Jessica Simpson has hit back at Natalie Portman over comments she made in an interview with USA Today on Tuesday, where she talked about being “confused” after seeing the pop star in a bikini on a 1999 magazine cover while also claiming “I’m a virgin.” Simpson says that she was “disappointed” to read that portion of the interview, reminding Portman that “we both know our image is not totally in our control at all times.”
Taking to Twitter and Instagram to respond, Simpson writes that she was taught to “honor the different ways all women express themselves,” which has led her to embrace “being a role model to all women to let them know that they can look however they want and have sex or not have sex with whomever they want.” “I have made it my practice not to shame other women for their choices,” she adds. “In this era of Time’s Up and all the great work you have done for women, I encourage you to do to the same.”
Portman has since issued two apologies, one via Entertainment Tonight and one on in a comment on Simpson’s Instagram post. Talking to the outlet, she says it wasn’t her intention to “shame anybody,” explaining that she was trying to talk about “mixed media messages out there for young women.” In her comment on Simpson’s post, she adds, “I have nothing but respect for your talent and your voice that you use to encourage and empower women all over the globe.”