Too soft, too smart…. 😫

I was watching a recent video of Jessica Simpson and found myself feeling… emotional.

Not because of anything dramatic happening in the clip.

Just watching her talk and the way she moved.

The way she looked around like she wasn’t quite sure how to show up anymore.

It hit me.

Because that used to be me.

Not a pop star lol but soft.

Vulnerable.

A little naive.

The type of woman who assumed people had good intentions.

Who said what she felt. Who didn’t always get it right, but never meant any harm.

And I remember how Jessica used to get picked apart for being exactly that.

The “is it chicken or tuna?” comment became a whole punchline. But what I really remember is how her husband at the time, Nick, looked at her after she said it. Like she was stupid. Like she was something to be tolerated.

That look I’ve seen b4. I’ve felt it. I knew exactly how she felt at that moment.

I’ve been the girl who said something silly and got talked down to. I’ve been the one who asked questions and got laughed at. I’ve been the soft one in the room full of people who thought that made me weak.

And then… I got smart.

Not just “book smart.” Life smart.

Smart enough to know when I’m being manipulated. Smart enough to hear what people don’t say. Smart enough to feel when energy shifts. Smart enough to protect myself because nobody else was doing it.

And now?

Now I’m too smart. I peep everything. I don’t let things slide.

And while that’s saved me from a lot… it’s also made it really hard to settle.

Because once you know how people move, you can’t unsee it.

Once you’ve been taken advantage of, softness doesn’t come easy anymore.

And I hate that.

I miss the version of me who didn’t have to analyze every interaction.

I miss being excited to tell someone how I feel.

I miss being open without second guessing what someone might do with my vulnerability.

Watching Jessica now, I don’t just see a celebrity who’s changed.

I see a woman who’s carried the weight of being misjudged. And I feel that. Deeply.

We weren’t dumb.

We were just honest in a world that made us feel like that wasn’t enough 🥺