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When podcast company Dear Media posted a TikTok video of Gwyneth Paltrow talking about her wellness routine, the comments were peppered with one phrase: almond mom. What is an almond mom, and why are people calling Paltrow one?
While speaking with Dr. Will Cole on “The Art of Being Well” podcast, the 50-year-old actress revealed that she practices intermittent fasting, drinks bone broth for lunch most days and eats an early dinner that sticks to a paleo diet, with many vegetables. The confluence of several diet and wellness trends and seemingly low-calorie days was met with concern from many people – and jokes from others.
“The mother of all almond moms,” one commenter wrote.
“Almond mom final boss,” another wrote.
“Almond mom realness,” said another.
“This is 90s children’s trauma in a nutshell, no pun,” wrote another.
A so-called “almond mom” is a mom who pushes toxic dieting – like suggesting their child eat one almond when they feel hungry.
It is unclear who coined the term, but many used the term to describe Yolanda Hadid’s actions in a 2012 episode of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” When then-budding model Gigi Hadid tells her mother she feels weak, her mom tells her to eat “a couple almonds and chew them really well.”
Hadid has defended her advice, telling People in 2022 that the clip was taken out of context and that she made the comment when she was “half asleep” with “no rhyme or reason to it.”
While Paltrow and Hadid’s diet tips received criticism, they’re far from the only recipients of the label. The #almondmond hashtag on TikTok has a whopping 268.7 million views, with many people – mainly young women – sharing stories about the people they consider to be almond moms.
TikTok user Nicholas Flannery joked about all the “cute things” a sterotypical almond mom would say: “Two coffees please, no creamer for her… No, we don’t eat candy, we have fruit at home… No, you’re not ordering that. Two chopped salads, dressing on the side.”
While many of the social media videos are funny quips about “almond moms” and commentary about Paltrow’s interview, some people vented about the disordered eating habits they feel they developed under the critical eye of their almond mom.
According to a study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 81% of 10-year-old children are afraid of being fat and 35% to 57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting or use of diet pills or laxatives.
Some people did not find Paltrow’s wellness routine to be problematic. Blogger Kiki Athanas wrote a blog urging people to “stop bullying” Paltrow, saying she was just showcasing her own choices. Her blog post was shared by Cole, the podcaster behind the now-viral interview with Paltrow.
While many of the recent videos using the #almondmom hashtag reference Paltrow, the TikTok trend started before the interview clip dropped, with Teen Vogue reporting the hashtag had about 189 million views in February.
And the idea that women should be “skinny” has permeated culture for decades – but has also been criticized for years, with many campaigning for body positivity and declining to use the word “skinny.”
