Jazz and the Jennings Family in the Media

[readheaded]

On 11/10/2021 at 8:05 PM, iwantcookies said:

Jazz is obese. It’s sad that she is destroying her health. I wonder if she is bullied in college?

Unlikely. 

6 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Plus, while yes, she is obese and that's an important medical issue, so are almost half of Americans. I highly doubt she's the only overweight college student out there. 

No, not at all. I have a son in college and a son in high school; overweight students aren’t unusual. 

[all4mom2]

Of course there are other obese college students in random colleges, trade schools, state universities, community colleges, etc., but this is HARVARD.  It's a fact that the upper class is statistically far less likely to be overweight and judges it far more harshly.

"I Am Jazz: The Early Years" is on tonight.

[Madding crowd]

Anyone of any class can be obese. There are many factors involved in gaining weight as we are seeing with Jazz. 

[Bastet]

Overweight people, particularly overweight women, are subjected to a lot of fat shaming and even more subconscious prejudice, and perhaps other than a support group of and for obese people, I doubt there are any spaces where one could feel secure there's little chance of it happening.  Like anyplace else, Harvard will have some people who don't care, some who are actively understanding and supportive, and some who are rude.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Folks,

There's off-topic and then there is so far off-topic that the topic is no longer even visible on the horizon.  This is the media thread for I Am Jazz.  It is not a thread on obesity in the US and anything else related to that topic.  

We have not seen Jazz at Harvard yet. We do not know anything about any interactions she may or may not have at the school or in Cambridge.  So it's time to drop this subject. 

Questions?  PM @PrincessPurrsALot.  We do not discuss moderator actions in the forums. 

[TomGirl]

On 11/10/2021 at 10:36 AM, CousinAmy said:

My mother watched everything I ate, even insisting to take me to some quack doctor - in my 20s. I'm 72, she died 8 years ago, but I still get a little thrill when I order a Coke. 

I hope Jazz doesn't follow in my footsteps. 

I hear you, Amy!  My mother was the same way.

[Twopper]

I haven't thought about her since last season until I saw the promo for this season which I don't think I am going to watch.  I was all for her doing an update special, but not another season ever again---especially if she is living at home.  But I will probably come here to read, so there's that.  I do agree with everyone who thinks she needs some really intensive therapy but not with her cousin.  And at least part of her depression probably has to do with trying to find herself post surgery and post tv series and trying to live up to being the model trans that her mother has pushed her into being.   I truly cannot stand Jeannette.  and I definitely do not want to watch her brother making videos for social media.    I might watch if the household cats are prominent, however.   Also it is Florida and they have a pool.  She could benefit by swimming laps for an hour every morning and evening.  It would help with weight loss and probably improve her depression some.  

 

[yankeefan]

I also think I'll be sitting this season out.  I read the description for the first episode and it's more of the same: Jazz struggles with her weight and her mental health issues.  It's sad that she doesn't seem to have made any progress since we last saw her.

[jacksgirl]

Jazz needs to

1. Get off tv

2. Get a job or continue college classes

3. Take a break from social media

4. Get a good therapist and keep therapy-related issues private for time being.  Many issues should be discussed with her therapist including binge eating, her gender affirmation, and her relationship with her mother

5. Realize that her "journey'" is uniquely hers and she is so fortunate to have resources that very few transgender people have.

Edited November 30, 2021 by jacksgirl

[all4mom2]

3 hours ago, jacksgirl said:

4. Get a good therapist*

*other than Cousin Debbie.

[missnoa]

I understand that she wanted to kind of be a symbol of hope for other people her age going through this stuff, but I kind of believe now that it was not the best thing for her in terms of her mental health. I don't think becoming a "symbol" and putting herself SO out there was really the best thing for a trans teenager going through transition surgery, her mental health was already likely to be fragile going through that and then add on filming very personal stuff and all the "activism" and her even literally arguing with "haters" on radio shows...I just don't see how any of that was the best thing for a trans teenager with diagnosed anxiety issues. I kind of question her parents letting her do all of that because it's obvious now that her anxiety has never truly been under control and being in the public eye is the last thing that's going to help that. She could have done all of that and gone through it and then talked about it on the other end and had privacy and been able to focus on getting her mental health in order.

[FurBabyMama]

I feel so badly for Jazz right now. She seems to feel all this pressure about being a spokesperson for trans people, that it seems like thats all she is right now. Yes being trans is a big part of who she is, but that can’t be ALL she is, if that makes sense. She’s also relatively “lucky” in a sense, in that she transitioned early on, and was really always able to “pass”. If I didn’t see the show and just saw her on the street, I wouldn’t think “oh there’s a trans person”. In some ways I wonder if she even feels isolated from the community, because she doesn’t have a lot of the same struggles that other people faced, so she’s sort of in this in between world. 

Mayge it’s just me, but I sort of feel like being so visible in the public eye is not healthy for anyone, let alone someone who struggles with mental health. I don’t see the shame in just going about your life, doing what makes you happy, without putting it all on display. It’s gotta be a huge amount of pressure to keep up this persona and being in the public eye, you’re going to have to deal with haters. 

[yankeefan]

3 hours ago, FurBabyMama said:

Mayge it’s just me, but I sort of feel like being so visible in the public eye

This.  How many reality TV families have we seen implode?  John & Kate, the Roloffs, the Sister Wives crew...and those are adults.  I can't imagine what it's like for kids to be on TV with their whole lives on display.

[xls]

11 hours ago, yankeefan said:

This.  How many reality TV families have we seen implode?  John & Kate, the Roloffs, the Sister Wives crew...and those are adults.  I can't imagine what it's like for kids to be on TV with their whole lives on display.

True-its not  good for anyone!

[JeanJean]

We all have our default ways of going through life, maybe - I think in therapy they may be called "scripts." Jazz had always felt she was off physically. Maybe she unconsciously needed a new physical thing that had to be fixed because she knows how to live that way, so weight gain. It's familiar. Does that make sense? Maybe that's too simplistic of me. Food is a way of comforting yourself and you have to have it - in that way, it's not like other addictions.

 It's very hard to change those scripts and default ways of living. And she's under so much pressure to be perfect - and I saw some of that coming from Jeanette with her insistence on Harvard - and it's so hard to make peace with it being okay to not be perfect, not be happy every moment, not always win (we've seen how sick thinking otherwise can make someone in recent years) when you're older let alone Jazz's age. And that's a tough age for sensitive young folks, like Jazz.

Edited December 4, 2021 by JeanJean

[Luchy]

We know that Jazz is SOMEWHERE this semester (hints from her mother's twitter wishing her a happy birthday from afar, photos from a bedroom that is not in her Florida home, etc), but I'm not convinced that it is Harvard. I still think it would be much better for her mental health to go pretty much anywhere else, and I'm hoping for her sake that she ended up somewhere lower key.

[gingerella]

On 12/28/2021 at 4:11 PM, Luchy said:

We know that Jazz is SOMEWHERE this semester (hints from her mother's twitter wishing her a happy birthday from afar, photos from a bedroom that is not in her Florida home, etc), but I'm not convinced that it is Harvard. I still think it would be much better for her mental health to go pretty much anywhere else, and I'm hoping for her sake that she ended up somewhere lower key.

I was just coming to ask if we know if she did go to Harvard this fall or not but it seems they're tight lipped because we probably find out during the show.

[janey99]

On 1/5/2022 at 1:43 PM, gingerella said:

I was just coming to ask if we know if she did go to Harvard this fall or not but it seems they're tight lipped because we probably find out during the show.

I saw a gossip piece somewhere (can't even remember where) that there is speculation she is actually at Harvard right now because someone spotted a social media photo and she had a "Harvard" ID lanyard.  No idea if there is any truth to this!

[SongbirdHollow]

As shown it the preview for the next episode, Jazz is featured as part of an exhibition at the Smithsonian, “Girlhood, It’s Complicated”. You can view it on the website americanhistory.si.edu

 

Jazz’s story is in the section “A Girl’s Life” on the site.  The entire exhibit is very interesting and worth a look. 

[maggiegil]

Jazz is part of an amicus brief that a number of famous trans people have signed because of a lawsuit the ACLU is taking against Arkansas because of a bill which would ban gender affirming care for under 18's. I was reading this people article about it and I was suprised how Jazz classified her childhood as being "happy" because she was able to have hormones when she reached puberty. I haven't been watching this season but I would never have described Jazz's adolescence as happy, I thought she was on multiple anti depressants and was unable to go to normal school because of depression etc. Happy seems like an odd adjective to use to me as someone who has seen several series of I am Jazz

https://people.com/movies/elliot-page-and-lilly-wachowski-help-lawsuit-fighting-anti-trans-law-in-arkansas/

[SunnyBeBe]

Here’s the link for the exhibit. 
 

https://americanhistory.si.edu/girlhood/girls-life/embracing-yourself

 

 

 

[suev3333]

Is Jazz taking the "how to become a surgeon for trans surgeries in 6 short lessons" class or something?  I can't believe she's allowed to be in that surgery, for the breast removal.   Wow..Doesn't seem right to me.. 

[princelina]

On 1/27/2022 at 12:38 AM, suev3333 said:

Is Jazz taking the "how to become a surgeon for trans surgeries in 6 short lessons" class or something?  I can't believe she's allowed to be in that surgery, for the breast removal.   Wow..Doesn't seem right to me.. 

Mr P is a corrections officer who accompanies prisoners to hospitals, and he's allowed to watch surgeries, which he loves. So I don't think there's really anything keeping people with reasons from watching them - if the person having the surgery is okay with Jazz watching/cameras filming, I don't think it's an unusual deal.  Just don't let the observers take any Junior Mints into the surgical room 😏

[all4mom2]

On 1/26/2022 at 9:38 PM, suev3333 said:

Is Jazz taking the "how to become a surgeon for trans surgeries in 6 short lessons" class or something?  I can't believe she's allowed to be in that surgery, for the breast removal.   Wow..Doesn't seem right to me.. 

Makes the surgery practice seem pretty sketchy.  But then, the office manager who happens to be the surgeon's sister dating and becoming engaged to one of the patients seems a little sketchy, too, but I suppose one has to meet people somewhere!

[all4mom2]

I don't know if anyone is interested, but I found this old documentary on YouTube that I had never seen before.  Jazz is 11 at the time and just about to begin puberty blockers.  It was kind of fun to see the whole family back then.  Might give us something to talk about; this forum seems a bit dead!

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by all4mom2

[deirdra]

The OWN video of Jazz at 11 posted by all4mom2 was interesting. I noticed several times that Jeannette said she wanted Jazz to "stay little", "pause them at this stage", "stay 8-9 forever" and wouldn't let her wear a bra like her classmates at 11. Did Jazz go on testosterone blockers at the same time as getting estrogen? or did Jeannette want her blocked first to stay little and later start her on estrogen?  Her desire to keep Jazz at home with her continued when she was 20.

When did she get her nose straightened?  It looked like it had been bent or broken before she was 11, but is straight in recent episodes.

Edited February 18, 2022 by deirdra

[spacefly]

I know people have been wondering about Jazz and Harvard. Sander posted this video about a week ago. I think I saw it on Tik Tok first. Jazz at Harvard

 

[all4mom2]

Well...  That's Jazz wearing a Harvard shirt.  Not sure that proves anything?  Jeanette, Sander, and even Grandpa wear one, too!  Looks to me like she's back in Florida with the fam (at least whenever this was made).

IIRC, Jazz started puberty blockers at 11, then estrogen two years later.  Not because that's what Jeanette wanted, but because that's how they do it (or at least how her pediatric endocrinologists did it).

The most interesting part of the documentary to me was how good a soccer player Jazz was!  What happened to THAT?

Edited February 18, 2022 by all4mom2

[SunnyBeBe]

On 2/18/2022 at 4:35 PM, all4mom2 said:

Well...  That's Jazz wearing a Harvard shirt.  Not sure that proves anything?  Jeanette, Sander, and even Grandpa wear one, too!  Looks to me like she's back in Florida with the fam (at least whenever this was made).

IIRC, Jazz started puberty blockers at 11, then estrogen two years later.  Not because that's what Jeanette wanted, but because that's how they do it (or at least how her pediatric endocrinologists did it).

The most interesting part of the documentary to me was how good a soccer player Jazz was!  What happened to THAT?

Why do you think Jazz is back in Florida?  Do you mean based on that video?

[all4mom2]

17 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why do you think Jazz is back in Florida?  Do you mean based on that video?

I just mean the video was apparently shot in Florida (it looks like the family home, and the whole family is assembled for it) and wearing a Harvard shirt isn't proof that she's currently attending and/or at Harvard.  Hopefully, she is.  Jeanette isn't.

[SunnyBeBe]

They appear to be in different shirts in the video. And the background is just a generic background.  Is there another video?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0PQhuDQB8/

 

 

[all4mom2]

There was one video posted of (supposedly) Jazz at a desk on a laptop at Harvard, but there's no way to know if it was actually Harvard.  She did the jumping up and coming down in a different outfit that is one of Sander's techniques, so it appears he was shooting it -- wherever it was.

I'm not saying she's not there; I'm just saying these videos don't prove it.  Maybe standing in front of Harvard Yard or something...???

[SunnyBeBe]

Oh, I see.  I don’t have full access to Instagram, so some content is limited for me.  

[emmawoodhouse]

16 hours ago, all4mom2 said:

There was one video posted of (supposedly) Jazz at a desk on a laptop at Harvard, but there's no way to know if it was actually Harvard.  She did the jumping up and coming down in a different outfit that is one of Sander's techniques, so it appears he was shooting it -- wherever it was.

I'm not saying she's not there; I'm just saying these videos don't prove it.  Maybe standing in front of Harvard Yard or something...???

They could have filmed when she was home for winter break? When I was in college, break was over a month.

[deirdra]

5 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Oh, I see.  I don’t have full access to Instagram, so some content is limited for me.  

You're not missing anything. In his last IG post, Sander showed himself shaving and dancing around shirtless. Again.

[all4mom2]

Sander is exploring California in his most recent posts.  Rather ironic considering that's where Jazz would have been right now had she not been more concerned about pleasing Jeanette than herself.

[spacefly]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:14 PM, all4mom2 said:

There was one video posted of (supposedly) Jazz at a desk on a laptop at Harvard, but there's no way to know if it was actually Harvard.  She did the jumping up and coming down in a different outfit that is one of Sander's techniques, so it appears he was shooting it -- wherever it was.

I'm not saying she's not there; I'm just saying these videos don't prove it.  Maybe standing in front of Harvard Yard or something...???

The video doesn't prove it but I think it would be pretty bad for her to claim she's at Harvard when she's not. The still I posted above is from the Tik Tok/Instagram video where each family member jumped in with their school colors claiming the school they were currently attending or the school(s) where the obtained their degrees. It is a generic white background and could very well have been shot over holiday break. Most people that do this for a living shoot multiple videos and post them at a later date. I would just think lying about attending Harvard would kill her future chances at Harvard and maybe even other colleges.

 

 

[kicotan]

On 2/18/2022 at 1:35 PM, all4mom2 said:

The most interesting part of the documentary to me was how good a soccer player Jazz was!  What happened to THAT?

IIRC, they wouldn’t let her play on the girl’s team-so, no more soccer.

I can’t be sure, but I don’t think anyone is allowed to draw even an ambiguous line between beginning puberty blockers/introducing estrogen and her mental health issues of depression and binge eating.  One of her doctors that did her affirmation surgery has gone on the record as NOT recommending the same same treatment plan as Jazz’s pediatrician did.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Her doctor's specific concerns were around having the person reach a level of sexual maturity where they could achieve and orgasm pre-surgery and having sufficient material to create the reconfigured genitalia.  She did not focus on mental health issues. 

[gingerella]

On 2/23/2022 at 7:06 PM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

She did not focus on mental health issues. 

Therein lies the problem, this kid has had mental health issues for years now, and nobody's helped her get a good therapist. Cousin Debbie was ridiculous, as was that child therapist with the crazy hats. Jazz needs a therapist that specializes in trans mental health issues, and who understands what that journey is like. Sadly her mother never pushed for that so she's been allowed to eschew therapy unless it was mandated for something she really wanted, like bottom surgery clearance. The whole story of this kid depresses the fuck out me. It's like watching a car wreck in slow motion.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Clarifying my comment - Jazz's surgeon's issue with putting children on hormone blockers had to do with the ability to better perform surgery and sexual function post surgery.  The surgeon did not comment on whether or not early intervention with hormone blocker was positive or negative for mental health.  That is not her specialty nor was it the concern she raised. 

For Jazz to be on the various psych drugs she has been said to be on, she likely has been seeing a psychiatrist who can prescribe these meds.  We've seen the clown posse that is willing to offer "therapy" on air, including cousin Debbie.  TV is a visual media so they went with show, don't tell.  However, I would expect she had therapy we did not see.  At minimum she interacted with MDs who prescribed psych meds.   With what they chose to show, the show did a great disservice to transgender people and people with mental health issues. 

[iwantcookies]

I doubt a pediatrician would prescribe psychiatric medication. I think only a psychiatrist can do that. Just my guess.

I wish Jazz the best.

[Gramto6]

My heart goes out to Jazz, This poor girl has been put on display and used for her mother's show  ambitions. No one has spoken for her mental/physical health except for sudo phychrists like Cousin Debbie.

She needs to get off TV and seek real therapy. Personally I think she needs to divorce herself from her family for at least a while, until she can get back on a real life track...

Edited March 2, 2022 by Gramto6
typo

[possibilities]

This article documents that gender affirming treatment dramatically reduces suicidality and depression in trans kids. It doesn't help as much with anxiety, which the authors conclude is likely due to social conditions (like hostility from others):

https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/depression/97371 Studies show that gender affirming medical treatment radically decreases...

[BAForever]

Been following the Penn swimmer Lia Thomas' story and my years watching Jazz' journey has made me a lot more knowledgeable about transgender youth. Agree that Jazz needs to step back from all social media, find herself a good therapist with trans youth knowledge and experience and enjoy being a 20 year old college student. Hope she is thriving at college. 

Just wanted to add, no doubt as more research is done on treatments for trans youth, medical recommendations and practices will evolve. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by BAForever

[woodscommaelle]

This is from Instagram. I think she looks great here. I hope she’s happy. 👧🏻🥍

Edited March 9, 2022 by woodscommaelle

[Adiba]

On 3/4/2022 at 8:35 PM, possibilities said:

This article documents that gender affirming treatment dramatically reduces suicidality and depression in trans kids. It doesn't help as much with anxiety, which the authors conclude is likely due to social conditions (like hostility from others):

https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/depression/97371 Studies show that gender affirming medical treatment radically decreases...

This article talks about a study over a 12-month period, suggesting that suicidality is reduced, hardly definitive. I think that so much more needs to be studied objectively about early gender-affirming treatments and their long-term effects on transgender children.
Also, there needs to be more emphasis on the fact that gender-affirming treatments and surgeries are not the magic cure-all for every mental health issue that a transgender person may have.

[SunnyBeBe]

Jazz makes reference to wrapping up her semester at Harvard a couple of months ago.  It appears she’s doing well from her postings.  
 

https://www.facebook.com/Jazztrans

[BAForever]

On 6/29/2022 at 7:34 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

Jazz makes reference to wrapping up her semester at Harvard a couple of months ago.  It appears she’s doing well from her postings.  
 

https://www.facebook.com/Jazztrans

Ok, shallow me searched for a recent picture. Not sure if she has lost weight, but she does look happy, and that's most important.  Looks like she is back in Florida (beach pictures).  My kids stayed in college towns all thru college and just came home for visits. Considering her relationship with her mom, that may be a good option for Jazz. I know Jenette loves Jazz, but the distance may be better for both.

[SunnyBeBe]

Jazz updated her FB to include a video of her at the beach.  She’s saying something….I can only guess what by reading her lips.  Lol