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"I spent so many years beating myself up for an unrealistic body standard."
Jessica Simpson got candid about the effects of being body-shamed.
The new paperback version of her memoir "Open Book" includes the singer's diary entries focusing on the scrutiny she received after wearing "mom jeans" during a performance at a chili cookout concert back in 2009.
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Everything Jessica Simpson Wrote About Nick Lachey Split In Just-Released Diary Entry
View Story"Today my heart breaks because people says I'm fat,” she wrote at the time. "Why does the cruel opinion of this world get to me?"
In another entry, the 40-year-old entertainer recalled how she was just as harsh at criticizing herself.
"Last week I read back to my journals from 1999 and I beat myself up about how fat I [was] before I even gave the world a chance to..."
During an interview with People, Jessica reflected on the pain it caused and how she has learned to move forward.
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Jessica Simpson Reveals She Is Dyslexic
View Story"There is a wonderful movement for body positivity now and the response to that portion of my story has been overwhelmingly supportive," she began. "I don't think people always realized that there was a human being, a beating heart and working eyes with actual feelings behind those headlines and that words can hurt and stay with you for a lifetime."
"I spent so many years beating myself up for an unrealistic body standard that made me feel like a failure all of the time," she continued. "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."
She added, "I believe in my heart that a healthy body and a sound mind-body connection are what's truly important and help me accept imperfections as beauty."
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