In her cheery new book, Whiskey in a Teacup, Academy Award-winning actress, producer and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon opens up about how growing up in the South made her who she is. She shares family traditions, favorite books, tips for entertaining at home, and plenty of beautiful photos showcasing the personal style beloved by fans of her clothing and lifestyle brand, Draper James.
The book also includes a tutorial on how to use hot hair rollers. And because we’re nothing if not thorough around here — and we want to make sure we’re ready when Witherspoon comes to Nashville on Sunday, September 23 (more on that below) — we gave it a try.
Witherspoon explains that Southern mothers pass this styling lesson along to their daughters: “You learn young, and it’s like being invited into a secret society of womanhood when your elders teach you this secret. And you never, ever forget it. To this day, this is the only way I know how to do my hair. I can’t blow out my own hair. I can’t even straight-iron it. But boy, do I know how to do hot rollers.”
(Photo by Paul Costello and Alex Darsey.)
The first two steps seemed easy enough:
“1. Apply mousse (mousse: it’s not just for the ’80s!) to every section of your hair.
2. Roll up your hair into the heated rollers and clip them down.”
Time for the next step:
“3. Get into the car to go wherever you’re going with the rollers in your hair. Pro tip: Roll down the window to let the outside air cool the rollers.”
No problem.
So far, so good. Next:
“4. Once you have arrived at your destination, right before you’re about to get out of the car, take all the rollers out, turn your head over, brush your hair upside down, and then flip it back. Spray with hair spray. Now use more hair spray. Big hair is traditional, but in this day and age it is fully acceptable to go for shape over height.”
Verdict: This tutorial was amazingly easy to follow. Even the shop dogs could do it.
(Just kidding. That’s Scooter on the left and Sparky on the right.)
But what we didn’t expect was what hot rollers did for our reading lives.
Is it possible that boosting our hair somehow made us . . . stronger?
And are we suddenly able to read multiple books AT ONE TIME??
With our new hair, we gained tremendous multi-tasking powers. Karen could even balance a book in one hand with a little whiskey coffee in a teacup in the other!
Hot rollers: THE PLOT TWIST FOR YOUR HAIR.
Disclaimer: Results may vary.
Seriously, though: There’s so much more to this book than hair lessons.
Want to hear about Whiskey in a Teacup from Reese Witherspoon herself? Join us next Sunday at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, where Witherspoon will be joined by special guests including Ann Patchett!
Reese Witherspoon presents Whiskey in a Teacup
Sunday, September 23, 2018
7:30 p.m. at Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Each ticket includes a copy of Whiskey in a Teacup.
To reserve your seat, click here.
Musing 