-year-old daughter Apple and 15-year-old son Moses during an appearance on Monday’s episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “My daughter was an emergency, it was crazy, we almost died. It was like not good,” she explained. “Anyway, there’s a big scar across your body, and you’re like, ‘Oh wow, that didn’t used to be there.’ And it’s not that it’s bad or you want to judge it, but you’re just like, ‘Oh, my God.’”
She also expressed how thankful she is that social media didn’t exist at the time so that she didn’t feel the pressure to adhere to all of these unrealistic body standards for new moms. Paltrow said, “Thank God there wasn’t Instagram when I had babies because now it’s like if I see someone, ‘Oh, I just gave birth two weeks ago and I have a completely washboard stomach,’ and I’m like, ‘Wow that’s not what I [looked like].’” She continued, “And like great, more power to the lady with the washboard [abs], but that is totally the exception. And then, now, we’re being fed all of these other images of what we’re supposed to look like all the time—babies, no babies, whatever.”
And it’s not just mothers’ physical appearance that’s being policed, but also how they’re raising their children. The actress says that this stress we place on women during this already difficult time is totally unnecessary and instead of fighting over formula or breastfeeding, mothers should all be “friends with each other” instead. “Guess what, whatever it is, it’s OK,” she said. “I feel like we also have this weird thing around…It’s past perfectionism. It’s like I can do this gargantuan task that’s superhuman and why? For what?”
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Sparring and Slurring With Gore Vidal
— How Pickleball Won Over Everyone From Leonardo DiCaprio to Your Grandparents
— Kate Middleton and Prince William Are Turning Their Sights Toward America
— Wait, So Are AirPods Still Cool?
— No More Martinis: The Queen Advised to Give Up Her Favorite Drink
— Demi Lovato’s Alien Stuff Reaches New Heights
— How the FBI Discovered a Real-Life Indiana Jones in, of All Places, Rural Indiana
— Love Is a Crime: Inside One of Hollywood’s Wildest Scandals
— The Definitive Guide to the Best Beauty Advent Calendars of 2021
— From the Archive: Irreconcilable Distances
— Sign up for “The Buyline” to receive a curated list of fashion, books, and beauty buys in one weekly newsletter.
