Episode 3 titled “The Pleasure Is Ours” of The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow looked promising. As a sex therapist and sex educator, I was curious what sex-ed on Netflix would look like. Despite being allergic to pseudo-science hogwash, I figured I could stomach Gwyneth Paltrow as the price of admission to get to screen time featuring the late, esteemed sex educator Betty Dodson. I cringed as Gwyneth told Betty she didn’t know the difference between a vagina (the birth canal) and the vulva (the general name for the outer bits), but this is true for many vagina/vulva-owners. Her cohost admitted she had never even seen her vulva. I nodded along in approval, glad that cis-women were talking about their genitals and sex on a mainstream media source. Betty and her associate Carlin Ross continued to educate the Goop team and feature what appeared to be earnest and authentic moments of self-revelation.
It all seemed too good to be true, and then, it was. Towards the end of the episode, the following words were presented across the screen: “Research has shown that orgasm is linked to reducing stress, curbing appetite, boosting hormone levels, enhancing sleep and heightening one’s sense of smell.” WAIT, what? Let me repeat that. “Research has shown that orgasm is linked to reducing stress, curbing appetite….”
Betty Dodson’s associate Carlin Ross shows a model of the clitoris.
I jolted back into reality that this was indeed, Goop, a diet-culture brand proselytizing detoxes, cleanses, and basically everything else that could be in a starter pack for orthorexia. I felt foolish to think that they could present something better. Orgasm is linked to curbing appetite. And there, in that one line, is the Goopness of it all: a woman’s appetite is something to be curbed. Appetite is bad. A woman with an appetite, for food, sex, life, anything, scares people. Why is curbing one’s appetite listed nonchalantly in a list of other beneficial effects? One could even argue that a curbed appetite is indicative of poor health: “Has your appetite changed?” is often asked on health assessments. I was once taught that instead of assuming someone lost weight intentionally, to consider it may have been due to an illness, grief, a breakup, or another myriad of reasons. But according to Gwyneth and Goop, a woman should want a low appetite, and thus let’s just name it, thinness. Sure, an orgasm is great, but did you know it makes you eat less? Now that’s a reason to masturbate if there ever was one!
I know I am late to the game, as the series debuted in 2020. I did not watch any other episodes, and I do not plan to. I bet Betty Dodson had a solid appetite and was not ashamed to admit it. A woman who is ravenous for life is the type of woman I want to be.