Jessica Simpson's Kids Are Already Learning About Body Positivity

Jessica Simpson is experiencing a full-circle moment like no other. As a former teen star-turned-fashion designer, Simpson has spent the majority of her life in the spotlight. And with all fame comes criticism — loads of it. Simpson's complicated relationship with her weight and body image began at a young age.

In her memoir "Open Book," Simpson wrote about being driven to drop 15 lbs by a record executive at just 17 years old. After this introduction to dieting and pills at a young age, she continued to use them for 20 years (per Hello!). Now a mother, Simpson has revealed that her children — Birdie, Maxwell, and Ace — have noticed the public's obsession with body size.

"[My kids are] like, 'I don't even understand this. Why don't they just say you look pretty, Mom? You look pretty,'" she explained to Access Hollywood. "I'm like, 'Honey ... I wish I could explain it.' I wish I could say for me that it's gotten better, but it still remains the same." Even though there has been an evolution of the body positivity movement in recent years, many women are still held to heightened beauty standards. In Simpson's opinion, the only way to promote self-acceptance is to quiet the weight conversations. "We need to focus on our mentality about even talking about weight," she stated of the values she is instilling in her children (per Access Hollywood). "I think it just doesn't need to be a conversation."

The media has been watching Jessica Simpson's weight since she was a teen in the late '90s. She burst onto the scene as a pop singer in 1999, when standards for thinness were even more strict than they are now. The "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" singer skyrocketed to fame in the years to follow, also taking up acting and fashion design. Simpson and her ex-husband Nick Lachey even became reality TV royalty thanks to their hit show "Newlyweds," which aired from 2002 to 2005.

While Simpson's career has spanned nearly three decades, the road to success has not been an easy one. Even as a famous artist, Simpson faced constant tabloid scrutiny. Paparazzi photos of her were often followed by disgusting headlines that called attention to her body and commented on her weight gain or loss. This constant disapproval of her body size affected her mindset long-term.

"I spent so many years beating myself up for an unrealistic body standard that made me feel like a failure all of the time," Simpson revealed after releasing her memoir "Open Book." (via People) "I am still a work in progress when it comes to self-criticism, but now I have the tools to quiet those voices in my head when they speak up." As she now nears the end of her latest weight loss journey, Simpson's waist size is still a topic of public scrutiny.

Simpson also laid to rest the rumors that attributed her 100-lb weight loss to Ozempic. This celebrity-favored medication is originally meant for those with type-2 diabetes and has one major side effect: limiting appetite, leading to weight loss (via The New York Times). Ozempic has been publicly lauded by public figures such as Elon Musk, and fans have suspected it is privately used by the likes of Kim Kardashian.

Even though she has joined the ranks of recent celebrity weight-loss transformations, Simpson still found herself defending her body. "I mean, it is not [Ozempic], it's willpower," she told Bustle. "I'm like, do people want me to be drinking again? Because that's when I was heavier. Or they want me to be having another baby? My body can't do it." Despite a transformation that Simpson is proud of, fans on social media and news outlets now claim that she's lost too much weight.

From tabloid fodder to medical op-eds, it seemed that body shaming followed Simpson throughout every era of her life — even while carrying children. While she was pregnant with her first child in 2012, Simpson was the topic of public scrutiny over her weight gain. Despite the constant criticism, the "Newlyweds" star decided to take ownership of her body in new ways. Simpson even admitted that she threw away the dieting books while pregnant in order to prioritize her happiness (per ABC News).