Jessica Alba/Photo credit: Jessica's Alba Instagram account
Actress and entrepreneur Jessica Alba is getting called out for an Instagram video where she is talking with Presidential hopeful, Vice President Kamala Harris. In the clip, the two women are seen standing, both wearing matching pant suits, while Harris talks about the importance of small businesses in America. The conversation is mostly one-sided as Alba agrees, nodding her head. At one point, Alba’s eyes shift away from Harris, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.
In the video, Harris talks about entrepreneurs of small businesses saying, “Latina small businesses are the fastest growing in the country.” Alba waves her arm in the air, to acknowledge her Mexican heritage saying, “Yes they are, yes they are!” Harris then smiles and continues, “But included in that is that we don’t lack for people who have ambition, and have aspirations and dreams and an idea that is a great idea and work ethic. But not everybody has access to the capital.”
Alba quips, “So true.” Harris finishes her thought, “And I believe strongly that our small businesses are the backbone of America’s economy, so when we grow and strengthen small business we all benefit.”
Despite the cuteness of the clip, fans on Alba’s post are not buying the video as they find it to be phony and staged. “Easy to say for an out of touch multi-millionaire to endorse someone that doesn’t have the people’s best interests at heart,” one person commented. And another added, “Talking to someone who’s never worked a normal job in her life.” Someone else wrote: “These staged interactions are so terrible.”
Alba began her career as an actress, appearing in several movies, including Honey and Fantasic Four. Her net worth of $390 million came mostly in part from her business, The Honest Company. Started in 2012, the company sells baby care items such as diapers and wipes, as well as home goods, cleaning products, and makeup. The Honest products on the site are chemical-free, lacking petrochemicals and fragrances.
Alba started the company with her business partners Brian Lee and Christopher Gavigan after her newborn daughter suffered an allergic reaction to clothing washed in name-brand detergents. Today, The Honest Company is worth $338 million, but not without some controversy behind its claims of “clean” ingredients.
Fellow actress and Goop entrepreneur Gwenyth Paltrow gave poor ratings to some of The Honest Company’s products, including a clothing stain remover. Alba responded to he review claiming, “We never touted ourselves as being ‘green.’ We just have nontoxic, highly effective products that are beautifully designed and affordable.”
In 2015, online users were posting pictures of themselves with sunburns they say they got even after using The Honest Company’s sunscreen. The Honest Company addressed the removal of the ingredient zinc oxide which is very effective in preventing sunburns.
In a statement, the company responded to the concerned users, “We have grown so quickly, we are not even four years old. What we have learned is that we need to do a better job at educating, and so next year they are going to launch a safe sun education platform around sunscreen and the difference between chemical and mineral sunscreens, and the importance of reapplication and how to apply and all of that.”
In April of this year, Alba resigned from her position as Chief Creative Officer. Instead, she remains on the Board of Directors and assists in giving strategic advice.
Other celebrities to support Harris include singer John Legend, actress Jennifer Lawrence, and, quite famously, Taylor Swift.
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