EPA/NINA PROMMER
Natalie Portman is clarifying her comments and apologizing to Jessica Simpson after she made comments about a photoshoot Simpson took part in years ago.
“Thank you for your words. I completely agree with you that a woman should be allowed to dress however she likes and behave however she likes and not be judged,” Portman, 37, commented on Simpson’s Instagram about the actress’ remarks on Wednesday, December 5. “I only meant to say I was confused — as a girl coming of age in the public eye around the same time — by the media’s mixed messages about how girls and women were supposed to behave.”
She continued, “I didn’t mean to shame you and I’m sorry for any hurt my words may have caused,” Portman continued.
“I have nothing but respect for your talent and your voice that you use to encourage and empower women all over the globe.”
The mini-feud began on Tuesday, December 4 when Portman commented on Simpson during an interview with USA Today. “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,” Portman said. “Like, I don’t know what this is trying to tell me as a woman, as a girl.”
Simpson was quick to respond in a lengthy Instagram social media post. “@Natalieportman I was disappointed this morning when I read that I ‘confused’ you by wearing a bikini in a published photo taken of me when I was still a virgin in 1999,” Simpson wrote. “As public figures, we both know our image is not totally in our control at all times, and that the industry we work in often tries to define us and box us in. However, I was taught to be myself and honor the different ways all women express themselves, which is why I believed then — and I believe now — that being sexy in a bikini and being proud of my body are not synonymous with having sex.”
“I have always embraced being a role model to all women to let them know that they can look however they want, wear whatever they want and have sex or not have sex with whomever they want,” she continued. “The power lies within us as individuals. I have made it my practice to not shame other women for their choices. In this era of Time’s Up and all the great work you have done for women, I encourage you to do the same.”