Texoma Living Well Magazine November/December 2018 | Page 29

Her digital strategy is one that her three
children––Ava, 18, Deacon, 14 (with
Phillippe), and 5-year-old Tennessee (with
her second husband, talent agent Jim Toth,
whom she married in 2011)––fully embrace,
as YouTube and streaming has replaced
watching network television and going to
the movies for them, according to Schilling.
Meanwhile, Draper James, the lifestyle
brand Witherspoon started to honor her
Southern heritage has grown to encom-
pass not only an upscale clothing line,
but also housewares, and, more recently,
eyewear. Another component to expand
Witherspoon’s growing influence beyond
entertainment, the brand has expanded
to four brick and mortar locations in Ten-
nessee, Texas, Kentucky, and Georgia.
“Whether it’s Nashville or New Orle-
ans, Beaufort or Birmingham, there is
a special breed of charm and grace that’s signature
to the American South. With Draper James, our goal
is to bring contemporary, yet timeless Southern style
to your wardrobe and your home, no matter where
you live,” according to the Draper James website.
If that weren’t enough, Witherspoon also recently signed
up as Crate & Barrel’s first celebrity spokesperson. “We
are honored to work with Reese, who expresses so many
of the best qualities of our brand––style, warmth, and
optimism,” Crate & Barrel President Steve Woodward said
in a news release. “Reese has shown the world she has an
eye for design, and we’re thrilled for her to showcase that
as an ambassador for the company. Reese truly brings
the unique Crate & Barrel experience and spirit to life.”
Taking her 40s in tremendous stride, Witherspoon
has also found her voice and is no longer bound
by the expectations of others. In response to the
#MeToo movement, Witherspoon has revealed
her own experiences of assault and harassment,
including by a director when she was 16.
“A line got drawn in the sand and it got crossed,
and my brain just switched and I knew it was going
to be very difficult but I just couldn’t go any further.
But it was profound and I was young,” Witherspoon
opened up to Oprah Winfrey about the experience.
“I feel a shift, completely, a reckoning of people who
have been silent for so long finally coming forward and
Home Box Office (HBO)
Reese with her Big Little Lies costars Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern,
Zoë Kravitz and Shailene Woodley.
speaking out even if their voice shakes, as I know mine
did when I told my story. The female leaders within every
industry have to stand up for those who are voiceless and
silent, and we have to do better to create more balanced
cultures with female leadership and leadership with peo-
ple of color. It’s just profoundly overdue,” Witherspoon
told Anne Fulenwider in an interview for Marie Claire.
What does the future holds for this petite powerhouse?
The big news is that Witherspoon is bringing Big Little
Lies back to HBO for a second season. Scheduled for a
2019 release, it’s rumored that all the main cast mem-
bers are back and that Meryl Streep is set to appear.
Meanwhile, according to Schilling, Witherspoon and
her production team currently have shows in develop-
ment at Hulu, NBC, and Apple TV, including a series
with Jennifer Aniston about morning news anchors. Fans
can also look forward to a third Legally Blonde movie.
As for Witherspoon’s advice to women, it’s simple:
“Just do what you do well,” she offered up in an es-
say for Glamour last year. “When I saw the recent
Harvard study that found that single female M.B.A.
students downplayed their career ambitions in front
of male classmates for fear of possibly hurting their
marriage prospects, I thought, UGH. Run away from
a man who can’t handle your ambition. Run.”
TEXOMA AREA Living Well Magazine | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
27