Gwyneth Paltrow, Step Away From the Nepo Baby T-Shirt
By now, you’ve seen the shots of Hailey Bieber in a parking garage, showing off her cropped white shirt featuring the phrase “nepo baby” on the front, and you’ve likely seen the discussion around it on Instagram, Twitter, and on every fashion magazine’s website (including ours). But now, other celebrities (and even other nepo babies) are commenting on the statement, including Gwyneth Paltrow.
After spotting the moment on In Style’s Instagram, Paltrow seemingly approved of Bieber’s bold ownership of the title. “I might need a few of these,” the actress-turned-wellness-guru commented on the post. It’s easy to forget Paltrow herself once was a mere “nepo baby.” Her mother is Emmy and Tony-winning actress Blythe Danner, and her father is the late producer and director, Bruce Paltrow. Though, she has managed to eclipse both parents’ fame through both acting and Goop (the best way to fight off claims of nepotism, in our humble opinion). Still, there’s no doubt she had a step up thanks to her family connections.
As much as we would love a vintage early aughts GP paparazzi moment (as imagined above), the actress ought to steer clear of shirts for the moment. Through her work, she has done a very good job at shirking a lot of the criticism thrown at others in her position. Any time she has commented on her lineage, however, is when she’s gotten into a little bit of murky water. Last July, Paltrow actually sat down with Bieber for an episode of the model’s YouTube series, and the duo discussed nepotism. “As the child of somebody, you get access that other people don’t have. So the playing field is not level in that way,” Paltrow said, starting off strong. “However, I really do feel that once your foot is in the door—which you unfairly got in—then you have to work almost twice as hard and be twice as good because people are ready to pull you down and say you don’t belong there and you’re only there because of your dad or your mom or whatever the case may be. And it shouldn’t limit you because what I definitely believe is that nobody in the world—especially anybody that doesn’t know you—should have a negative impact on your path or the decisions that you make.” So close, GP, so close.
Gwyneth with her parents in 1997.
If we’ve learned anything recently, it’s that the public just wants nepo babies to admit that they do have a leg up, and to end this whole “it’s twice as hard because others want to discredit you” argument. If any scions need an example for how to comment on their status, feel free to turn to Allison Williams, who spoke beautifully on the topic in a recent interview. “All that people are looking for is an acknowledgement that it’s not a level playing field,” she told Vulture. “It’s just unfair. Period, end of the story, and no one’s really working that hard to make it fair. To not acknowledge that me getting started as an actress versus someone with zero connections isn’t the same — it’s ludicrous. It doesn’t take anything away from the work that I’ve done. It just means that it’s not as fun to root for me.”
So, wear your tees for a photo opp (it has since been revealed that Bieber immediately took off her statement top after getting the shot, cementing the outfit as a bit of a fashion stunt), and enjoy the benefits that come with your birthright. Just as long as you stop trying to gaslight us into thinking it’s harder for those born with previously known last names.
