In September's Glamour, Jessica Simpson admits for the first time that her weight "fluctuates" and that she has struggled with body image issues her entire life.
"When I was young, I would look at magazines and feel a lot of pressure," says the singer, 29. "As a child of 12, I would write things in my journal like, 'I'm lying here and all I can think about is that my stomach is hanging over my underwear.' That disturbs me even today! I was always disconnected from myself; there was this idea of perfection I couldn't ever get to. But all women struggle with insecurity, and we all have something we don't like about ourselves."
Simpson – who underwent criticism this year after looking fuller-figured at a Florida concert – says she is psyched at the idea of hosting her own VH1 reality show, The Price of Beauty. The show tracks her journey around the world in search of what people find beautiful and why.
"No matter how much money you spend to make yourself beautiful–with all the products, the diets, the plastic surgery–in the end, women need to fall in love with themselves and realize they're beautifully and wonderfully made. There is no 'perfect' you," says Simpson, who has admitted to getting Restylane to make her lips plumper.
"It will be interesting for women to see how self-obsessed we've become," she says.
She credits ex Tony Romo with helping her become more comfortable in her own skin. "Tony never ever places judgment," she says. "You can just relax and feel beautiful. He's just that type of person."
Although she did the interview before her split with Romo, she says, "If this article comes out and we're not together, I'd still love [Tony], and he'd still be a huge part of who I am today."
Simpson also addresses her 2006 divorce from Nick Lachey. "It was hard to imagine I would ever walk down the aisle again," she says. "It was like a death in the family: You go through the mourning stage, then the rebellion, and then all of a sudden you have to find life by yourself. Once you do that, you feel complete –and that's the only time you can truly fall in love again, and give yourself over completely to another person."
Although her first marriage failed, says she will "definitely" wed again.
"I loved everything about marriage," she tells Glamour. "I loved having a companion to wake up with and have barbecues with. But things happen and people grow apart. I don't really ever talk about the divorce because it was a heart-wrenching thing to go through. It's a very, very personal thing."
