Goop, actress Gwyneth Paltrow's controversial lifestyle brand, has come under fire after the company posted a luxury diaper promotion.
The diaper–or shall we say Diapér–is a disposable diaper lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones, which the company said are "known for their ancient emotional-cleansing properties."
The company, noting the diapers are infused "with a scent of jasmine and bergamot for a revitalized baby," said in its announcement Diapérs cost $120 for a pack of 12.
Absurd, or so you would think.
The Diapér, as it turns out, is an elaborate publicity stunt designed to raise awareness about the high cost of diapers, according to Paltrow, who responded to outrage online.
You can hear Paltrow's remarks in the video below.
Paltrow said:
"Goop launched a luxury disposable diaper at $120 for a pack of 12 and there was a lot of outrage. Good. It was designed to piss us off because if treating diapers like a luxury makes you mad, so should taxing them like a luxury."
"Despite the absolute necessity of diapers, in 33 states they aren’t treated like an essential item. They're taxed like a luxury good."
"This leaves one in three families struggling to afford them. While eliminating the diaper tax is not a complete solution, it could allow many families to pay for another month's supply."
Paltrow asked her followers to donate to the nonprofit organization Baby2Baby, which provides diapers, clothes and other necessities for children in poverty in the Los Angeles area and in disaster areas across the country.
Baby2Baby has a devoted following among celebrities and is notable for being one of four charities Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, suggested people might donate instead of sending gifts for their newborn son in 2019.
In a statement, Goop said that donations to Baby2Baby "will support their advocacy efforts nationwide, as well as help with the formula shortage and other issues facing families in need."
But the publicity stunt did not go over well with people who have accused Goop–and Paltrow–of making a mockery of poverty.
But others saw the value in the stunt and came to the company's defense.
Goop's publicity stunt appeared significantly tone deaf to many because it comes as the United States grapples with an infant formula shortage due to supply chain issues and product recalls.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently working with Abbott Nutrition, the company that had to recently recall its product, to safely resume production.
As of early April, "seven states reported that between 40% and 50% of baby formula products were out of stock," according to a CNN report.
