Actress Gwyneth Paltrow discussed the importance of self-love and upliftment with Dr. Ella Bell at The MAKERS Conference. She encouraged White women to learn from Black women.
Paltrow, 51, discussed her Black friends’ “incredible intrinsic self-honoring” in a recent interview with PEOPLE. The Avengers: Endgame actor stated, “It’s like from the deepest part of their souls all the way to the tips of their fingers.”
“My Black women friends know themselves, love themselves, in a way that I think White women are not taught to,” she went on to say. “I think White women are taught to be competitive with one another — which is something I’ve tried to work so hard to dispel, because I don’t believe in competition between women — but we’re raised to be competitive, to be jealous, to look over each other’s shoulders.”
“And, at least in my circle of Black women, they do not do that,” she said. “There’s an immediate acceptance and safety and appreciation.”
The award-winning actress also explained why she believes “white women have a lot to learn from black women.” “I’ve learned so much from my Black friends about ruthless self-acceptance and full love of self,” Paltrow said in a statement. “And I believe we, as White women in this culture, have a lot to learn from our Black sisters and how they value themselves. And I’m not sure where it came from.
“I can ask you that question. I’d like to know why you think African American women have that, and how you think, as White women, we can start to create that inside ourselves and in our own friendships,” she said.
Bell agreed, saying she could “turn to the Black women in this room when I need lifting up.” “That’s important to us. “And I don’t think White women have that,” Bell continued.
“Keeping White women at odds with each other, in competition with one another, keeps the patriarchy strong,” Paltrow said in a statement. “So we really have to take it upon ourselves to be cognizant of our thinking and actions, to build bridges, and to recognize that someone isn’t going to get more. You don’t have to accept less because someone else will receive more.
Outside of performing, Paltrow manages the wellness and lifestyle company Goop. She added that her company strives to give women “access to great things” as she believes they should “rule the world.”
“I think it comes from a place, really, of the love of women and wanting to connect with women and be that girlfriend, be that resource,” she said. “And I always return to that — and that includes all women. That includes white, black, Asian, and Indian women of all types. “Our team reflects that.”