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Jessica Simpson has just opened up about how the media’s obsession with her weight over the course of her career has affected her throughout the years…

The 40-year-old singer, actress, author, and fashion designer (according to Wikipedia) is now mom to three children – Birdie Mae, 2, Maxwell Drew, 8, and Ace Knute, 7 – with husband Eric Johnson, and has thankfully managed to put the years of media scrutiny behind her. But it wasn’t easy!

The latest revelations about the media scrutiny surrounding her fluctuating weight can be read in the latest version of her memoir, Open Book, which has just been released in paperback for the first time…

“Today my heart breaks because people say I’m fat,” reads an excerpt from her diary from 2009, referencing the less-than-complimentary headlines following one of her concerts.

“Why does the cruel opinion of this world get to me? 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…”

Although she now believes in body positivity and has put the bad memories behind her, Jessica Simpson was keen to tell her side of the story in the newest edition of the book, including how she used to beat herself up about her own appearance after reading the cruel headlines…

“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 told People.

“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.

“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.”

We’re grateful for that too – the more people who can think and feel this way, the better!

And we’re glad that Jessica Simpson used the book to tell her fans that she has indeed put all of the negativity behind her, and has used it to grow into a better person. Body positivity is said to be a big part of it, but she also credited the love and support of her fans, friends, and family…

“There is a wonderful movement for body positivity now and the response to that portion of my story has been overwhelmingly supportive,” she added.

“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.”

You can read more of Jessica Simpson’s story – which also includes her real feelings about her and Nick Lachey’s divorce – in her memoir, Open Book, which is out now.