Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the blog! It has been a hectic week (yet again) so if you guys have been feeling overwhelmed recently, like I have been, I hope that you have been seeking out times in your days to regroup and find temporary peace. But, with that being said, let us get into blogging! P.S. Happy Halloween 🙂

Ah, the 2000s- what a fun time! The cultivation of the fashion, music, euphemisms, and celebrities really made the 2000s an iconic time to be alive. Though I was super young during the 2000s, does not mean I did not get to enjoy the energy and creations of that time. The Disney Channel Original movies (DCOMs) and teen romantic comedies were at their pinnacle and to this day some of my favorite films to watch.

The women I picked today starred in one of my all-time favorite movies: Legally Blonde. Elle Woods turns chasing a guy into a whole new ballgame where she ends up applying to Harvard Law School to impress the guys who broke up with her. She soon realizes that nothing she could do will change his opinion of her worth and decides to go into full ~boss mode~ to prove everyone’s beliefs, that she is a blonde ditz, wrong. Her overall perseverance, humor, and  energy makes the movie so enjoyable.

The actress in this movie was Reese Witherspoon. Legally Blonde made Witherspoon such a likable celebrity because of the character she portrayed. Plus, her southern accent and charm in interviews following the film only added to this positive perception of her. But, this actually ended up hurting Witherspoon in the long run.

Witherspoon’s honestly is really admirable and one of the major reasons why I look up to her. Her transparency about a variety of subjects is not an easy task but it is so valuable to those who are listening. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Witherspoon, along with Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington, and Elizabeth Banks, talks about how big studio companies put her in a box based on how the public viewed her. She talks about how big studios only wanted her to play “likable” roles which is very limiting and also boring. This prompted Reese to open her own media company, Hello Sunshine, to produce movies that feature strong women that she knew that other studio companies would not take a chance on.

One of the first movies that her company produced was a movie entitled, “Wild” in which Witherspoon starred in. This character was far from likable- she is the furthest thing from Elle Woods you can get- and Witherspoon knew this and  explains in the interview that is why she did it though her own company. She knew if it was through a big studio, it would be guaranteed that they would strip the character down to be less controversial.

In this instance, Witherspoon was the epitome of the “if you want to get it done, you have to do it yourself” attitudes. This is a sentiment I grew up with it, so this accomplishment of Witherspoon really resonated with me. Sometimes, you have to go the extra mile for something to be executed correctly because no one is going to want something as badly as you are. Though the work can be daunting, the payoff is usually worth the time dedicated. In this instance, “Wild” was one of top ten reviewed movies in 2014. However, despite the buzz surrounding the movie, it ceased to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, which is another topic Witherspoon addresses.

The Oscars tend to be a little biased- to put it lightly. Historically, in the 91 year run of the Academy Awards, there has only been 5 women nominated for best director and only one woman win best director, Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”. Witherspoon acknowledges the lack of opportunity women directors get, which in part is due to the lack of diversity of the people nominating the films (older, white males), and also points out the discrepancy between attitudes towards female and male directors. She highlights the unfortunate pressure placed on female directors: that they only have once chance to create a successful film and if the film is unsuccessful, the director is highly unlikely to be given another opportunity to make another film that is funded by the studio. This, is untrue of male directors, where studios are more likely to give them a second, third, and fourth chance  even if their first couple films are not so good.

Also, highlighted in this interview (this was a really long interview but highly recommend it because the conversation their having is so important!) is the #AskHerMore Campaign that Reese Witherspoon is apart of. This campaign is to advocate for media to ask women more complex questions, the same ones that their male counterparts are receiving, on the red carpet. This campaign is so important because it is truly a missed opportunity when the media wastes time asking actresses about what they are wearing instead of asking important questions that have to do with why they are there.

Another reason why Witherspoon is such a huge inspiration to me is because she has been an advocate for women’s empowerment for a long time. An example of this is when she was on the Oprah show in 2005, Witherspoon argued that it is frustrating when women “act dumb” because it does so much harm by feeding into a stereotype that women face on a daily basis. She points to our predecessors and says that their sacrifices are being humiliated by the then popular ideal that it is attractive for women to act ignorant. This is something that I have seen exhibited by some girls, especially when I was in High School, and I understand why they do it- because they get attention and praise for doing it- but it is such a disservice to the work of those before us who did so much to erase that stigma.

Overall, Reese Witherspoon is a trailblazer who leads powerful discussions about the female’s role in society and is the definition of a go-getter. Her ambition, intellect, kindness, and compassion to reach her aspirations is so inspiring and I hope her example evokes other people to engage in similar behaviors in order to conquer their own wants. I think we can all take some notes from Reese Witherspoon (& Elle Woods!)

Well, that is all for this week:)

-Brianna Mitchell 🙂