Gwyneth Paltrow, once a Hollywood “It Girl” who made headlines for her acting and love life, is now just as associated with her lifestyle brand Goop and its, shall we say, unique approach to health. Paltrow certainly has many, many loyal followers of the brand and its Goop-related products. However, numerous former supporters have spoken out against some of Goop’s practices.

Now, the critics include Elise Loehnen. The former Goop CCO said her experience with a related cleanse has sworn her off of the practice entirely. 

Elise Loehnen left Goop after three years as the lifestyle brand’s CCO

Loehnen was an early staple of the Goop enterprise — only the second hire for the then-fledgling business back in 2014. As WWD reports, Paltrow called Loehnen her “counterpart in building this business.”

As the Chief Content Officer, a role she took on in 2017, Loehnen had a hand in many elements of Goop’s success. That’s why, in 2020, it came as somewhat of a shock when Loehnen announced she was stepping down from the role to pursue solo career options.

At the time, she kept a hand in the Goop business and earned plenty of accolades and support from Paltrow herself. But more recent comments show a clearer division between Loehnen and Paltrow’s health business endeavors. 

Loehnen has spoken out about unhealthy practices at Goop

In March 2022, Loehnen posted a video on Instagram that tackled Goop’s philosophies more directly. Loehnen said that cleanses, in particular, became toxic to her own mentality. She explained that the culture of restriction and dieting had left her “not in a healthy relationship with [her] body.” 

The former CCO also shared that following a Goop cleanse, she went into “rebellion” and “ate like a teenager” for two years. Loehnen’s extreme health choices left her with little effort to eat with health-conscious practices in mind. While she admitted to “enjoying” the free rein of rejecting diet culture, she expressed a new desire to be in better “conversation with [her] body” without the “distortion” that came from the Goop approach to cleanses and body image. 

Goop has been in the spotlight for unhealthy and toxic practices 

Loehnen’s reversal of her approach to Goop’s practices may be somewhat shocking, but this isn’t without precedent. Plenty of people have called out Goop’s approach to “wellness” as being toxic and unrealistic. From dubious claims that aren’t backed up with evidence to extremely pricey products, there’s been no shortage of criticism. 

Goop is not alone in facing the wrath of those who are fed up with toxic diet culture. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner have gotten called out for promoting diet products. Other stars, like Serena Williams and Selena Gomez, have grabbed headlines with their fiercely body-positive comments. 

Still, as BuzzFeed News reports, not everyone is convinced by Loehnen’s change of heart. Rumors have swirled that Loehnen’s 2020 departure from the CCO role was not voluntary. Instead, it came after she was reported for being a “toxic manager.” Reports also show that the current Goop staff are surprised by her comments about cleanses and her perspective on them because she was a “proponent” for them when she worked for the company. 

Even if Loehnen’s comments are timed to better align her with the changing tide toward body positivity, the backlash toward Goop’s practices doesn’t seem to be fading. Time will tell if Paltrow and her associates will change course or continue to promote the same kinds of products and practices.

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