Jessica Simpson Looks Unrecognizable in Instagram Upload: ‘I Didn’t Love Myself’

Jessica Simpson took to Instagram to share a photo of herself that was taken back in 2017. Simpson looked completely unrecognizable in the photo, which was snapped at a challenging time.

In her memoir, “Open Book,” Simpson opened up about a time in her life when she was leaning on pills and alcohol, according to People magazine. It was November 2017 when Simpson got sober.

“This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017, is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self discovery to unlock and explore. I knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity. Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted. I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor. I wanted to live as a leader does and break cycles to advance forward- never looking back with regret and remorse over any choice I have made and would make for the rest of my time here within this beautiful world,” Simpson captioned the photo, in part.

Here’s what you need to know:

Simpson Admitted That She ‘Didn’t Love’ Herself

In her candid post, Simpson wrote about the struggles that she faced and how far she has come. In the accompanying photo, the singer wore a pink and white sweatsuit as she sat on some kind of beanbag. Her face appeared a bit red and very puffy, and she looked extremely tired.

“I can’t believe it has been 4 [years]! It feels like maybe 2. I think that is a good thing. Ha. There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do. I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free,” her caption read.

Jessica was able to get the help that she needed, but it wasn’t easy. In her memoir, she admits that she went to therapy twice a week, and had the support of her family to help get her through. However, once she realized that she “needed help,” she stayed dedicated to her recovery.

“I need to stop. Something’s got to stop. And if it’s the alcohol that’s doing this, and making things worse, then I quit,” Jessica recalls telling a friend, according to People.

“It was like I was that little girl that found her calling again in life. I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear. Honesty is hard but it’s the most rewarding thing we have. And getting to the other side of fear is beautiful,” she wrote in her book.

Simpson Was Sexually Abused When She Was a Child

Something that Simpson struggled with as an adult was sexual abuse that she endured when she was a child. According to People, Simpson opened up about the abuse in her memoir. She explained that she had shared a bed with the daughter of a family friend. “It would start with tickling my back and then go into things that were extremely uncomfortable,” Simpson wrote.

Nearly 10 years ago, Simpson revealed that she spoke to her accuser — and she had decided to forgive her.  “About eight years ago I confronted her,” Simpson told Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt on the July 29, 2020, episode of “The Gift of Forgiveness” podcast.

“I went to her and I just said, ‘I know you know what was going on and I know that you were being abused,’ because she was being abused by an older guy. He was always there at the house as well, so he never touched me, but he would abuse her and then she would come to me and do the stuff to me and so, like, in so many ways I felt bad for her and I was allowing the abuse to happen,” Simpson shared.

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