Weekly WTF
It couldn't NOT be the Goop diaper
I received SEVERAL emails, texts, and DMs about the release of a Very Special Goop diaper “lined with virgin alpaca wool, fastened with amber crystals, and infused with the scent of jasmine and bergamot,” before it became more widely known that Goop wasn’t actually selling a pack of 12 “luxury diapers,” for $120.00, but trying to draw attention to the inequity of the “diaper tax,” which in many states, can add 1-7% to the total cost of the diaper.
When you go to the Goop website and try to purchase this very pretty woolen diaper (I would absolutely kill to know how many Goop devotees actually wanted to diaper their babies in this fictional diaper. Were they crushed to find it wasn’t real? Will it inspire some plucky entrepreneur to invent and market her own line of organic silk diapers lined with, like, essence of ashwaghganda or something? TIME WILL TELL), you’re redirected to Baby2Baby, where you can donate to their diaper relief fund. Which is great.
So this is the rare occurrence when Goop seemed like they were doing something absurd when they were actually trying to do something not for the cult of self-optimization but for the greater good. BUT the fact that the VAST MAJORITY of people simply saw the photo of the crystal-festooned diaper and assumed unblinkingly that it was legit, speaks to how utterly out of touch Goop is with, like, 99% of the population.
The timing of this particular PR stunt was also NOT GREAT, coming on the heels of the Roe v. Wade leak and in the midst of a terrifying baby formula shortage (now, when you click on the Goop diaper, Baby2Baby’s landing page directs your attention to the formula shortage first, and the diaper tax second).
And while you could argue that Goop is actually displaying a refreshing sense of humor here, the brand itself still completely earnestly sells stuff like a “nanocurrent device" and “crystal gel” duo (it’s for your face, which you should obviously want to look more “lifted and glowy”) for $480.00, a white COTTON top for $1,380.00 (it’s not a basic cotton top though guys - it boasts “indulgently oversize puff sleeves!”), and a 14 karat gold dildo which can be yours for a mere $1,249.00. So like, it’s cute you’re making fun of the core absurdity of your brand with a gemstone encrusted diaper, but the copy for the non-satirical dildo literally reads as follows: “here’s one way to feel like a million bucks,” soooooooooooooo.
You can read more about the formula shortage here, here, and here, and if you want to help parents suffering from the formula shortage, you can donate to your local food bank, or check out these resources.
Have you come across any WTF moments in your Instagram ads or elsewhere? Hook a girl up and send them my way! Emails, screenshots, DMS, and rants all very much welcome.