Jazz Jennings Responds to Body Shamers Who Claim She 'Doesn't Love Her Body' As a Transgender Activist

“Sometimes, loving yourself and your body means honoring your desire to make a change,” the 23-year-old said

Jazz Jennings is setting the record straight after her recent posts about body positivity have received some backlash online.

On June 23, the I Am Jazz star, 23, posted a photo on Instagram of her posing in a bathing suit. In the caption, the transgender activist addressed some of the comments she received.

“So the trans ideology says ‘love yourself and be who you are’ but also ‘cut off perfectly healthy body parts and mutilate your genitals’ do u see why this relays a confusing message?” one commenter said while another critic wrote, “You don’t love your body, you changed it.”

Jennings said that although she understands their points, she has a very different perspective on the matter.

“Sometimes, loving yourself and your body means honoring your desire to make a change,” she explained. “It’s like going to the gym: you do it to boost your confidence and improve your image. How you look is important in this world because it influences how we perceive one another.”

“Our bodies are our vessels, and everyone should have autonomy over how they treat theirs, whether it’s through diet, exercise, how we dress, makeup, or surgery. You do what makes you feel better about yourself. It’s not your place to tell someone else what to do; they have the freedom to decide,” she continued. “In this world focused on appearances, I feel most confident presenting as the feminine woman I am. That’s how I want to be perceived. Loving myself and my body means taking the steps and making the changes that help me feel my best and present myself authentically. I hope that makes sense and that you can appreciate my perspective.”

Related: Jazz Jennings Is 'So Proud' of Her Weight Loss and Says Her 'Confidence Radiates Through'

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Jennings ended by pointing out that she expects her response will still get a lot of contrasting opinions. However, she urged her followers to be more respectful of others in this discourse.

Earlier this month, Jennings posted a video on Instagram alongside her brother Sander, sharing pride over her recent weight loss and sending a message about how every body type should be accepted.

“Every body is beautiful ❤️” she wrote in the June 15 post. “To look at someone’s body and say ‘this is not beautiful’ is a reflection of social conditioning. You weren’t born saying that some bodies are not attractive. You were taught it. We all were. To distinguish one body as being ‘better’ is a societal construct of beauty standards.”

“STOP JUDGING. WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. EVERY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL,”  she continued. “Let’s always respect each other, our bodies, and the autonomy we have when it comes to how we care for ourselves.”

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