Henceforth goop shall take solid form.
Goop, the lifestyle site of actor Gwyneth Paltrow, is launching a collaboration with publishing group Condé Nast. The “multiplatform content partnership” includes a quarterly “special interest publication,” also known as a magazine, and it will be called Goop. The first issue comes out in September.
The magazine will be an extension of the site’s editorial mission—to figure out the benefits of vaginal jade eggs and whether kids need mannys (male nannies)—but will mostly be original content, according to a press release.
Condé Nast will provide art for the partnership. Legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour said in the release, “I’ve long known Gwyneth to have wonderful taste and vision—but with goop she has built something remarkable, a thoroughly modern take on how we live today.”
Indeed, the marriage of Vogue and Goop shows how important this particular brand of wellness has become. Goop’s raison d’être is a viscous manifestation of the mindfulness industrial complex, an industry of products and services that reassure people they can feel calmer and better by buying stuff to teach themselves to feel calmer and better. Consider the “beauty detox” regimen recommended by the site, essentially a suite of products to help you deal with the fact that you use too many products.
The idea that you can buy and slather your way to mindfulness is at the heart of brands like Goop. Last week Goop announced its first health conference, with friends Lena Dunham and Nicole Richie, complete with aura photography and crystal therapy. The tickets at the highest level, at $1,500 per person for the one-day event, are now sold out.