Jazz Jennings Beauty Interview 2019
Jazz Jennings on Overcoming Insecurities: "Your Thoughts and Experiences Shape Who You Are"
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At just 18 years old, Jazz Jennings has already written a memoir, starred in a hit TV show, and has become widely recognised as an advocate for the transgender community. As she heads to an Ivy League college next year, she sparkles with achievements — a sentiment that feels fitting, since "Sparkle" was the nickname she gave herself when she was 3.
It also makes sense that she's a goldmine of solid life lessons. In an interview with POPSUGAR, she discussed her insecurities, how she overcomes them, and the different ways she shows herself love. Check it out ahead.
Jazz Jennings on Her Gender Dysphoria
"I have experienced body insecurities," she said. "I have gender dysphoria, which means that your external body doesn't reflect your inner identity. So often, especially before I got bottom surgery, I would look in the mirror and [be] sad to see my own body. You should love your body."
"There was a lot of insecurity in that and a lot of frustration because it's this feeling of kind of feeling trapped; and you know, for some reason the trans community doesn't like using that word, but that's just how I felt. I really did feel trapped in the wrong body."
Jazz Jennings on Overcoming Her Insecurities
"Every time you have a physical insecurity, you have to take a step back and say, you know what, my external experience does not represent who I am on the inside," she said. "Once you realise that your consciousness is all that matters – your thoughts and experiences truly shape who you are — then the physical characteristics don't matter anymore."
"I mean, it still does — we live in a physical world where people judge each other by the way we look. We look at one another and automatically make judgments based on what we see, but we really need to get past that. We need to stop emphasising appearances in this world and start recognising that it is about the consciousness."
Jazz Jennings on Self-Care
"I do a lot of self-care, whether it's listening to a good song and dancing to the music or meditating," she said. "I started meditating a lot that's really helpful because I have terrible anxiety and depression."
Jennings also likes to massage her skin using a lavender balm (similar to the
Aromatic Essential Lavender Balm ($8)), burn incense, and use Tibetan singing bowls to unwind.
Jazz Jennings on Her Skin Care Indulgences
"I tend to have drier skin, so moisturisers are my favourite thing ever for my face, my body, everything," she said. She likes to use her lavender balm, as well as the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream ($30).
Jennings also said that she uses the Venus Extra Smooth Sensitive Razor ($13) (she is a spokesperson for the brand). "I use it to shave my armpits [and] my legs if I feel like it."
