Jessel Taank is quickly becoming a stand-out personality on the Real Housewives of New York. She’s sure of her opinions, though the public may be divided on agreeing on what she actually says. The fashion professional backs her friends and puts her husband on the spot in the most hilarious ways.
But one topic that Jessel’s speaks frankly and passionately about is her fertility journey. This is a topic that her friends back her up on, and one that the public can empathize with.
“Churning out kids” is not a reality for most women
During a recent episode of RHONY, Jessel finally revealed to her mother that she conceived her twins, Kai and Rio, through IVF. The mother-of-two did not want to come clean. She exclusively told Us Weekly in August that, “I didn’t want to tell my parents.”
“I didn’t want to add a layer of stress on them,” Jessel said of only speaking to her mother while filming. “Being Indian, we don’t talk about things that are considered taboo, and there’s, like, a big stigma surrounding if you can’t have a baby as women.”
“Half of my thirties was spent trying to get pregnant,” said Jessel, who gave birth in May 2021 at age 39.
“[Women] are seen like a goddess kind of figure where you’re just churning out kids,” she explained of the Indian culture. “And it wasn’t the case, and it’s not the case for a lot of women.”
Jessel wanted to use her platform to connect to others experiencing “reproductive issues and fertility issues in silence and isolation.”
As for Jessel’s ability to open up on national television, she explained, “it was just the reality of the situation.”
Jessel and her husband, Pavit Randhawa, are undecided about using their remaining embryos. Jessel is dreaming of a little girl, while her husband is against the idea.
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TELL US – WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO JESSEL’S COMMENTS? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HER USING RHONY AS A PLATFORM TO REACH OTHER WOMEN?