Jessica Simpson’s slight weight gain in 2009 invited a lot of unwarranted criticism and mockery of her body. The singer who was once a fitness sensation started putting on weight and people treated her as though she had committed the most heinous crime. Jessica Simpson was not spared even when she underwent weight gain during her pregnancy.
Jessica Simpson has been bogged down by her weight and her body ever since the 2005 remake of The Dukes of Hazzard in which she portrayed the role of Daisy Duke came out. She unwittingly ended up creating an unrealistic ‘gold standard’ for her body with that film which turned out to be very detrimental for her because since then, she has had to deal with extreme reactions from the public over the slightest fluctuations in her weight.
Even an insignificant weight gain would trigger people to criticize the singer for not maintaining herself and mock her for looking bad (Spoiler Alert: She looked fine with any figure). She struggled with the public’s opinion for the longest time before she started to let it go. Let’s discuss the evolution of Jessica Simpson’s body and her weight gain that derailed people’s opinion of her!
You might also want to check out the weight gain stories of Kyle Rittenhouse and Heather Locklear.
Jessica Simpson’s Weight Gain: The Evolution of The Actress’s Body!
Jessica Simpson (@jessicasimpson) has undergone a lot of fluctuations in her weight since she started her career. How her body has changed and evolved has created numerous headlines and started many discussions. Her weight gain has really triggered the body shamers and her weight loss has also attracted the wrath of body positivity advocates. People have never given her peace about her body.
Jessica Simpson’s weight gain made her the target of body-shamers and trolls.
Image Source: Fox News
The actress rose to prominence in 1999 when she released her debut album Sweet Kisses. She became an instant hit and while people loved her killer voice, she started to be more known for being a blonde bombshell with a terrific body. The focus on her body was always there, from the very first start. She had a physique that fit the standards and her toned frame made her a fitness sensation. The slightest weight gain would, later on, have the public piling on her.
Jessica Simpson did well as long as her body did well which is to say that the public favored her only when she was fit. The minute she deviated even a little bit from looking like the standard fit woman they had known her to be, she fell from grace. It’s still very disconcerting how she went from being a star in 2005 when she starred alongside Johnny Knoxville in the remake of The Dukes of Hazzard (her muscular legs were practically a star in their own right) to being the punchbag for the public because of her figure in 2009. She must have felt that the weight gain was the worst thing that happened to her.
The In This Skin singer once wore a pair of mom jeans which were not very flattering to her figure while performing at a chili cook-off in 2009. This small fashion misstep had the public erupting with obviously unwarranted hateful tirades about her body. She seemed to have had a slight weight gain, going by her fuller figure, and people crucified her for it. There were headlines about her where she was branded “Jumbo Jessica” and everyone was talking about how she had let herself go by ballooning.
Jessica Simpson was branded Jumbo Jessica when she gained a bit of weight and sported a fuller figure.
Image Source: Yahoo
Jessica Simpson was just a US size 4 at the time but people behaved as though she was a size 10. Not that women who are size 10 deserve to be hated as Jessica got hated on. But it was such an extreme reaction to her slight weight gain and so tragic. She felt heartbroken over the body-shaming she received then as she mentioned in her memoir Open Book. Anyone would feel the same way about that kind of unjustifiable hate train.
In 2014, speaking about the intense body shaming, in an interview with Redbook, the I Wanna Love You Forever hitmaker said that it was unfair, what happened to her. As she said, “What woman wants to be brought down for wearing a pair of jeans?” Later that year, she said that she stood by her pants and even enjoyed a corndog before taking the stage. She owned that she loves her curves and that she was not ever going to be a size zero and she didn’t want to weigh 90 pounds.
Jessica Simpson Was Not Even Spared For Her Pregnancy Weight Gain!
By that time, Jessica Simpson was well aware that there was no winning with people. She would only be loved if she was a size zero. Anything more than that and she would always be on the receiving end of body-shaming. She must have realized that in 2011 when people didn’t spare her pregnancy weight gain. She put on weight when she was pregnant and yet the public wouldn’t let that go. Even after she lost 60 pounds and became a Weight Watchers spokesperson, she was trolled and mocked.
Jessica Simpson was not even spared by the trolls when she had pregnancy weight gain.
Image Source: Shape
So, by that time, the television star knew that she couldn’t carry the baggage of public opinion about her body so, she didn’t take the criticism to her heart. She didn’t let her weight gain diminish her worth as the public did. In an interview with USA Today, she said,
I’m not a supermodel! My body is not bouncing back like a supermodel. I’m just your everyday woman who is trying to feel good and be healthy for her daughter, her fiancé and herself … I feel like everybody can do what I am doing.
Jessica Simpson faced a similar thing in 2013 when she gave birth to her second child. She gained some and lost that. She got mocked for her weight gain but she didn’t focus on that and instead, resumed her WW gig and shed some weight. The next time she made headlines about her weight was when she had her third child in 2019 and revealed that she lost 100 pounds in just six months after having the child. She posted a photo on Instagram of herself looking svelte and captioned it,
6 months. 100 pounds down (Yes, I tipped the scales at 240 😜). So proud to feel like myself again. Even when it felt impossible, I chose to work harder.
Jessica Simpson’s been working to stay healthy and fit since then. However, now it’s all about her and not about how people feel about her.
