Jessica Simpson, 40, ‘Shocked’ That She Can Fit Back Into Her Jeans From 14 Years Ago After 100 Lb. Weight Loss

After having three children, Jessica Simpson never thought she could get back into skinny jeans she wore in her 20s. At 40, she says it left her in ‘shock’ that they fit once again.

Jessica Simpson‘s weight had yo-yo’ed during her singing career, and then she went on to have three children. But she never gave up hope that she could still fit into a pair of True Religion jeans that she wore at her thinnest in the mid 2000’s. After going through a closet cleanup during quarantine, Jessica found the skinny denim and the jeans finally fit again!  Jess even took a July 9 Instagram selfie wearing them as a happy early 40th birthday present to herself. Now she says she tried them on for years hoping they’d fit once more, and was stunned when they finally did.

“I was in complete shock. It was a good 40th birthday present. I’ve tried to pull those things over my hips so many times. I just thought my hips, from having babies, would never go back, but the jeans went up,” Jess tells PEOPLE magazine. She and husband Eric Johnson are parents to three children, daughters Maxwell, 8, and Birdie Mae, 1, as well as son Ace, 7.

Jessica gained over 100 pounds when pregnant with Birdie, who when she entered this world on March 19, 2019 weighed a hearty 10 lbs., 13 oz. But the entrepreneur managed to drop all of her baby weight within six months. She revealed in a Sept. 24, 2019 Instagram post showing her tiny waist and slimmed down body in a black dress that she’d reached her goal. “6 months. 100 pounds down (Yes, I tipped the scales at 240). My first trip away from #BIRDIEMAE and emotional for many reasons, but so proud to feel like myself again. Even when it felt impossible, I chose to work harder,” Jess wrote about getting back in shape. 

On July 9, one day before turning 40, Jessica shared the photo of her back in her True Religion jeans and was so proud. “I have kept these throwback True Religion jeans in my closet for 14 yrs (I’m not exaggerating!). I figured that since I’m in the final hours of my 30’s I’d give them another try, and hello 40, so nice to meet you,” she wrote. The jeans were from a year after she played Daisy Duke in the 2005 Dukes of Hazzard film, where she got as slimmed down as she’d ever been to fit into those iconic shorts.

Ever since Birdie’s arrival, Jess literally has an entirely new body than she had at any time during her 30s. She was pregnant with her two oldest children back to back, and admitted in her Open Book memoir that she had a drinking problem in the years that followed (she ended up getting sober in Nov. 2017). To drop the 100 pounds after Birdie’s birth, Jessica did 12,000 steps a day, which has given her incredibly toned and muscular legs and abs as a result.

As for why Jessica is so open about sharing her weight journey with fans, “We’re not perfect. Nobody’s perfect. And don’t let social media make you think that way because nobody’s perfect. We all have our issues,” she tells the publication. “I’m open about my insecurities and my flaws, and if I can help inspire anybody to feel better about themselves, that’s why I’m here.”