Tis the season of spring break—and no one is enjoying it quite as much as Jessica Simpson—who practically broke the internet with her bikini-selfie series last week.
Also on the agenda this particular sunny day: A Zoom chat regarding the mother-of-three’s latest partnership with what she calls the “game-changing” Flonase, the allergy-relief product that’s a bit of a family affair (and was a favorite of Simpson’s even prior to the partnership).
“There’s something about living in Los Angeles with the wildfires, and the pollen and the climate change and the whatnot that we just always seem to wake up with itchy, watery eyes—my kids are sneezing all the time! And you know how that is…we’re all so worried right now that we’re sick, but it’s important to differentiate being sick from having allergies.
So, they each have their own little bottle of Flonase with their name on it. It’s something that we’ve used for a bit, and I only tell people to try something if I truly believe in it; I know that my name is a brand. It was a natural thing for me, because I see my kids run and play outside and they’re happy. They can be better and not have to complain as much. What’s better than bringing some awareness to something that can make your kids scream at you less!”
The 41-year-old also says her kids were having a “happy time” on the family’s recent vacation to Cabo (the location of those Instagram shots)—and were equally as surprised by her bathing suit of choice.
“Well, it was definitely spring break for the kids. Cabo, for me, used to be a girls’ trip. Lay out, have fun…but going with the kids involves being active all day and maybe getting one hour to lay in the sun,” she laughs, segueing into the timely social-media elephant in the room: “And, then, I posted the bikini photo, the first one, just kind of in the moment. It wasn’t anything I had planned out. I brought bikinis, I didn’t try on bathing suits beforehand because I didn’t want to see myself in a bathing suit, but I was like, ‘I’m going to bring bikinis and just see, we’ll just see.’ When I put it on, I got super emotional because I was like, ‘Wow! I can wear a bikini. Hot damn! Here we go!’
My kids had never seen me in a bikini. I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like a lot of little goals finally coming together. I had my last child three years ago, and it took three years to get here, plus all the time prior to that—not even my almost-10-year-old had ever seen me in a bikini. I’m proud of myself and I wanted people to know that nothing is impossible. It’s amazing what women’s bodies can do, and it’s not a bounce back. I ain’t a supermodel. I might be modeling some clothes that have my name on it, but that does not make me a supermodel.”
Supermodel may not hit The Dukes of Hazzard star’s resume, but that doesn’t mean Simpson doesn’t know what she wants to showcase: “I think we all have an inner supermodel. We all have our model face. We all have a way in which we like to take our photos and we all have that in us that we want to show. For me, it wasn’t about showcasing my body—it was more about showcasing the fact that I accomplished something that I never thought could happen. I just didn’t know that I could put on a bathing suit, take a picture and not have to over-filter and do all kinds of things and just post it. For me, it was very liberating. The narrative that goes with it is self-love, and I definitely would put on a bikini in the past if I wanted to. It’s just I’m very hard on myself, but I try so hard to ignore criticism.
I know that I am one of the most talked about people out there—whether it’s for shame or for glory—when it comes to my weight. I don’t know why. I have accepted it to be a topic that’s used for inspiration, since I have been every size. I understand how women feel in this world of perfection. There is no perfection—I even had to get off Instagram for a while because I couldn’t read the comments, I couldn’t look at photos. But I’m not ever trying to show people perfection; I want to show realness and real life. I’m open about my flaws and I’ve embraced them.
But this whole bikini thing…I guess I’m still shocked that I actually felt brave.”
