People say the children are our future, and Gwyneth Paltrow is especially excited to see what the next generation of girls is going to do. The actress, mother of two, and GOOP founder recently sat down with Adobe's Chief Marketing Officer Ann Lewnes as part of the Adobe Max Creativity Conference. When the discussion turned to how representation in Hollywood has progressed, she couldn't help but talk about her 16-year-old daughter Apple and the hope she gives her for the future.
Paltrow praised her daughter and her friends saying, "By the time my daughter is in the workforce those girls are not going to stand for it." The Oscar winner went on to reflect on how confident and strong she sees the next generation of young women. "When I see my daughter with her friends, they are so empowered," the actress explained. "They have — and I mean this word in the best possible way — they have a sense of entitlement that's beautiful. It's not spoiled."
While most typically find the word 'entitled' to be negative, Paltrow explained that finds it "beautiful" because in this context it means her daughter's generation is not only demanding equality but expecting it. "It's like, 'No, we are here for what the boys are gonna get, too,'" she said. "I find it very uplifting and heartening that we all seem to be going in this direction together."
Paltrow explained that she's happy to see change happening not only in Hollywood but around the world. “I think we’re laying the groundwork for the change, I think the Me Too movement was a big part of that change, I think Black Lives Matter is part of that change, I think what we are saying collectively as a culture and as a society is, ‘We are done with that paradigm of patriarchy of white men,’ and I think the patriarchy itself sort of feels like it’s cracking and is starting to embrace a much wider variety of voices and races and genders,” she added.
Paltrow was one of the first celebrities to speak out in support of the #MeToo movement, revealing in an interview with the New York Times that she was sexually harassed by film producer Harvey Weinstein after he hired her for the lead in the Jane Austen adaptation “Emma.” She was just 22 years old at the time. Watching her daughter and her daughter's friends as they grow has given the actress confidence in the future of equality. "Even going out there… and deciding to do something you’ve always wanted to do will alter the course of your life for the better, even if that specific project doesn’t materialize the way that you would hope.”