CULTURE

Gwyneth Paltrow Posted a Photo of Apple Martin, Like Any Authentic Instagram Mom Would

It could have been worse.

by Katherine Cusumano

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Gwyneth Paltrow has always been an Instagram mom, but now, she’s applying that to…actual parenting. On Sunday, the Goop guru and nonactor “masquerading” as an actor posted a selfie of herself and her daughter, Apple Martin, on the chairlift in between ski runs. (A word of warning: Gwyneth Paltrow is back on the slopes!) In the photo, Paltrow smiles into the camera, helmet- and goggle-less; Apple stares on more stoically, her eyes shielded by some big red goggles and a white helmet on her head, because safety is important. Paltrow captioned the photo with a simple string of emojis: an apple, a skier, and a red heart.

Paltrow’s many friends chimed in in the comments with their approval. “Sweet xxx,” fellow Instagram mom Jennifer Garner wrote. “That face!” Elle MacPherson added. “Penny and I are in sync with you two mommy daughter beauties!” wrote Tracy Anderson (what does that mean?), while Kate Bosworth and Amanda de Cadenet both dropped in some emoji hearts. Naomi Watts, Jenni Konner, and January Jones all liked the post.

But Apple Martin, it seems, was having none of it: “Mom we have discussed this. You may not post anything without my consent,” she wrote. “You can’t even see your face!” Paltrow replied to her comment. (Martin’s account is private, but Paltrow has previously shared the rare occasional photo of her daughter with Chris Martin.) Of course, given the tone of their interaction—“Mom, we have discussed this” reads more playful than irritated—it seems like mother and daughter were having a little harmless fun; Apple probably wasn’t genuinely upset about her mom posting this photo without her “consent.” (Plus, she looks extremely chic in a ski-ready kind of way.) (And what daughter has not tried to gently coach their mom away from doing something truly mortifying?)

Once in a while, of course, Paltrow’s posts, and comments, are genuinely embarrassing. We’d expect nothing less of an authentic Instagram mom.

Related: Gwyneth Paltrow Showed Up on SNL to Make Fun of Goop