Reese lends her face to designer Tory Burch’s’ #EmbraceAmbition project, which launched today to celebrate International Women’s Day and encourages women to ‘own their power’. Reese in featured in the PSA – watch below – and on the project website, along with many other female celebrities. Tory Burch will be selling #EmbraceAmbition bracelets and t-shirts, and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Tory Burch Foundation, which “empowers women entrepreneurs in the United States” – shop here (US only).
“I can think of a lot of dirty words – ambition is not one of them.” Reese Witherspoon
This is not the first time Reese has spoken about the use of the word ‘ambition’ – she spoke about the need to use it positively in her 2015 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards speech.
Today, to challenge the cultural stigmas associated with women and ambition, the Tory Burch Foundation launched the global initiative, #EmbraceAmbition. This nonprofit campaign will encourage women and girls to voice their ambition and to own their power.
In 2004, a reporter asked me if I was “ambitious”. His question made me very uncomfortable. After the interview, a friend of mine called and said, “I really liked the article but you shied away from the word ambition.” She was right. I realized that I had bought into the stereotype that women shouldn’t admit to being ambitious – that it felt, in a way, unattractive.
Unfortunately, more than thirteen years later not a lot has changed. Even though I have learned to embrace my ambition and pursue my dreams, the cultural stigma around being an “ambitious woman” still exists. It is apparent daily, in very public and private ways; from the wealth of studies revealing that ambitious women are frequently penalized for their goals to some of our Foundation’s entrepreneurs sharing that they, “Google how to appear less ambitious.” In most cases, it’s an unconscious bias that women themselves internalize.
We all can play a part in ensuring ambition is no longer a harmful stereotype in six ways:
1
Talk about your ambitions – do not be afraid to own and voice them.2
Be mindful of your own attitudes. Ask yourself, did I just react negatively to a woman for demonstrating her ambition?3
Remember that ambition is incredibly personal. Determine what success means to you. It might be to run your own company or it might be to raise your children with integrity. (In my case, it’s both.) Whatever someone’s ambitions are, it’s not our place to judge them.4
Support other women. As a friend, relative, or colleague help those around you make their ambitions a reality. When we support each other, we all do better.5
Engage men in the discussion. Their involvement will help reduce the cultural biases their co-workers, partners, daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends face.6
Join the movement and take the pledge to #EmbraceAmbition and own your power, your drive and your dreams.
Last night HBO aired the 3rd episode of Big Little Lies, entitled ‘Living The Dream’. This episode featured slightly less of Madeline – which wasn’t to the detriment of the episode, as it was good to see Renata’s character developed more. We saw more of Madeline’s layers and the complex relationship between Madeline and well, everyone … Reese bought real empathy to Madeline this week. I continue to eagerly await more of these characters and to see how the mystery unfolds!
Further down this post are a couple of clips from the episode plus the weekly ‘look inside the episode’ featurette, and in our Gallery we have gorgeous HD screencaptures for you:
• Big Little Lies > 1×03: ‘Living The Dream’ x431
The 4th episode of Big Little Lies – ‘Push Comes To Shove’ – will air next Sunday, March 12th, on HBO. Here’s a preview:
Nathan (James Tupper) invites Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) and Ed (Adam Scott) to a couples’ dinner to discuss a “parenting paradigm” for Abigail (Kathryn Newton). Celeste (Nicole Kidman) prepares for a city-council meeting about Madeline’s play, and bristles at Perry’s (Alexander Skarsgård) concerns about her returning to work. Jane (Shailene Woodley) meets with Ms. Barnes (Virginia Kull), Ziggy’s (Iain Armitage) teacher, who suggests her son be medically evaluated in light of further evidence of classroom bullying. While Madeline is confronted by a skeleton from her past, her internet sleuthing reveals a key player from Jane’s past instead.
Reese Witherspoon Hopes Her Kids Know Her ‘As an Individual’: ‘You Were a Person Before You Were a Mom’
Reese Witherspoon has three kids, which seems easily manageable when compared to her Sing character Rosita’s 25. But the actress and the animated performing pig do have something big in common.
“I have three kids of my own — sometimes it feels like 25,” says Witherspoon, 40, who is mom to sons Tennessee James, 4, and Deacon Reese, 13, and daughter Ava Elizabeth, 17.
“But the idea that you were a person before you were a mom, and that sometimes you really hope that your kids know who you are as an individual,” she adds of how she relates to Rosita, a single mom with dreams of hitting the big time.
Rosita does have one thing over her real-life counterpart, though: some serious engineering prowess.
“I’m very envious of Rosita’s building and technology,” Witherspoon says with a laugh of her character’s impressive parenting skills. “She somehow builds this entire contraption that feeds all 25 children, and puts their backpacks on and says goodnight to them and reads them bedtime stories.”
“And it’s really hard to find a babysitter when you have 25 kids,” the working mom jokes.
“Singing is joyful — I think it’s an affirmation of life, and that there’s so much to celebrate in this life,” the Legally Blonde alum and Draper James founder shares.
“If one of [my kids] tells [another] one to stop singing, I say, ‘Never tell somebody to stop singing. That means they’re happy or they have song in their heart,’ ” she continues. “It’s a beautiful expression of who we are as human beings.”
Sing is available Friday on Digital HD, and on Blu-ray and DVD March 21.
Our Big Little Lies gallery has been updated with additional stills from the first couple of episodes, plus the first two stills from the upcoming 3rd episode.
We also have a clip from this week’s 3rd episode:
The stars of Big Little Lies praise their co-stars’ performances in other HBO series and films available on HBO NOW. New episodes of Big Little Lies premiere Sunday nights at 9PM.
The 3rd episode of Big Little Lies is titled ‘Living The Dream’ and will air on HBO next Sunday; here’s the synopsis and promo:
Hoping to get under Renata’s (Laura Dern) skin, Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) organizes a trip to compete with Amabella’s (Ivy George) birthday party. After another argument, Celeste (Nicole Kidman) succumbs to Perry’s (Alexander Skarsgård) charms before their first session with Dr. Amanda Reisman (Robin Weigert), a therapist. Madeline gets called for a meeting with Abigail’s (Kathryn Newton) guidance counselor. Principal Nippal (P.J. Byrne) announces the theme for the Fall Gala Fundraiser. Later, Jane (Shailene Woodley) seeks Madeline’s help with Ziggy’s (Iain Armitage) family tree project, and opens up about her past.
Reese and her husband attended the Vanity Fair Oscars After Party last night, and she looked super chic in a little black and silver embellished dress by Michael Kors! The first photos have been added to our Gallery, and stay tuned for more in the coming days …
• The Oscars – Vanity Fair After Party
The Morning Show (2019)
