Jessica Simpson Claps Back at Natalie Portman's Virgin in a Bikini Criticism and Natalie Responded Like This

The recent exchange of words between Natalie Portman and Jessica Simpson was something we never saw coming. In case you missed it, the actress and the singer had a mini tiff, for all of social media to see. Here's what happened: In a recent interview with USA Today, Portman said this: "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."

On December 5, Simpson shared her feelings about that in a lengthy Twitter post directed at Portman. In part, her post read: "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. 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 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."

She added: "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."

Portman was quick to respond — and did so graciously. The actress, who plays a 30-something pop star who rose to fame in the late ’90s and now grapples with her superstardom in the new film Vox Lux, according to PEOPLE, responded in the comments section of Simpson's post: “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. 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. I didn’t mean to shame you and I’m sorry for any hurt my words may have caused. I have nothing but respect for your talent and your voice that you use to encourage and empower women all over the globe.”