Jessica Simpson has always tried to be true to herself. The moment she was mocked on TV, she questioned the meaning of “chicken of the sea.” In her bestselling memoir, open bookwhere she spoke in graphic detail about her body dysmorphic disorder, childhood sexual abuse, divorce, and the effects of nearly two decades in the public eye. Many describe her as “refreshingly honest,” and she’s not afraid to talk about her past choices. In her new sunscreen partnership with Kiehl’s, she maintains that pure ethos and rethinks past views on beauty, tanning, and self-care. Below, Simpson talks to ELLE about old rumors about spending $1,000 on a tan, keeping a journal as self-care, and a profound beauty moment that changed the course of her life.
I really enjoyed your memoir, it’s one of my favorites.
oh really? I’m about to start another one. I’m always writing. If you want to live your life correctly and understand it, that’s the only way to face yourself and be honest. I write down many thoughts and things in my diary. It’s my relationship with myself and I don’t mind sharing it with the world.
How do I maintain an honest relationship with myself?
So even in this campaign, they are using my failed work. People like me for who I am and not because I’m forced to, which can be eye-opening at times, but I take that as a compliment. But that’s just me. In a way, it’s a healthy relationship between me and the public.
I remember seeing a lot of videos and photos of you tanning a long time ago. What do you remember about tanning in the early 2000s?
I was born and raised in Texas and love the sunshine. My birthday was in July and all my birthday parties were held at the pool. My buns were always tanned. I don’t remember wearing much sunscreen. It reminds me of Axl, Sun In, and Lemon Juice for Blonde Hair. I feel like I was wearing Crisco. We had a really great moment of sun worship. These days I spray my kids when they go to the park and I spray myself all the time. It’s so funny, because I wasn’t raised that way. I definitely changed direction, not just because I was getting older, but because there were so many risks.
But I definitely love a good tan. Spring break is coming soon, and my sons are trying to run away when I try to put on sunscreen, but my daughters are doing a great job of it. But partnering with Kiehl’s actually means a lot to me. Because Kiehl’s is a natural, organic sunscreen that has been around for a very long time and I really believe in it. I still like tanning, believe me, but there are ways to deal with it. My daughter teaches me more about skin care than I can ever teach her. Maxwell is 14 years old and knows a lot about skin. We challenge each other about drinking water, fill each other in on which masks to wear, how to keep our skin moisturized, etc.
I once read a report about people spending $1,000 a week on tanning. Was that accurate?
No, 1000 dollars? No way. I would rather lie in the sun. It probably depends on whether you factor in vacations in that budget. When I played Daisy Duke Dukes of HazzardI had to tan and it was a four-month shoot where I was nearly naked the entire time. Back then, the only way to feel confident on a shoot was to spray on your body makeup. But I didn’t want it to be too orange, so I needed a base tan. It was all well thought out. I used to be the type to apply SPF 15 on my stomach, but I didn’t want to get wrinkles, so I used SPF 50 on my knees. I’ll do the math in my head.
For me, vacation means getting a healthy tan. I’m a person who likes to roll around and hang out with friends, and just kidding, we flip like rotisserie chickens. But most of the time now we all take turns spraying each other. I’ve never been one to be afraid to go out in the sun because of my wrinkles. It just happens and is part of life.
At what age do you think you started wearing sunscreen?
The worst sunburn of my life was on a mission trip. My father was a youth pastor, so he took all the kids to Belize and we held a vacation Bible school in the village. But after doing that we had a day to go to the beach. I have never been so burned in my life. It was so bad that I thought I was going to die. In fact, I also became ill and developed sun poisoning. From then on, I thought, “The sun could literally kill me. I never want to feel like this again.” So when I was around 15 years old, I started thinking, “I should wear sunscreen.”
You are a mental health advocate. Is there anything you still struggle with in terms of beauty?
I always try to think about what is beautiful for other people. I know what is beautiful for me, and it really depends on how I feel inside. It enhances beauty from within and allows it to reflect who we are. I’m also human, so I have my flaws. I had a fitting last night, and this is what I thought. Hmm, what can I do to make this outfit look better? I’m definitely hard on myself. I am not as harsh as the world is on me. But I’m hard on myself. If I allow all those judgments and opinions to define my worth, that’s what I’m giving to my children as well.
I will never let my children hear me say anything derogatory about myself. If I have a momentary moment of weakness, such as feeling fat or disgusting, I try my hardest to bite my tongue. I try to keep it to myself as much as possible. I don’t want them to blame themselves or look at me and think they have to be like me. It’s all a matter of perspective. It comes out when you have conversations with yourself, keep a journal, and love yourself for who you are. It comes through my eyes, my skin, and the way I express myself. The self-work we do on ourselves is probably the most important thing we can do.
You’ve said that you’re interested in what other people find beautiful. I remember that in 2010, you were making a documentary series that traveled to different countries and examined their beauty standards. What was that experience like and how did it impact you?
Yes, it was a lot of fun. I produced a TV series and it was really ahead of its time. At that time, everyone was still obsessed with perfection. Many people have become better at accepting people as they are, as they are, and have realized that the most beautiful and unique things are what make a person stand out. We have traveled to different countries and seen their ideals of beauty. It was a very profound experience. After doing that show, I took a break from showbiz. That was the last thing I did until recently making music.
This show taught me that there is more to life than what I live, and that if I am going to settle down and have children, I need to really consider the beauty in life, my own personal perspective of beauty, and discover what it is without anyone telling me what it is.
I was very interested and saddened by the different pressures that women around the world feel. I thought. How can I have a positive voice in this situation??And I think that had to start within my own healing.?
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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