Gwyneth Paltrow: I worry about my 12-year-old in a mini-skirt

Gwyneth Paltrow attends a cocktail party hosted by Michael Kors in celebration of their new Regent Street Flagship Store opening. Photo / Getty Images

Fears 'post-feminist imagery' portrays provocative behaviour as empowerment

Her lifestyle blog sees her dishing out advice on everything from diets to parenting.
But Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed she is struggling with one problem just like any other mother - how to manage her daughter as she approaches adolescence.

The actress, 43, said she finds it hard to strike a balance between wanting to allow 12-year-old Apple to 'express herself', and feeling worried about her child wearing short skirts and make-up.

She added that she is concerned young girls are being brainwashed by 'post-feminist imagery' that portrays provocative behaviour as empowerment.

Speaking at the China Exchange in London on Thursday, she said: "It is concerning because I think there is a very denigrating set of imagery and behaviours happening.
Women are so powerful and so capable and to have it inferred that you have to generate yourself in any way to be likeable is abhorrent to me. With my daughter I try to find a balance of being an example for her as a woman who ... works and tries not to go out in public naked."

"I am her mum but at the same time I want her to express herself. Sometimes it is hard when she is wearing something really, really short and a lot of make-up and I have to resist the instinct as I want her to experiment and find her own identity. It is an interesting balance right now being a mother of a coming-of-age girl as there are a lot of conflicting messages in our culture."

The Oscar-winning actress, who also has a son Moses, ten, with ex-husband Coldplay singer Chris Martin, also opened up about her eating habits - some of which may come as a surprise to fans of her blog Goop, which promotes a healthy diet.

Miss Paltrow said she began researching clean eating when her father, who died in 2002, was ill with cancer as she hoped eating well might help him improve. But she admitted: "I eat French fries almost every day."