Jessica Simpson.Photo: David Livingtson/Getty
In a recent interview, the 42-year-old singer and fashion designer admitted that she can’t believe how much her body has been analyzed throughout her career. WhenExtra’s Terri Seymour asked if she’s ever gotten over the fact that her weight is such a hot topic of discussion, she replied, “Oh gosh, no. Would any woman?”
Simpson recalled a conversation about her body withLynda Carterprior tostarring inThe Dukes of Hazzardreboot in 2005, where Simpson portrays Daisy Duke, a waitress whose signature outfit included a pair of short denim shorts.
“Lynda Carter warned me on the set ofDukes of Hazzard,” she told the outlet. “She was like, ‘I will always be Wonder Woman and compared to Wonder Woman, and that’s what you’re doing here as Daisy Duke. Just know the words ‘Daisy Duke’ will follow you for the rest of your career.’ "
She was right.
“I’ve been criticized, and it hurts, but I’ve been every weight and I’ve been proud of it,” Simpson continued.
TheOpen Bookauthor added that it’s one of the reasons why she started her fashion line,The Jessica Simpson Collection.
“I decided, ‘Okay, everybody is going to talk about my weight all the time, I might as well make money off of it and turn it into a business of selling clothes and acceptance,’ " she said.
Last year, Simpson revealed that she reached a point in her health journey where she wasn’t letting numbers on the scale ruin her self-esteem.
Comparing her scale to a “Ouija board in church,” the mother of three toldHoda Kotbon theTodayshow that she decided it was best for her to throw it out.
“I haveno idea how much I weigh, I just want to be able to feel good and zip my pants up. If I don’t, I have another size. I have every size,” she said at the time.
“I’ve really tried my hardest to not let that define me,” the singer added of using a scale to keep track of her weight.
Simpson now has an entirely different perspective, trying to focus solely on her health. She previously told PEOPLE that she’s healed from her struggles with body image and is thankful for positive conversations surrounding the topic.
“There is a wonderful movement for body positivity now and the response to that portion of my story has been overwhelmingly supportive,” she said. “I don’t think people always realized that there was a human being, a beating heart and working eyes with actual feelings behind those headlines and that words can hurt and stay with you for a lifetime.”
source: people.com
