Paltrow: Women can have it all

Gwyneth Paltrow has said women need to realise it is possible to be strong and independent, and still be feminine and sexy at the same time.

The Oscar-winning actress and mother – who has become an entrepreneur and businesswoman through her lifestyle website Goop – told Harper’s Bazaar UK magazine that she believes women can have it all.

Gwyneth said: “I think we are a generation of women who are different in a lot of respects, and some of us want to be ambitious, and for it not to be a dirty word.

“We want to be feminine and soft, we want to be maternal, we want to be sexual, we want to be explorers – and we can be a combination of all of these archetypes. You can be powerful, but you can also be vulnerable…

“[I have] learnt the power of kindness and the importance of non-judgmental ways of looking at others.”

The 42-year-old star – who came under fire for her choice of words when she announced on her website in early 2014 that she and husband Chris Martin were “consciously uncoupling” – also said women need to be more supportive of one another.

Gwyneth said: “Women really need to examine why they’re so vitriolic to other women; why they want to twist words, why they want to read about someone else in a negative light and why that feels good to them… But I also know a huge tribe of women who are loving and supportive of other women, in ways that are completely transformative.

The star admitted she has thought about whether she was right to split from the Coldplay frontman after 10 years of marriage, but said they are now well and truly in the friend zone.

Gwyneth said: “We’ve made a lot of mistakes, and we’ve had good days and bad days, but, I have to say, I’m proud of us for working through so much stuff together – and not blaming and shaming.

“Of course, there are times when I think it would have been better if we had stayed married, which is always what your children want. But we have been able to solidify this friendship, so that we’re really close.”

The Iron Man star, who lived in London with Chris for several years, also admitted how much she is enjoying starting a new life back in Los Angeles with her two children Apple and Moses.

She revealed: “There’s a deep comfort about it because it’s so familiar. The other day I was lying on the grass and the kids were playing and I was looking at the blue sky and the palm trees – and there was something about the weather and the smell and I was, like, eight years old again. I had such a strong memory of being a kid here – it’s a really nice place to be a little kid, and it’s great to watch my children have that experience.”

The full interview appears in the February issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, on sale January 2, 2015 and online at www.harpersbazaar.co.uk.

Paltrow: Women can have it all