Since she first appeared on the music scene in 1999, Jessica Simpson has been facing unwanted comments about her body. More than 20 years later, it seems little has changed. In a July 5 interview with Bustle, the fashion designer shut down online body-shamers who claimed her weight loss is from using Ozempic.
Simpson denied using Ozempic, a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes that has gained popularity among celebrities as a weight-loss drug, and opened up about what it’s like to have her body scrutinized at every size. “It’s willpower,” she said. “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.”
For Simpson, having people be hyperfocused on her weight is, sadly, nothing new. She told Bustle “it hurts” to face constant criticism, but as she has gotten older, the online chatter bothers her less than it once did. “Am I going to let the negativity derail me? No, I’m too old for that. I am too connected to myself right now to let that derail me. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt,” she said.
She continued, “I am fortunate to have been every size. For [my] brand, understanding the women [who buy our products], and for my psyche.”
In her memoir, “Open Book,” Simpson got candid about her health journey. The 42-year-old revealed she no longer obsesses over the number on the scale — in large part because she tossed the scale out. During a 2021 appearance on “Today,” Simpson explained, “I have no 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. “I’ve really tried my hardest to not let that define me.”