Dear Gwyneth,
I ordered your vaginal egg from Goop but I’m not sure how to use it. Is there a how-to video for guys?
Just kidding. Hey there Ms. Paltrow. It’s me again. Gluten Dude. I wrote you way back in 2012 respectfully asking you to hush about your gluten-free diet as it makes it harder for us celiacs to be taken seriously. Here is a clip of what I said (just to refresh your memory):
Now…things have changed. Gluten has gone mainstream. Some feel that’s a good thing. More publicity means more products, more education, etc, etc. But now, when I try to explain celiac disease, this is what I get: “Oh…that’s that gluten diet thing, right?” I almost feel the need to defend myself.
What you have done Gwyneth is you have minimized the seriousness of gluten to those who simply cannot have it. Spend a virtual day with me. Is this what you go through on a daily basis? Probably not.
And now here we are in 2019 and you just can’t help yourself. In yesterday’s interview with the New York Times, you were asked “How is your thinking about what product and service you recommend evolving?”
Here is what you so graciously stated:
“When we talk about something that is incendiary, I always see in six months other people starting to write about it, and 18 months later, businesses popping up around it. It’s always confirmation to me that we’re on the right track. I mean, when I did my gluten-free cookbook in 2015, the press was super negative and there were personal attacks about what I was feeding my children and what kind of mother I am. Now the gluten-free market is huge.”
Now Gwyneth…if I recall, you fed your kids gluten-free but also let them cheat and gave them Oreos because kids deserve treats.
Puuuuuuuuuuuuuke!
Now I can go on and on (and I usually do) but since you ignored me the first time around, how about we let someone else handle the reins this time. Please take five minutes out of your goop-filled day and read the following thread from a mom who has a child with celiac disease:
We fought for our children and ourselves. We called companies. We voted with our dollars. We’ve been vocal online for decades. It is the height of arrogance for Gwyneth to claim a few articles on GOOP and a cookbook 4 years ago deserve any credit. #celiac
— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 6, 2019
But sure, tell us more about how people laughed at you, Gwyneth. And I’ll tell you howcompanies trying to attract your acolytes cut corners & release “gluten free” food that isn’t safe for people w celiac disease. They repeatedly land celiacs like my daughter in the hospital.
— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 6, 2019
And that “safety” is not ab some vague wellness. Glutening puts my #celiac daughter at risk of malnutrition, dehydration, recurrent miscarriage, intestinal lymphoma & other cancers, nerve damage, painful rash dermatitis herpeformis, hypospleenism, osteoporosis, & anemia.
— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 6, 2019
My daughter was a 15lb 2 year old b4 she was diagnosed.
She was literally starving with a full stomach.
Eating gluten free is life & death for her and 3 MILLION people in the US alone.
Before celebrities turned it into a lifestyle craze, GF was about keeping them safe.— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 6, 2019
If anyone gets credit for “popularizing” the gluten free diet, it’s Dr. Willem-Karel Dicke.
He used it to save lives, and certainly didn’t profit or make millions off it.
Isn’t that what you really mean by “popularize,” Gwyneth? Exploit & profit off it?https://t.co/JDW5rLOo4K— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 7, 2019
& I wouldn’t have to teach my 10 yo that just bc something says “gluten free” doesn’t mean it’s gluten free.
Let that sink in.
Bc ppl turned gluten-free into a fad diet, it is legal to label food “gluten free” that has enough gluten for my daughter 2 miss 2 weeks of school.— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 7, 2019
… there is a straight line between the fad diet market Gwyneth Paltrow & her ilk created (and profit off of!) and food manufacturers selling “gluten free” food that is unsafe for people who *need* gluten free food.
— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 7, 2019
None of that has helped people with #celiacdisease or allergies.
Instead, we have 2 do more research
use more sick days
miss more school
pay for more copays & tests
expend more effort trying to convince waiters we’re not exaggerating
& assume even more risk every damn day.— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 7, 2019
(Con’t)
*Increase access to low-sugar gluten-free school lunch options, esp for kids & teens on reduced or free lunch
*Support stricter labeling & transparency for supplements & medication, which don’t have to disclose gluten
*Educate ppl about cross-contamination
(Con’t)— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 7, 2019
But instead, we all get to deal with major new sites broadcasting the blatantly ableist, exploitative, bullshit claim that Gwyneth Paltrow created a market for gluten-free food in 2015. 🙄
I’m too tired for this shit, folks.
We are all too tired for this shit.
— Ms. Faintly Macabre (@mer_hartley) March 7, 2019
Ok…that gets a serious slow clap.
After reading the above, do you still think you should be taking credit?
Ok…I’m outta here Gwyneth. It’s time for my At Home Coffee Enema, which I purchased from your site. Hoping I don’t burn myself.
Fondly,
Gluten Dude
Not only a slow clap but a standing freaking ovation with shouts of Encore! Encore! Go Meredith! She pretty much covered every single rant I have as the parent of a child with celiac….and we don’t even eat that much of the processed junk that is out there!! But it sure would be nice to just have something I can grab and go without worrying, constantly.
You’re right, Dude. Gwyneth needs to shut up and quickly.
[nodding my head in agreement]
Preach it, Meredith. And thank you, Gluten Dude, for raising our awareness again (and again and again….)
and again…and again…lol
Wow! What an incredible series of tweets! I hope this doesn’t fall on more deaf ears (or rather blind eyes). This deserves a standing ovation.
So true. Most of what she peddles is quackery. What’s worse, she believes wholeheartedly that it isn’t.
Still, your intro is not okay, Dude. Never okay for a dude to “heckle” a woman with sexual innuendo. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but totally sounds like you’re saying you want a video of her vagina. REALLY?! You’re way better than that. She’s easy enough to heckle without it — you have literally zero reason to ever stoop to bro “jokes” that are really just the kind of harassment women have to deal with everyday. The intro needs to change pronto.
I did not mean a video of HER. Sorry for the implication. I meant cause I don’t have one. I’ll clarify.
This is what happens when your agent says “Hey GF just got FDA sanction (in 2014, final ruling), market opportunity for a book.” And you hear: “You can be the savior of millions of people who desperately need something they’ve never heard of.” Bingo, 2015 book.
She’s not the first celebrity to cause a cult of personality effect. I wish she was the most malevolent example.
Dear celiac community. It makes absolutely no sense for anyone with celiac to be against anyone that doesn’t want to eat gluten for any reason.
I think this is bully imitation. I was bullied for my lack of weight and finicky diet and I was bullied by doctors that practically ushered me out of their clinics for complaints of known celiac symptoms. A person with celiac is a sitting duck for bullying whether it is diagnosed and addressed or not.
The benefits of an interest in a gluten free lifestyle by the general public are great. There are, of course, potential complications with it such as standardization and public opinion but some benefits obvious to me are increased demand for dedicated facilities and training and potential improvements and greater interest in cross-contamination technology and training. Then there are the numerous health benefits for everyone.
I believe everyone is gluten intolerant. The more people that go gluten free, the easier this is to demonstrate.
So please celiac community. I don’t want to try to bully you. Will you please encourage others to enjoy the benefits of going gluten free. It has been clearly shown in so many cases to be a bad player in the bodies of everyone. Will you please do this even if others don’t appear to suffer as much from it.
Most sincerely,
they-told-me-I-was-fine
I agree totally. Paltrow and her wacky, unfounded BS can be dangerous! Ms Paltrow, shut the hell up before you kill someone! !