A month or two ago, I finally spent some time on Reese Witherspoon’s lifestyle/retail site, Draper James (go here to see). I almost got a headache from the sugary over-hyped SOUTHERN, Y’ALL vibe. I actually live in the South and I’m very happy here and we’re just as modern, crazy, stupid, corrupt, intelligent, artistic and racially diverse as the rest of America. But you would never know that with Draper James. It’s very much like Blake Lively’s “Allure of Antebellum” Preserve post – Reese wants to create a vision of a modern Southern lady that’s all about magnolia blossoms, luncheons and linen napkins. And I’m just not sure that really exists beyond some very elite cloisters of Southern society.
Anyway, Reese covers the new issue of Southern Living, which seems like a perfect fit if ever there was one. If there was a magazine called American Citizen: Drunk Blonde, that might be the only thing that would fit better for Reese. In this Southern Living article, Reese actually tamps down her natural instinct to judge everyone. Maybe because she knows how hard it is to be judged, y’all.
She’s not a judgy parent: “No one’s really doing it perfectly. I think you love your kids with your whole heart, and you do the best you possibly can.”
But she’s a hands-on mom, y’all: “But, you know, right now I’m feeling sad missing my little 2-year-old, and my daughter’s about to finish her freshman year of high school, and my son has a golf tournament this weekend that I hope I don’t miss.”
Balancing work and motherhood: “There are some sacrifices you make, and it hurts your heart sometimes, but my kids tell me they’re proud of what I’ve accomplished, and that just means everything. I grew up with a working mom, and I have so much respect for the things she did as a nurse and a teacher. I would never begrudge her that.”
She bought a house in Nashville: “Everything is a little bit slower here, and I think I’m ready for that in my life again. When I’m here my brain relaxes.”
Her Southern accent: “Early on, someone said, ‘Well, you’re never gonna get a job with an accent like that.’ I learned to change it up, but it’s like a pair of slippers that I put on when I’m at home. I start to talk more and more Southern. My kids know when I’m serious. I get really Southern.”
Southern accents are a weird thing – I grew up in Virginia and I never really felt like I had much of an accent, but then I became more conscious of it in my late teens. Maybe my accent just became stronger as I got older too, because I feel like it’s stronger now than ever before. I can drop it sometimes, but most of the time I don’t even care. So I have a Southern accent. Who cares? I’d rather sound like a hick than have Donald Trump’s totally bizarre New York accent.
Photos courtesy of Southern Living.
I find the smile on her face in the different pics quite creepy …
Excuse you, that is the face of an AMERICAN CITIZEN.
‘MUERICA!!!!
She’s smiling so hard it hurts
Agreed, the cover shot is creepy indeed. Too-big smile and a dash of crazy eyes.
Her eyes are chanting “USA! USA! USA!” =p
I just want to say I love Y’ALL and your comments. Great stuff!
I’m getting serious Elle Woods vibes here. Super fun, y’all.
PhotoShop or eye work?
Likely a ton of ‘shop. SL magazine is known for its perfect photography.
Both, I think. And why are her eyes so blue in that cover that they look like Mr Freeze laser beams???
LOL
Virginia accents are really interesting, because there is a huge difference between areas of the Commonwealth (state). There are two race car drivers (brothers) raised in central Virginia who sound completely different. The joke is that one was raised in the northern side of the home, and the other in the southern.
I made a conscious effort to tone down my accent while in college, but now (years later), I don’t care. Supposedly, some of the Appalachian region accents are very similar to the British-Scottish-Irish roots many of us have. Some of the pronunciations have apparently carried over for generations.
I have had people ask me if I’m British when they only heard me speak a word or two. Then I say no, I’m from North Carolina and they’re like oh, right, hear it, sorry, we thought you sounded cool at first.
My parents are from Britain. Sorry they stole the “cool” factor. FYI I’ve listened to Brit accents my whole life and think Southern accents are cool 🙂
I grew up in Norfolk Va. but my Mom is from Mass. and we moved there when I was a teen so whatever Virginian I had got pretty muted (I never went full Boston either though, thank God!). I live in Scotland now and have been asked if I’m Canadian or Irish several times, my accent is a hot mess! So it’s interesting what you guys say about the U.K. roots of the Virginian accent – weird! I can’t do a Scottish accent to save my life though – English and Irish a bit easier.
Supposedly how we pronounce our R’s is one example.
I spent nearly every weekend of my childhood at my grandparents’ farm in rural Virginia. I was a teenager before I realized the surname ‘Osborne’ did not have an extra R, and that ‘Livesay’ did not really have an ‘e’ pronunciation in the first syllable. Folks pronounced those names as ‘Orsburn’ and ‘Levasay’.
We had a co-worked who had lived in many places, and she pronounced ‘garage’ differently than we did. She explained it rhymes with carriage, as in ‘put the carriage in the garage’. Another co-worker replied, ‘Around here, we put the Dodge in the garage.’
I’m in Charlottesville VA & I notice the older a woman becomes the stronger her gentile southern accent becomes. I am often told I don’t sound like I’m from the south. When I say Virginia the response is always “that explains it”
Isn’t there a region of Virginia that promounces about as aboot?
People in the tidewater region pronounce about as “aboot”. Then you have northern Virginia which is very different from the rest of the state since most people have a neutral accent, maybe because there are so many transplants here. Although my husband was raised in northern Virginia and says “Warshington”. Drives me crazy!
I’m originally from the South, too, and have been asked the British question, as well.
But having been a theatre major in college, they BEAT the accent out of me. However, after a cocktail or two, it comes right back!
I’m Southern too and the way Reese describes it or portrays it is not how I live.. I think for me it is more of an attitude than anything that is really visible. The one thing I have notice is how Reese has changed how she dresses.
I agree on how she dresses. I’ve always liked her style – pretty normal and preppy. But since she started Draper James, it’s like floral overload, y’all. I follow her on Instagram and I used to like her photos but lately everything is an ad for her business. Everything she wears is available on DJ and all her celeb friends are wearing it too. That magnolia belt is OTT.
The thing that cracks me up in portrayals of the South and Southern women on Pinterest (I know, I know) is the gloves. People will have boards about Southern homes or parties or whatever, and the women are modern day, but wearing little lace or cotton gloves. Trust me, this does not happen.
Has Reese always been so “I’m so so Southern?” Or is this a recent development after the American Citizen incident? Or advertisement for Draper Jones – sort of setting herself apart from the hoards of other life-style websites?
She was born in Louisiana and raised in TN. Yeah, she’s always been a southern girl.
My sister was born and raised in Colorado, but now since she’s been living in TN for the last 15 years she now has a southern accent. It’s so weird!
I’ve lived in the South all my life except for six years in Germany, and I’ve never known any magnolia blossom, mint julep, glove wearing Southern Belles. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.
Yeah, the site is very into the plantation lifestyle, minus the slavery — of course.
I’ve lived in NY state (north of the city , now in Queens) my whole life and I talk like a newscaster with the exception of the word water apparently I saw ‘whader’. I’d say the only people who have that Trump accent are from the outer boroughs, Long Island and some of Jersey.
To me the oddest accent is South Jersey /Philly .
^ This so much this.
I would respect her more if she would ever just give a nudge and a wink to the REAL Reese we have all seen, a photoshoot with a mugshot or a party girl scene, champagne in hand, getting her dance on. Not that that is all that she is, but we all know what she’s selling is just a load of corn fed boohickey as she might say with her dimples on! Not gonna happen I know, but is anyone still buying this Martha Stewart southern princess b.s.?
I’m not buying it. She’s too pretentious for my taste.
Southern Living is at most every grocery store checkout where I live, and I usually notice cake or pie on the cover — not celebrities. Apparently Jen Garner and Hayden PantICantSpellHerLastName have been on covers. I’d rather see a perfect looking pie or cake, personally.
She’s really laying it on thick with the “whole heart” quotes, isn’t she? I hear her speaking in an exaggerated southern accent when I read them.
Remember how she became the spokeswoman for women in film when it was good for her Oscar campaign.
Now she’s the spokeswoman for Southern living.
Good Lord, just look at her eyes – it’s Tracey Flick.
That chain blouse thing gives her a muffin top.
Just sayin’. Lol
haha I didn’t even say that to be bitchy. Its like one of those eye illusion pictures. I can’t stop staring.
Yeah, and the top outfit is like “go put on every warm thing you have in your closet.”
OMG I had to go back and look. Now I can’t unsee it! How did she allow that ?
Reese could have talks with Kelly Rutherford about Standing your ground as an American Citizen.
Her problem is that she relaxes her brain too often.
Ha-ha, that last line cracked me up, so true.
I wish she would find herself a new schtick, I’m so over this one. Does anyone really find this woman anything but boring and phony?
That’s what I was thinking. It’s like she want to really be liked by a certain conservative america? I’m from Europe, maybe I’m missing something. But she is so poised and “decent” as a contrast to the “american citizen” that she just seems to be acting all the time to sell that lifestyle thing. BORING:
She looks like the lovechild of William Dafoe and Elizabeth Banks on that cover.
Oh my Goodness, can’t unsee!
Those are some strange outfits.
Right? I’m no fashion queen, but I can’t decide which is more…interesting.
I liked her, but after “I am American citizen!”, “Do you know who I am?” and “I am pregnant” situation … she showed her true face – rich and spoiled celebrity.
There is something fishy about her – she is trying to hard to look perfect – perfect mom with perfect hair, perfect wife, perfect actress, perfect Southern lady. Perfect American citizen, who likes to booze. Secretly.
How long are people going to hold that against her? She was drunk. She apologized. Some celebrities have been forgiven for worse.
She wasn’t drunk the video the cop said while arresting her ” if you would have stayed in the car I would have let you drive home” . No cop is going to let a drunk person drive home, especially when that is the reason why they were pulled over in the first place.
I can’t help it, I do like some of the clothing items on her site….I won’t buy them, they are too expensive, but I do like them…ugh.
I can’t get past that ugly a$$ outfit in the last picture. What IS that?
Accents are funny things- I have visited states in the Deep South, and the accents even 30 miles apart can be so different. Re Reese- haven’t visited her website, but isn’t it doing pretty well? Thought I saw an article somewhere that reported it is generating much more revenue than either Gwynneth’s or Blake’s. Interesting if true.
I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but I like her outfit in the last picture. If I weren’t so boxy through the middle and a little shorter, I would totally rock something like that for work.
That being said, I find Reese harmless (when she’s not inebriated). I’ve only seen one movie with her in it and I generally find her a forgettable actress. “Water for Elephants” was complete torture and even the beautiful costuming couldn’t save the movie in my eyes.
But did she mention her ancestor supposedly signed the Declaration of Independence?
I see she mentioned one of her parents’ occupations. Mother was a professor (she toned it down to teacher) AND a nurse, y’all! Daddy was a doctor. Their full education and work history are on her wiki profile, which I find a little OTT.
I’m proud to be from the Massachusetts/Connecticut/Rhode Island “Tri-State Area,” where EVERYBODY says, “Have a bee-yah.” And, then, they get you one!
ME TOO!
Cool! And if you come down this way, you can be treated to a ‘dope’ (soda/cola). And if you need it to go, we’ll put it in a ‘poke’ (bag) for ya.
Actually, the terms I just used were things I heard growing up. Today ‘dope in a poke’ might put someone in risk of jail.
“when I’m here my brain relaxes”
When I don’t have to look at toothy/scary pictures of you smiling, my brain relaxes.
When I don’t have to see you berate and verbally abuse a policeman because you and your husband are drunk driving, my brain relaxes.
I could go on…
Ok, i did lie about the American Citizen video….it was a video made by the angels.
Translation: I load up on moonshine and really start to chillax…
…Duplicate post, sorry.
Possibly so. Moonshine has been legalized in TN (under certain restrictions, licenses, etc.). It’s becoming a big business in certain areas of the state. It’s sold in all sorts of flavors.
Her eyes and teeth remind me of another southern belle(brain), Paula Deen…. eeeeewwww….