Jessica Simpson Fires Back at Critics

Say what you want about Jessica Simpson .

The 28-year-old singer -- who underwent scrutiny earlier this year for having a fuller figure -- claims she won't pay attention to it.

"When it comes to media criticism, that's just something I have had to train myself literally train myself to ignore," she tells the June issue of Vanity Fair. "Because I'm the one up there onstage, and I can feel the energy of the crowd. And I know when I did good. And I know when I did great."

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Even though she was slammed by fans for flubbing lines and forgetting lyrics while opening for Rascal Flatts earlier this year, "There wasnt one time on this tour when I felt like I butchered it," she says. "I mean, the way people make it sound, I should have never been singing in the first place."

Criticism "comes with what I do," she adds, "and I know that every day the media's going to challenge me, is going to want to bring me down. But I feel like I'm at such a place that I own myself, and it's authentic. I own that authentic part of myself, and none of those words are harsh enough to make me believe them."

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Simpson (who would not address her weight specifically) then adds, "I can't imagine saying some of the things people have said about me about anybody else."

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She credits her faith with helping her through it all.

"I'm spiritual," she says. "I live off the faith that has been instilled in me, that has never left. I've never let a stumbling block actually make me fall."

Adds the singer, "We all go through trials, but not one thing has ever made me question God. I have a great relationship with God. I can talk to him, get mad at him, frustrated with him. But, ultimately, my faith is what defines me."

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As for her career ups and downs, Simpson (whose relationship with the Sony Nashville label has ended) says, "There will always be another opportunity, another door to walk through."

Simpson also opens up her marriage to Nick Lachey , whom she says she has not spoken to "in years."

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Although Lachey has claimed otherwise, Simpson says their MTV reality show did not ruin their marriage.

"In all honesty, I believe it did not affect our marriage," Simpson says. "Because we enjoyed watching those episodes, and that will always be a time I cherish. It made me understand what marriage is, what love is, what commitment is."

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She says her current beau, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo , even enjoyed the show. He's seen "a couple episodes," she says. "He thought I was cute."

Simpson says she has seen her share of her man's games as well.

"I was always a fan," she says. "In Texas, it's a sin not to be. But I've never been as passionate as I am now. Before a game, I'm crazed, sending mass e-mails: 'Please pray for Tonys protection.'"

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(On watching games with the other players' wives, she says, "It's a nurturing place to be, around people who love their husbands, but it gives me anxiety to watch with them.")

As for Cowboys fans calling her a "jinx," she says, "We don't let it affect our relationship. If we did, we wouldn't be together, because it happened at the very beginning.

"Dating the Cowboys quarterback comes with hype, the fans, the bloggers, but I've never dated a guy that was more simple," she goes on. "I'm always there for him after a game, and he knows he has me to come home to."

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