Ashlee Simpson is sticking up for her big sister Jessica.
The “Ashlee + Evan” star, 34, says she’s so “proud” of Jessica for sticking up for herself after comments were recently made about an old magazine cover featuring her in a bikini.
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In an interview with USA Today, Portman said, “I remember being a teenager, and there was Jessica Simpson on the cover of a magazine saying ‘I’m a virgin’ while wearing a bikini, and I was confused. Like, I don’t know what this is trying to tell me as a woman, as a girl.”
In response, Jessica, 38, said she was “disappointed” by the “Vox Lux” star’s words before reminding her that “the industry we work in often tries to define us and box us in.”
But now, the “Pieces Of Me” singer told E! News, “I mean, I was so proud of my sister.” Adding, “She’s definitely a strong woman and she definitely stands up for herself.”
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Meanwhile, Portman explained that her comments were misconstrued by Simpson, explaining that she was talking about the confusing messages girls and young women are given by the media rather than Simpson herself.
The “Vox Lux” star clarified her comments to Entertainment Tonight: “I would never intend to shame anybody and that was absolutely not my intention. I was really talking about mixed media messages out there for young women and completely apologize for any hurt it may have caused because that was definitely not my intention.”
The actress further explained the context of her quotes: “What I said was I was confused by mixed messages when I was a young girl growing up, and there are a lot of messages for how women should be, and women should be allowed to do whatever they want.”
And the “Vox Lux” star admitted she regrets saying Simpson’s name in her example to the newspaper. “It is a mistake to say anyone’s name,” she said. “I could have made my message without naming.”
