Parents' Guide to The Goop Lab

Though presented as a tribute to curiosity and exploration, the absence of critical thinking and balance means that at its heart the series is little more than aspirational lifestyle sponcon. It's one thing to talk about offbeat cures and alternative medicine -- most doctors agree that the mind-body connection is real. It's another thing entirely when a media personality like Paltrow presents theories and methods on a huge platform like The Goop Lab without scrutiny, without bringing in doctors and scientists who may have differing points of view, in order to provide a clearer and more accurate picture. In episodes like "Are You Intuit?" (which centers on the idea of psychic mediums talking to the dead) and "The Energy Experience" (in which celebrity "energy healer" John Amaral waves his hands over clients in an effort to heal their bodies and minds), we are presented with some pretty out-there claims that aren't challenged or investigated in any concrete way. When the people being subjected to these cure-alls are paid Goop staffers, how confident can we be that anyone is truthfully expressing their opinion?

That said, the series is not without its high points. In particular, the third episode ("The Pleasure is Ours") featuring longtime sex educator Betty Dodson is a graphic, groundbreaking look at female sexual health that may be eye-opening and healing for many viewers. It could go a long way toward destigmatizing the discussion around women's sexuality and empowering women to increase their bodily self-awareness. It's a lesson Paltrow herself apparently needed, as she proclaims in the episode not to have realized there is a difference between the vagina and the vulva. And therein lies The Goop Lab rub: the same wealthy, beautiful celebrity who sold her fans on the health benefits of putting jade "eggs" in their vaginas (a move that cost the company $145,000 when they were sued over making these false claims) reveals herself to be wholly unqualified to be sharing this kind of advice. Her show's not the worst thing in the world, so long as viewers realize there's a difference between anecdotal evidence and scientific proof, heeding the disclaimer that prefaces each episode: "The following series is designed to entertain and inform -- not provide medical advice."