Jessica Simpson's Cosmetic Surgery Transformation Explained
Jessica Simpson has made an iconic career crafted around the persona of being one of Hollywood's blonde beauties. Think back to her portrayal as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard or her corresponding music video, "These Boots are Made for Walkin.'" The emphasis was on her lean body, her amazing hair, her big smile — features that amped up some serious sex appeal. In short, everything focused on how Jessica Simpson looked.
With this level of hyper-focus on her body, it's no wonder that in Simpson's new memoir, Open Book, she speaks about her relationship with her body as something that was not only complicated but often tortured. True to its title, Simpson's book talks about substance abuse, childhood trauma, and her emotional and physical response to motherhood and her postpartum body.
Simpson revealed that she planned a partial tummy tuck near her 35th birthday in July 2015, per Us Weekly. Jessica currently has three children with her husband, former NFL pro Eric Johnson, but at the time of her tummy tuck, she'd had two kids in less than two years. She said her plan wasn't to use the tummy tuck to lose weight but rather to remove the excess skin from back-to-back pregnancies. Her doctor warned against the procedure, but Simpson chose to gamble on her health. Here's why...
Jessica Simpson defied her doctor because of body shame
In her memoir, Jessica Simpson revealed that she ignored the advice of her doctor and pushed for a tummy tuck because she couldn't stand the way her body looked. "I was so ashamed of my body at this point that I wouldn't let Eric see me without a white T-shirt on," she writes in Open Book, per Us Weekly. "I had sex with it on and even showered with it on. I couldn't bear to look at myself."
In response to this fractured relationship with herself, Simpson scheduled a partial tummy tuck. While the plastic surgeon approved, Simpson says her own doctor did not, claiming he was worried about her liver due to her excessive consumption of alcohol and pills. He reportedly told her she "could die," but Simpson went forward with the surgery anyway. Before the operation, she says she "cut down on everything like someone cramming for a test."
Her recovery was fine, but the fashion designer felt like the partial tummy tuck didn't do enough to satisfy the perception she had about how her body should look. Simpson scheduled a second tummy tuck just two months later, but that one resulted in some serious complications. "I got an infection — colitis — and was vomiting so much I thought I was going to bust my sutures," she writes, per Us Weekly. Thankfully, Simpson recovered, but that moment wasn't the first time she'd struggled with her identity.
Jessica Simpson struggled with body image for years
The phenomenon of using cosmetic surgery to promote an idealized body type is nothing new for many celebrities, Jessica Simpson included. In a 2006 interview with Glamour, the Newlyweds reality star talked about other areas of her body she has targeted, specifically lip injections. "I had that Restylane stuff. But it fades — it went away in like four months," she told the mag. "My lips are back to what they were. Thank God! It looked fake to me. I didn't like that."
Simpson also added that if she were to do any kind of breast augmentation, it would be a reduction. "The only thing I've ever wanted is a boob reduction! I have to wear two sport bras when I jog," she said.
Discussions about Simpson's body have dominated her lengthy career. In a February 2020 interview with Today, the singer talked about why one chapter of Open Book is titled "Death By Mom Jeans." That section of her memoir revisits a brutal body-shaming experience that occurred after she wore high-waisted jeans during a performance in 2009. The pop star was ferociously ridiculed online for the way her body looked. It "broke my heart," she said. "...I was taken down by the world."
Having lived through that experience, it's no wonder Simpson has struggled with feeling comfortable in her own skin, but her new book sheds light on her latest transformation...
Jessica Simpson reflects on her cosmetic surgeries
Jessica Simpson's struggle with body image has been a life-long journey, but through the process of writing Open Book, she gained some perspective on what cosmetic surgery meant for her and if it really addressed the deeper issues. "I can tell you that plastic surgery does not cure what's inside," she wrote, per Us Weekly. "Really, it's about how you feel emotionally, and I was still just as hard on myself once those stitches were out."
In Simpson's memoir, she talks about other ways she has transformed her physical body, such as getting sober in 2017. "Everything in my life has been clear since that very moment," she told the Today show in February 2020. She now hopes her book and corresponding music will inspire others. "I wanted to show people the obstacles that I had to get through and the tools that I have now to go back and face them."
While it was probably painful to relive some of those memories, we're grateful Simpson chose to be vulnerable enough to share her transformation with the public.