Transgender teen Jazz Jennings is proudly showing off her gender confirmation surgery scars for the first time since undergoing the procedure in June 2018.
The 19-year-old reality TV star and LGBTQ activist took to Instagram on New Year’s Eve to post pictures of herself modeling a maroon one-piece that reveals the marks on her upper thighs.
‘These are my scars on full display in #2019,’ she captioned the photos. ‘I’m proud of my scars and love my body just the way it is. I call them my battle wounds because they signify the strength and perseverance it took to finally complete my transition.’
Proud: Jazz Jennings, 19, took to Instagram on New Year’s Eve to share photos of her gender confirmation surgery scars for the first time since her June 2018 operation
Empowering: In the snapshots, she is modeling a maroon one-piece that reveals the marks on her upper thighs
Self-love: In her empowering caption, she explained that she is ‘proud’ of her scars because they epresent the ‘strength and perseverance’ it took to complete her transition
In honor of the new year, Jazz ended her empowering message with the hashtag ‘#decadechallenge.’
The day before, she posted a throwback video of herself thanking her fans for their support as she recalled the unexpected post-surgery complication she suffered in 2018 during the final step of her transition.
At the time, Jazz ended up needing a second procedure to rectify the issue.
‘I experienced a major complication with my gender confirmation surgery and wound up back in the OR one week after the initial procedure,’ she wrote.
‘It was a tough journey, but experiences like that one only make us stronger in the end,’ she added. ‘Though it can be hard at times, a positive mindset and the support of those around you can help you conquer any challenge.
Looking back: Jazz underwent gender confirmation surgery in June 2018
Flashback: On Monday, she posted a throwback video of herself thanking her fans for their support as she recalled the unexpected post-surgery complication she suffered
‘Thank you to all my fans who have supported me throughout the years!’
Jazz first opened up about the complication during an interview with Nightline in October 2018, four months after her surgery.
‘There was just an unfortunate event and setback where things did come apart, and there was a complication,’ she said.
‘I had to come back in for another procedure, but it was just all part of the journey. The good thing though is that it was only cosmetic and external so it wasn’t too dramatic.’
The unforeseen issue was caused by the hormone blockers that Jazz believes are responsible for saving her life.
Struggle: The teen ended up needing a second procedure after suffering an unexpected complication
Last year: Jazz documented her gender confirmation surgery on the fifth season of her TLC series reality series ‘I Am Jazz,’ which premiered in January 2019.
‘Being on the blockers is something that I don’t regret at all. But the only, you know, downside to it was that I didn’t have enough growth down below. So there wasn’t enough tissue to work with when it came to the surgery’ she said.
‘And it was very challenging to find a doctor, a surgeon who was willing to perform the operation on me just because I’m such a difficult case.’
As a result, the family had to seek out an innovative new treatment in the field of genital reconstruction.
‘They’re using the tissue I have, the peritoneum, and also, they may take a skin graft as well. I say it’s going to be like a patchwork vagina, Franken-vagina,’ she explained at the time.
Much-needed break: Jazz announced on Instagram in October 2019 that she was taking a gap year before attending Harvard University to ‘focus on self-care’
Star student: Jazz was valedictorian when she graduated from Broward Virtual School in the summer of 2019. The LGBTQ activist wore a rainbow cap to her graduation ceremony
Jazz documented her gender confirmation surgery on the fifth season of her TLC series reality series ‘I Am Jazz,’ which premiered in January 2019.
She announced on Instagram in October 2019 that she was taking a gap year before attending Harvard University.
The reality star explained that she wanted to ‘focus on self-care’ after a busy year that included her life-changing surgery.
Jazz was valedictorian when she graduated from Broward Virtual School in the summer of 2019. She was expected to start at the Ivy League university in the fall.
The YouTuber said that deciding to take a break wasn’t an easy call to make, but ultimately she thought it right to ‘refocus and recenter’ in order to be the ‘strongest version’ of herself.