Gwyneth Paltrow鈥檚 commonwealth of aspirational feel-goodery is now reaching across the gender aisle with Goop Men. There鈥檚 the good, there鈥檚 the bad, and there鈥檚 the snugly, like this $28,900 Goop tells us is.
A theme already emerges from Goop Men鈥檚 early offerings, and it鈥檚 that men need to make peace with their vulnerability and embrace compassion. Their flagship podcast,, features an entire episode pointing out the wisdom in men asking for help when dealing with addiction, which I hope we can all agree is a good thing. And their introductory episode (titled 鈥淭he Warrior Construct鈥�) features Keith Mitchell, a former football player turned 鈥淐elebrity Yogi鈥�, who preaches for meditation and vulnerability: 鈥淭here鈥檚 gonna be compassion, there鈥檚 gonna be patience, and not even just with anybody else, but starting simply with yourself,鈥� he says at the 10-minute mark. 鈥淎nd when you begin to create that with yourself, it naturally rolls and flows out to everyone else that you鈥檙e interacting with.鈥� It鈥檚 a shame that Mitchell also spreads chemophobia and anti-GMO sentiment on, but that鈥檚 Goop for you. The threads of sympathetic advice, opulent ambitions, and pseudoscientific claptrap are tightly woven. They鈥檙e not meant to be disentangled.
An article on (tagged 鈥淪upported by Science鈥�) is, by my own non-expert appraisal, quite scientific and nuanced. Another one on (marked as 鈥淪peculative but Promising鈥�, the Quack Miranda warning of Goop) relies on the basic premise that we need to do something about low testosterone, which is 鈥渄ebatable鈥� according to Dr. Christopher Labos, a cardiologist and associate of our Office. The article doesn鈥檛 properly explain the complicated nature of testing for naturally fluctuating levels of the hormone, he tells me, but it does highlight that testosterone replacement can be dangerous if done improperly. 鈥淎 small number of people have true hypogonadism and need treatment,鈥� he concludes, 鈥渂ut evidence has shown that the majority of people who are given testosterone replacement therapy do not need it.鈥�
Another 鈥渟peculative鈥� article focuses on the, that bacterial ecosystem that lives on and inside our body and that is the subject of much hype. In it, they interview a 鈥渂iologic dentist鈥� who completed Harvard鈥檚 program in complementary and alternative medicine and who claims that 鈥渉ealing the body helps heal the mouth鈥�. I reached out to Grant Ritchey, a dentist practicing in Kansas and a contributor to. Does healing the body heal the mouth through the oral microbiome? 鈥淲ell, not exactly. It鈥檚 true in general terms, like when a person has good nutrition, stops smoking and exercises, or if someone has uncontrolled diabetes, it will show up orally.鈥� What about the biologic dentist鈥檚 claim that the germ theory is outdated, that bacteria are not the cause of tooth decay and gum disease, and that naturopathic medicine was right all along in blaming the microbial terrain? 鈥淲rong. The germ theory is alive and well, even in the mouth. Of course, we have found it to be much more complex than we thought a hundred years ago but, in general, if there are no germs, there cannot be gum disease or tooth decay.鈥�
These alternative facts, however, simply get braided into a desirable narrative, showcasing affluent men who have revitalized themselves by championing sciency-sounding natural solutions. Dr. Will Cole, co-host of goopfellas, writes about his, casually peppered with functional scents, a ketotarian diet dashed with marine collagen, a pair of $235 casual pants, a Prius electric car, and a wife who works out with her personal trainer at home. And transmogrifying these aspirations to your reality only requires an open mind, an emotional vulnerability, and a type of hyped-up gadgetry that might as well be called 鈥渨elltech鈥�. Whether it鈥檚 a posture trainer, an electrified headset meant to switch your brain to hyperlearning mode, or your own personal infrared sauna, you can bet the science behind it is being stretched beyond recognition, and so will your wallet if you click on the affiliate link.
I don鈥檛 know if Goop Men鈥檚 target audience is big enough for it to take flight. I suspect many men would rather orbit around Joe Rogan or the emerging Silicon Valley 鈥渂ro science鈥� gravity well, which emphasizes 鈥渃utting-edge science鈥� and body hacking. Discussions around toxic masculinity鈥攖he idea that men are often encouraged to behave in ways that can be harmful to both society and themselves鈥攁re becoming more prevalent, and Goop Men is plunging into this pool head first. We just have to be mindful not to fall for pseudoscience on our way to kindness. As the saying goes, an open mind is a good thing, but not so open that your brains fall out.
Take-home message:
-聽Goop Men is a new section on the website of Gwyneth Paltrow鈥檚 lifestyle brand Goop
- It is a mixture of healthier masculinity, expensive aspirational living, and pseudoscientific claims
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