Jessica Simpson is genuinely relatable for so many women. She has a history of dating douchebags. She has substance abuse issues. She grew up in a suffocating, ultra-conservative Christian family. But perhaps the most relatable thing about Jessica is her yo-yo dieting, her fluctuating weight, and people talking sh-t about her looks and her weight. Jessica is a short, curvy woman and she’s spent years learning the hard way that she can’t really fight her shape, and she can only be as healthy as possible. That’s not just about diet, exercise and abstaining from alcohol – it’s also about being mentally healthy regarding body image and expectations. So she threw out her scale.
Jessica Simpson told Hoda Kotb on “Today” that she has no idea what her current weight is, having banished a scale from her home some time ago.
“I threw it out,” Simpson, 40, told Kotb in a preview of the segment, which airs Thursday.
“You said it was, like, a Ouija board in church,” Kotb said, “bye-bye.”
“I have no idea how much I weigh,” Simpson went on. “Like, I just want to feel good and be able to zip my pants up. If I don’t, I have another size. I have every size. I’ve really tried my hardest to not let that define me,” she added.
Simpson revealed earlier this year that she weathered a bout with COVID-19, calling the past year “especially intense.”
“We have all been handed challenges and fears in our lives that, at times, felt like too much to overcome,” she said. But the singer signed a big deal in December with Amazon for a mixed publishing and TV deal, based on her 2020 memoir, “Open Book,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
First of all, I’m here for a major Jessica Simpson comeback. I would actually love it if she did another reality show, this time as a 40-year-old mom of three, perhaps with a mix of her business and family life. They could even call it a “docu-series” and make it fancy. As for the no-scale thing… I also refuse to weigh myself at this point. I’m not 17 years old anymore and I really don’t give a f–k what the scale says at this point in my life. I’m a big believer in throwing away scales and just living your life. I’m glad Jess is there too.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I really have a soft spot in my heart for her too but i don’t need a reality series about another rich white lady.
I say that but the thought of a reality series about me bores me to tears lololol
This makes me so so happy. I threw my scale away years ago and I’m not buying another, ever.
Her book totally surprised me with how honest and open it was. Highly recommend everyone read it even if celebrity autobiographies aren’t your jam.
Love Jess. LOVED Newlyweds, loved her memoir….but she has admitted to getting a tummy tuck. So she threw her scale away, but is not above getting more work done to make her look a certain way. So while I applaud what she’s trying to do….she’s not REALLY just like us. But, I am still 100% a fan.
These tucks appear to have been in 2015. That’s six years ago and plenty of time for her to reflect and maybe decide on a new outlook. How we feel about our bodies is a journey.
Very true – but have you seen what she’s done with what I assume are fillers on her face? I follow her on social media and a couple pictures she doesn’t look like herself! That’s another reason for why I’m a little skeptical. But I suppose weight is different than face and aging? To each their own; at the end of the day, t’s all about feeling good about yourself.
LMG, at least for me, weight is *absolutely* a discrete insecurity from aging. I am right around Jessica’s age and have worked so hard to uninternalize every societal expectation that keeps me from feeling safe, secure, and content in my own body… but I was NOT prepared for aging. (I bought a NuFACE device after another commenter here praised it!) I think, more than vanity, it’s just a frustrating reminder that I didn’t really achieve any of the things I thought I would, and that time has moved much faster than I perceived. Anyway, yes, her upper lip is overfilled.
THIS! 1) I cannot recommend her autobiography enough – listen to the audiobook if you can! She is the real deal, so authentic and vulnerable. Her stories are fun, exhilarating and also some are heartbreaking. And though she has privileges, they are directly linked to her talent and very hard work. She is honest and accountable – literally the Open Book. In particular, her dependance and the path to addiction to around alcohol and diet pills is harrowing and important, and it is clear to see she is thriving in recovery.
2) I also have my scale hidden in my closet and only get weighed at doctor appointments. I’m casting aside so many “scripts” of what I *should* be doing, what I *need* to look like or what success looks like, or what I *must* do to fit into the mainstream definitions. Definitions and societal expectations that were often coined by the patriarchy to keep others that are strong and smart in their place – demure, quiet, and not as successful.
Lets throw out those scripts that are no longer serving us! I’m all in for a Jessica Renaissance!
I just downloaded the audiobook (yay for my awesome library system!). I’ve never been a big fan of hers, but the reviews of the book have been very good.
I tried not weighing myself for awhile. Gained 15 pounds lol. I have a large frame and love to eat. If I don’t weigh myself every once in a while, I will go completely off the rails so to speak.
Same. I weigh myself everyday because it helps me stay in touch with reality lol otherwise I’ll blink and suddenly my jeans don’t fit.
This is me. I would never tell someone else to do it but for me I have to weigh daily. I don’t obsess over it but I need to keep track of where I am.
This. I’ve struggled with an eating disorder since my late teens and don’t view my body as it is so seeing the number range I’m supposed to be in is necessary.
And throwing away your scale does not make you healthier or more body positive. I’m irritated by that message.
I want every item her daughter is wearing in that picture! Including furry backpack.
Also amen to no scale. My mom is on a 50 year long yo yo diet (she’s currently losing) and it’s exhausting.
i wish I could be at the no-scale point but I’m just not there yet. Good for Jessica though. Remember that she came to fame around the same time (maybe slightly later?) than people like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. There was so much pressure to look a certain way. I felt that pressure, I can’t imagine what it was like being the industry.
She was before during the Mandy Moore days with healthy images. It was her family that told her to be be ashamed of her big chest and hide her curves.
Even when I go to the doctor, I refuse to get on the scale. Some of the nurses get a little pushy about it, but it’s my right not to know what I weigh!
I have a close friend in her late 30s who is obsessed with her weight. She’s always been thin, has great genetics and is very strict about her diet. Yet, she is always saying how she needs to lose about 3 pounds. I try to not roll my eyes bc honestly, no one else around her would give a damn if she lost those 3 pounds or if she gained 3. Some people are so emotionally tortured over every little pound and life is just too short for all that.
I’m so many ways, we are the product of our environment and upbringing. While it is certainly annoying, these comments are often the result of years of conditioning from others. I am like your friend- and while I try not to do it- sometimes things slip out from being told by my mother to watch my weight and that I am getting too fat.
I think she’s also learned how to dress for her body. The early aught baby tees and low rider jeans were super unforgiving, and given how short she is, pregnancy wasn’t kind either. Glad she’s learned styles and habits that work for her and her body.
AH! I know how much I weight only because I weight myself when I’m at my parents’. The only reason I’m considering buying a scale is to weight my cat, who is overweight and on a diet lol
Threw out my scale,,use my fav jeans as a guide..I also cut out sugar..if my jeans get a little tight, I just walk a little more,,and eat a little less..I’m happy and just enjoy living…
OMG I love her. I seriously do! I listened to her read her autobiography and fell even deeper in love.
I would TOTALLY watch her show if she ever did another one.
I haven’t had a scales in years but my reasoning is kind of opposite. I simply will not step on a scales if I think I’ve gained weight. I know that stupid number will make me feel bad. Who needs it!? I can see and feel in my clothes when I’ve gained weight so I will double down and work hard, and then will only step on a scales when I’m fairly certain im back where I want to be. Also my dumb brain is wired to think it’s never a low enough number so an easy way to avoid that is to never check it!