Gwyneth Paltrow Says 'White Women Have a Lot to Learn from Black Women' About 'Ruthless Self-Acceptance'

Gwyneth Paltrow is opening up about the differences she has noticed in relationships between the Black and White women she knows.

During a Thursday chat with Dr. Ella Bell at The MAKERS Conference in Beverly Hills, California, the actress and Goop founder/CEO praised the "incredible intrinsic self-honoring" of her Black women friends, saying "it's like from the deepest part of their souls all the way to the tips of their fingers."

"My Black women friends know themselves, love themselves, in a way that I think White women are not taught to," explained Paltrow, 51. "I think White women are taught to be competitive with one another — which is something I've tried to work so hard to dispel, because I don't believe in competition between women — but we're raised to be competitive, to be jealous, to look over each other's shoulders."

"And, at least in my circle of Black women, they do not do that," the Academy Award winner continued. "There's an immediate acceptance and safety and appreciation."

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Paltrow went on to tell Bell that she believes "White women have a lot to learn from Black women."

"I've learned so much from my Black friends about ruthless self-acceptance and full love of self," she said. "And I think we as White women in this culture have a lot to learn from our Black sisters and the way in which they respect themselves. And I'm not sure exactly where that comes from."

"I can ask you that question. I would actually love to know why you think that African American women have that, and it's like in a collective — it's like an interwoven beautiful connection — and how you think, as White women, we can start to cultivate that within ourselves and in our own friendships," Paltrow continued.

"I can turn to the Black women in this room when I need lifting up. That's important for us. And I don't think White women have that," Bell replied.

Agreeing, Paltrow added, "Keeping White women at odds with each other, in competition with one another, keeps the patriarchy strong."

"So we really have to take it upon ourselves to be conscious of our thinking and our behavior, and to build bridges and to understand that somebody's not going to get more. You don't have to get less because somebody is going to get more," the Shakespeare in Love actress continued.

Elsewhere in their conversation, Paltrow said she believes "women should rule the world," and that with Goop, she and her colleagues "want to give women access to great things."

"I think it comes from a place, really, of the love of women and wanting to connect with women and be that girlfriend, be that resource," she explained. "And I always go back to that — and that means all women. That means White, Black, Asian, Indian, women of all kinds. Our team is reflective of that."