Celebrity Spot-Lite: Jessica Simpson

J.Simps and...heels. And babies. Heels and future babies=great combination

Jessica Simpson…I can’t even remember what this woman is famous for. I know she was a “singer” at one point…then she had continued absurdities on her Newlyweds reality show with Nick Lachey…then…? I know she started her own clothing line, and oh! “The Price of Beauty“! How could I forget that mess, that trainwreck that purportedly released women from the cultural pressures of “lookin’ good” by exposing techniques from all over the world?

And now, pregnancy. And with that, endless talk about weight. J.Simps has been publicly scrutinized continuously for years and years about her weight fluctuations, even going so far as to say that it was good for her branding image to not be super-skinny?

On how her altered figure has affected her brand: “I got so much scrutiny for putting on extra pounds, but I think that the decision not to make myself anorexic was actually great for branding. Because when you’re really, really skinny, not everybody can relate to you.”

On how her fans reacted to her weight gain: “All kinds of women started coming up to me and saying what an example I was setting by not constantly dieting.”

Huh. This is interesting to me for many reasons: J.Simps thinks you can “make a decision” to not make yourself anorexic…and that that decision is only good for branding or perceived public relatability? This is also a woman who publicly “reveals” her size and weight on a regular basis–and almost always misrepresents herself or is misrepresented– including now (seen most recently in the above picture)…as 170 pounds. Seriously?

“I’m like 170 pounds and I wanted to pose nude. It’s funny to be at your heaviest and feel the most confident. I just take such pride in being a mom! I just love my body more than ever now.”

What’s The Price of Beauty? About $3 million if you’re Jessica Simpson. That’s how much the expectant mother is reportedly earning to in a deal with Weight Watchers. It seems Simpson will head directly from the delivery room to the treadmill this spring. All credit to Simpson for taking back control of her body, but couldn’t she have at least let the afterbirth dry? What message does this sprint back to her pre-baby body send to other new moms?…

In the case of Hudson and Carey, those singers waited until after they had already given birth to their children to get on the baby weight-bashing train. Do you think Simpson’s premature announcement sends a bad signal? And does her eagerness to slim down validate the criticism that’s been lobbed against her?

Oh my.

(Images courtesy of Dlisted, my lord and saviour).