Reese Witherspoon Is An Inspiration

Exciting times on Wednesday: Glamour unveiled the recipients of their Women of the Year Awards for 2015, with Reese Witherspoon scooping an honor. Yay! The awards exist to "honor trailblazers and newsmakers from across the worlds of entertainment, fashion, politics, business, and more," and the recipients include women who have achieved a lot in the past year: Witherspoon is in amazing company alongside role models like Victoria Beckham and Caitlyn Jenner.

Reese Witherspoon has had a busy 2015 so far. The year kicked off with an Academy Award nomination for her role in Wild, and was followed up with the release of action-comedy Hot Pursuit, which she co-starred in with Sofía Vergara. In May, Witherspoon launched Draper James, her own brand which includes home décor, fashion and accessories. Draper James has been a huge success so far, and recently saw the opening of a store in Nashville. Many of its products sold out quickly when the brand launched online, proof that Witherspoon is a woman of diverse talents, who continues to inspire us in everything she does.

Glamour's honor is the perfect moment to revisit some of Witherspoon's best moments in quote form. Thanks for always inspiring us!

1. On Feeling Lost

“I think for a few years I was a little bit lost as an artist, not being able to find what I wanted to do and making choices that I wasn’t ultimately very happy with and what started this whole string of things that I was doing personally was just getting back to wanting to play interesting, dynamic female characters."

In an interview with the Independent (November 2014), Witherspoon spoke about how lost she's felt at certain points throughout her career. It's totally normal to not know what you're doing sometimes, and to take time out to figure out what to do next.

2. On Saving Yourself

"This idea that we are our own saviours, our own heroes, that’s hard, but also incredibly uplifting."

Promoting her movie Wild in an interview with Harper's Bazaar (January 2015), Witherspoon spoke about connecting with the story in a profound way, particular the idea that a person can only save themselves, be their own hero. Instead of the classic Hollywood fairytale in which a prince saves the day, Cheryl Strayed's Wild is about being your own prince.

3. On The Complexity Of Women

"Honestly, I don’t know a woman who isn’t complicated. It’s strange that you don’t see many complicated women on film; complicated meaning complex, I should say."

Also in Harper's Bazaar, Witherspoon talked about the lack of movie roles available for women wanting to play characters they could relate to. Namely, complicated, complex women akin to an actual live human woman! Witherspoon's honesty about the industry and the struggle many actresses face attaining suitable roles is totally empowering.

4. On Cultivating Happiness

"I don’t think I realized [in my twenties] that no one else makes you whole. You have to take responsibility for your own happiness. That took me until I was about 31 to know. It wasn’t easy to realize, Oh, wait, I am purely responsible [for my life]—no relationship, no children, no nothing is going to make you a happy person. Every day you have to choose to find and cultivate your own happiness."

When she was interviewed by Cheryl Strayed in Glamour (December 2014), Witherspoon spoke eloquently about growing up, and cultivating your own happiness. Often, fiction leads us to believe that all we need is another person to save us or make us whole. As Witherspoon shows, happiness is something we need to grab hold of with both hands and not let go.

5. On Being A Modern Woman

Speaking to Katie Couric at Yahoo! Global News, Reese Witherspoon discussed Go Set A Watchman , which she read the audiobook of, and how many of its views were shocking to her as a modern woman. It's refreshing to hear Witherspoon speak out on women's issues so often in recent years.

6. On People Underestimating You

“When people underestimate me, it’s actually a comfortable place for me.”

I love this quote from Witherspoon during her interview with Vogue in September 2014. The idea that getting comfortable in those awkward spaces when people underestimate you is so reassuring. She makes me believe that everyone should take the moments in which people misjudge them, and turn those into important life junctures, opportunities to prove people wrong.

7. On Living A Textured Life

“Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors, but I think there’s a general sense now that I’ve lived a pretty textured life. So many of the things that Cheryl goes through in the book I’ve been through, you know? I’ve been married, I’ve been divorced . . . Cheryl has this idea that the things that have happened to you are part of you. There’s something really beautiful about that idea.”

Also in Vogue, Witherspoon detailed her connection to Wild and how the story resonated with her own life. Witherspoon's honesty about the raw details of things she'd been through, such as her divorce, is what makes her so accessible to us, and a total role model.

Witherspoon's honor from Glamour is totally deserved, and I couldn't be happier for her. Congrats, and thanks for continuing to inspire us!

Images: Giphy (8)