Blake Lively On Preserve’s Closure: ‘You Don’t See Male Entrepreneurs Pitted Against Each Other’
Blake Lively just confirmed that she would close down her lifestyle website Preserve for its failure to attain her expectations. When the website was launched, it was immediately compared to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company.
For Blake, comparisons are more common when it comes to female entrepreneurs. She told Time magazine that they listened to constructive criticisms but some people were “being mean for the sake of being mean.”
“It’s a nasty world. You don’t see male entrepreneurs pitted against each other, destroyed, picked apart, and every word they say served up to judge.”
In another interview with Vogue, Blake said that despite having an incredible team, the site “never caught up to its original mission” and that “it’s not making a difference in people’s lives, whether superficially or in a meaningful way.”
The Gossip Girl actress said that while the decision was scary, she similarly wouldn’t want to continue something that’s not meaningful.
“I never thought I would have the bravery to actually do that, to take the site dark and to say, ‘You know what? I haven’t created something that is as true and impactful as I know it can and will be. And I’m not going to continue to chase my tail and continue to put a product out there that we, as a team, are not proud of.'”
The mother-of-one is aware of the site’s naysayers and to deal with them, she claimed that she asked husband Ryan Reynolds to “play ‘Shake It Off’ on a loop” because “it feels really good to listen to it.”
Blake remains mum about her future plans, but she is currently doing research about the founding stories of various companies. Her new project will still carry some of Preserve‘s mission statement particularly its aspiration to sell things through storytelling. However, when asked by the magazine if the project would still be called Preserve, the Age of Adaline actress laughed.
“I love the name Preserve. But then, I never thought people would think Preserve had something to do with jam! Like, ‘Oh, you sell jams!’ ‘No! It’s like preserving things and us and life and artisans!'”
Following the announcement, Blake took to Instagram to thank the supporters of her site.
https://instagram.com/p/8Tblc4R4Ff/
Several Twitter users praised the Green Lantern star’s decision.
Agreed. Great move on the part of #BlakeLively. #Preserve needs to be entirely reimagined to gain relevance. https://t.co/mRp5csHA0i
— Jeetendr Sehdev ??? (@JeetendrSehdev) September 30, 2015
So impressed @blakelively with your courage to shut down #preserve. I love your style and honesty so don't give up. It took guys 2 try it! X
— Patti Stanger (@pattistanger) September 30, 2015
@blakelively is Shutting Down Her Website @Preserve_Us! I respect her & look forward to her next endeavor! #Preserve http://t.co/4rI4T9CN3c
— Angelica Talan (@Angelica_Talan) October 1, 2015
Not a biggie, @blakelively. People are shutting their sites/companies all the time. We all just got try til we hit the sweet spot. #Preserve
— Katarina Hybenova (@katarinahyben) September 30, 2015
Preserve was launched in July 2014, and, two months after, it served as a platform for Blake’s pregnancy announcement. The website garnered different reactions. Some commended the site for supporting artisans and donating sales portions to charities, but some scoffed at the expensive products. Refinery 29 has a list of the site’s items that might be deemed pricey by consumers.
To prepare for its closure on October 9, Preserve has an ongoing sale of its items.
[Image via Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images]
