Gwyneth Paltrow does sell vagina candles, but it seems she draws the line at diapers.
The goop founder sent the internet into quite a frenzy when her lifestyle brand debuted “The Diapér” in an Instagram post shared on May 11. However, Gwyneth has exclusively revealed to E! News’ Daily Pop the luxury item is a fake product “meant to shine a light on a real problem” while supporting with the nonprofit Baby2Baby.
“goop launched a luxury disposable diaper at $120 dollars for a pack of 12 and there was a lot of outrage—good,” Gwyneth explained in a video obtained by E! News. “It was designed to piss us off, because if treating diapers like a luxury makes you mad, so should taxing them like a luxury.”
According to the Instagram post, the faux disposable diaper was “lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones” and infused “with a scent of jasmine and bergamot for a revitalized baby.”
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Followers took to the comment section to share their concerns, with one writing, “This can’t be real.” Another chimed in, adding, “THIS IS A JOKE, RIGHT? RIGHT?!?”
Gwyneth confirmed it is, in fact, a pretend product, but the message behind it is very real. She went on to share how the diaper tax can affect families across the country.
“Despite the absolute necessities of diapers, in 33 states they aren’t treated like an essential item. They’re taxed like a luxury good,” the Oscar winner said. “This leaves one in three families struggling to afford them.”
Gwyneth noted that while eliminating the diaper tax won’t completely solve the problem, it can help families who are in need.
That’s why she worked with Baby2Baby, which gives families in need the basic necessities for their children, to create this stunt. The organization has already helped remove the diaper tax in California, Florida, and Maryland, but co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof shared with E! News they are far from done making an impact.
“The overwhelming cost of diapers for a family living in poverty forces parents to make impossible choices between diapers and food,” said Norah and Kelly. “Without a sufficient supply, parents are also unable to drop their kids off at daycare, creating a barrier for re-entering the workforce and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.”
In addition to distributing over 100 million diapers in the past decade, Baby2Baby is working to help combat a formula shortage that was sparked during the pandemic, giving out more than 300,000 cans of formula.
Watch Gwyneth’s full video above.
