This week, Gwyneth Paltrow’s high-profile lifestyle and e-commerce site, Goop, gave birth to a beautiful gift to the Internet — and it wasn’t a moon-powered vagina egg that invigorates our mystical “life force.” No, it was a perfectly crafted reference guide for how to sell snake oil.
It’s really quite impressive.
In case you’re unfamiliar — or just need an empowering refresher — Goop is a site directed mostly toward affluent women that peddles pricey products and overuses the word “empower” while dabbling in many forms of pseudoscience and quackery — everything from homeopathy to magic crystals and garden-variety dietary-supplement nonsense.
Despite all logic and much hope for humankind, Goop has proven successful.
With a posh, new-age vibe and Paltrow’s celeb status, it raised $15 to $20 million in venture capital last year alone.
This year, the Goop group teamed up with Condé Nast to begin publishing a quarterly print magazine as well as digital content. (Condé Nast also owns Ars, by the way.)
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017...ell-snake-oil/
It’s really quite impressive.
In case you’re unfamiliar — or just need an empowering refresher — Goop is a site directed mostly toward affluent women that peddles pricey products and overuses the word “empower” while dabbling in many forms of pseudoscience and quackery — everything from homeopathy to magic crystals and garden-variety dietary-supplement nonsense.
Despite all logic and much hope for humankind, Goop has proven successful.
With a posh, new-age vibe and Paltrow’s celeb status, it raised $15 to $20 million in venture capital last year alone.
This year, the Goop group teamed up with Condé Nast to begin publishing a quarterly print magazine as well as digital content. (Condé Nast also owns Ars, by the way.)
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017...ell-snake-oil/
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