The Lean Closet: Asceticism in Postindustrial Consumer Culture

Abstract

The goop brand, started by celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow, demonstrates key qualities of asceticism in contemporary consumer culture—namely the desire to eliminate excess through consumption. As part of a growing body of work that considers the relationship of consumer and religious practices in the United States, this study looks at the role of “elimination” as lifestyle. goop sells what Weber described as ascetic accumulation, in which the renunciation of pleasure—through practices such as “detoxing”—encourages the accumulation of capital. This form of asceticism is a practice for elites who have too many material gifts to begin with and thus demonstrate their spiritual election through the elimination of excess materiality. Unlike the more democratic practices of mass-market brands, goop’s ascetic practices are not for everyone and thus help theorize the “unpopular” in religion and popular culture. Against readings of popular culture as the source of easy satisfaction, goop promotes depleting difficulty. Thus the project explores the differentiated religious practices of postindustrial corporations, some of which sell to everyone, while others like goop makes no secret of their limited availability.

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