If you're like many people, the words "Gwyneth Paltrow" probably cause you to "roll your eyes in proletarian disgust," writes Mary Elizabeth Williams on Salon. "Taller, blonder, richer than thou," Gwyneth represents "the epitome of everything most mere mortals will never come close to being, a Little Miss Perfect who had sex with Brad Pitt." And while Gwyneth-hate is nothing new, it's skyrocketed recently thanks to an economy in the crapper (she's still rich) and an ever-fatter America (she's more toned than ever).
And now she's back in the spotlight, with an upcoming guest spot on Glee and a standing ovation-worthy performance at the Country Music Awards: "That's pretty much Gwyneth in a nutshell. She gets standing ovations for doing stuff that isn't even her real job while the rest of us get our cars repossessed and drip pizza grease on our 4-year-old Target T-shirts." But here's the rub: she doesn't apologize for any of it. "To her credit, unlike a myriad of politicians and movie stars who play the game of being regular folks, she embraces her privilege. She may be perfect, but at least she's authentic about it." Click here to read the entire amusing essay.
(More Gwyneth Paltrow stories.)