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Pregnant Jessica Simpson Had The Best Take On The 10 Year Challenge

by Alana Romain

Jessica Simpson may be super excited about the prospect of welcoming her third child into the world soon, but as is so often the case, being pregnant again has clearly come with its share of challenges for the star. In a recent Instagram post, Simpson shared a pic revealing that she was suffering from some majorly uncomfortable pregnancy-related swelling in her legs and ankles, and now, it looks like her current situation has inspired her own unique take on the "10 Year Challenge" that's been making its way around social media. While pregnancy discomfort may not be any fun, Jessica Simpson’s take on the 10 Year Challenge is one that will make pregnant woman everywhere totally crack up.

Although third trimester swelling isn't easy to deal with, Simpson has clearly opted to roll with it as best she can. Though she initially posted the photo in order to ask for advice, according to People, it seems she must have learned the swelling was otherwise harmless, because in her latest Instagram Thursday, Simpson posted the pic again alongside a throwback image of her formerly super-toned legs, and it shows she definitely has a great sense of humor about everything she's going through.

Her current swollen legs may feel like a pretty far cry from her former self, but Simpson, at least, isn't afraid to keep it real when it comes to the less-than-glamorous aspects of pregnancy. And given that so much of what's generally shared about pregnancy on Instagram seems to be coming from women who somehow manage to make gestating a human look easy and effortless, it's honestly pretty refreshing.

Then again, Simpson is one celeb who has already had to endure a fair amount of public criticism during her pregnancies, as the expectation for celebrity women in particular is that they make it to their due date without gaining any unnecessary weight, and presumably without experiencing any unwanted symptoms. The outcome, at least for Simpson? It seems to have only boosted her sense of humor.

At the same time though, she's also definitely had to grow a thick skin. During her first pregnancy with daughter, Maxwell, in 2012, Simpson became the target of all kinds of nasty criticism over her looks and how much weight she was thought to be gaining. But it wasn't just from anonymous internet trolls: a Florida OB/GYN even went as far as to tells Slate that she felt "no one should ever look like Jessica Simpson" while pregnant, before adding, "she's an absolute porker."

As ridiculous and unfair as it is to criticize any woman like that, let alone one who is pregnant, Simpson later explained to Redbook in 2014 that she "never [listens] to it," according to People, and said, "I wasn’t going to let the media take away from what was one of the happiest times in my life."

It's likely that attitude that led Simpson to take such a good-natured approach to her Ten Year Challenge photo — but it's actually not the first time she's joked about missing her pre-pregnancy body. In December, she posted a throwback pic wishing her BFF Cacee Cobb a happy birthday, and quipped, "I’m posting this pic because in my heart we will always be this young and skinny," while back in June, she shared a photo from 2003 MTV Movie Awards red carpet and wrote, "I loved my #2003 body double."

It makes sense, of course, that most people have approached the Ten Year Challenge as an opportunity to show off the fact that they've somehow either managed to mostly look the same, or possibly even better, over the past decade. But for most of us, things like having children have meant our bodies really do look different — especially if we've had to deal with totally normal things like swelling and weight gain.

Sure, many celeb moms are somehow able to end up still looking perfect even in the late stages of pregnancy, but Simpson, for one, isn't afraid to share that there is a lot about carrying a child that isn't cute or glamorous. And the fact that she's willing to joke about just makes her that much more relatable and awesome.