# Do you know any bad Jennys? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922 "2001-02-17T23:16:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zhen\_ka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zhen\_ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zhen_ka)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/41 "2001-02-19T06:17:18Z")
Jenny kiss’d me when we met, Jumping from the chair she sat in; Time, you thief, who love to get Sweets into your list, put that in! Say I’m weary, say I’m sad, Say that health and wealth have missed me, Say I’m growing old, but add, Jenny kiss’d me. –Leigh Hunt (1810-1873) ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/42 "2001-02-19T18:50:27Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve met a few Jennifers who were…Heathers. (Drat. This is getting confusing.) Snobbish navel-gazers who couldn’t see beyond their trendy designer piercing jewelery anyway. My sister is a Heather and she’s SO not this. Great gal, good mom, doesn’t put up with crap, thoughtful,… How 'bout Jenny McCarthy? I loved her show when it was on MTV - too bad it didn’t last. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/43 "2001-02-19T19:26:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVeblen \* > \*\*But my “problem name” seems to be Marcia. > Veb \*\* It’s always _Marsha, **Marsha, MARSHA!** _ (oh come on, some one had to do it) On the OP. I’m more likely to know the moms of Jennys’ (sigh), so all the ones I know are nice young ladies. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/44 "2001-02-19T21:57:18Z")
TVTime: [QUOTE] You do know know that “Jenny” is the female term for asses (the animal, not the part of the body) don’t you? Yes, males are called Jacks and females are Jennys. I believe this is wrong. A mule is the offspring of a horse and a donkey, but not any old combinatin of horse and donkey, it’s gender-specific (although I’ll be damned if I can remember which one is the male), and the opposite combination is a jenny. I will look for a cite. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/45 "2001-02-19T22:03:38Z")
And while I’m looking for a cite, I’ll keep an eye out for a bloody end-quote code! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/46 "2001-02-19T23:56:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TV time \* > I probably should also mention that in the last few years there has been a movement afoot to change the designation for female asses from Jenny to Henny. I imagine it is the always powerful Jennifer lobby. They were probably just lying in wait until Henny Youngman died. COWARDS! From good old Merriam-Webster: > [@](#): > > Main Entry: **[sup]1[/sup]mule** > Etymology: Middle English, from Old French \*mul, \*from Latin _mulus_ > Date: 13th century > **1 a** **:** a hybrid between a horse and a donkey; _especially_ **:** the offspring of a male donkey and a mare **b** **:** a self-sterile plant whether hybrid or not **c** **:** a usually sterile hybrid > > Main Entry: **hin·ny** > Etymology: Latin \*hinnus, \*from Greek _innos_ > Date: 1688 > **:** a hybrid between a stallion and a female donkey – compare MULE ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/47 "2001-02-20T02:21:14Z")
Oops, it appears that I am wrong. That would be a hinny, not a jenny, which is indeed a female donkey. from [http://www.iland.net/beer/Pages/what.htm:](http://www.iland.net/beer/Pages/what.htm:) > [@](#): > > Mules are the offspring of a jack and a female horse. A hinny is a cross between a stallion and a female doneky or burro. > A female donkey or mule is a jenny, a male donkey or mule is a jack, a casturated jack is a gelding. A baby mule or donkey is a foal, female babies are jennets. The process of birthing in donkeys and mules is foaling. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/48 "2001-02-20T03:52:48Z")
Well, I went through my youth as a “Genny” (short for Genevieve) but I started going by Gen or Genevieve a few years ago. I considered Jenny to be a completely different name from mine, however. Sometimes people call me Jennifer and get really pissed off if I don’t answer. Hey, it’s not my freakin’ name, give me a break! My good friend has been dating a hag named Jenny for the last few years. She is the definition of “high maintenance stuck up bitch” So, to re-cap: Me: (albeit as a quasi-Jenny) Hey, I rock! Jenny that my friend is seeing: She’s a waste of oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![Spider\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Spider\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spider_Woman)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/49 "2001-02-20T03:52:48Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=60337) thread in Great Debates, there is a discussion going on about double standards in the use of the term sluts and in the general way male and female sexuality may be viewed differently. In that thread, **VarlosZ** made mention of this thread and the fact that the word _slut_ is used to describe some “bad Jennys.” I am curious as to what the term means to people, and if those of you who use that term to describe females who choose promiscuity also hold males who do the same thing in as great disrespect as you do females. I am also wondering if people dislike the promiscuity itself, or if it possibly had more to do with whether the person is being open about it, or deceitful and “cheating” on a sexual partner. Anyone who cares to reply, please do so at the other thread to avoid further disrupting this one. [/hijack] We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/50 "2001-02-20T06:55:20Z")
I know of a political Jenny – Jenny Shipley, former PM of New Zealand. There are dartboards, so I hear, still with her face pasted to them … ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Doll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Broken\_Doll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Doll)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/51 "2001-02-20T11:14:58Z")
No, all the Jenny’s/Jennifer’s I’ve known have been the sweetest people. However, my friends and I actually use the name “Jenny” [said in a kinda stupid voice like “Jennay!”] as an insult…I guess you just have to be there to understand. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/52 "2001-02-20T14:34:19Z")
Man, from the amount of responses, I appear to have tapped into an overlooked resevoir (sp?) of pure Jenny emotion. Keep letting it out, people, you’ll feel better. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Jen\_Jen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eada6e/32.png) [@Jen\_Jen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jen_Jen)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2001, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/53 "2001-02-21T06:20:31Z")
I am a Jennie, short for Jennifer. My mother did not name me Jennifer because of lack of originality. She has a very unusual name and disliked it all her life, so when she had a daughter, she wanted to give her the most normal name possible. In 1979, it was Jennifer. I have encountered fellow Jens, Jennys, Jennies, and Jennifers all my life. While I think first names play some role in personality formation, I think it is circumstancial. I myself am a “good girl” and most other Jennies I know are as well. But there are always bad ones too. ---
**Author:** ![Bluemonchichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Bluemonchichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluemonchichi)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2001, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/54 "2001-02-21T10:36:27Z")
I am another Jenn (short for Jennifer.) I know a lot of Jenn/Jennifer’s. I would have to say that 8 out of 10 are usually psycho, easy, snobbish or otherwise bitchy people. My friends tell me I am not one of those 8, even though I am evil. 😉 If I remember correctly, my mom told me that one of the presidents in the 70s had a daughter named Jennifer, which is why the name got so popular. I am a baby of the 70s. 🙂 _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/55 "2001-02-21T16:05:58Z")
My sister is a Jenny. Went by Jenny for a long time, now mostly just called Jen. My big middle school crush was a Jenny (not Jennifer). She was pretty cool. There was a Jennifer I knew who was a total stuck up, snotty bitch, though…damn I hated her. Jman ---
**Author:** ![Pnuk\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Pnuk\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pnuk_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/56 "2001-02-22T09:51:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Jennifer Love Hewitt is pretty evil. > \*\* No… i think you’ll find she’s a Goddess. 🙂 I know about 6 Jenny’s. All of them are lovely. (one in particular:)) ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2001, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/57 "2001-02-23T02:07:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bluemonchichi \* > \*\* > If I remember correctly, my mom told me that one of the presidents in the 70s had a daughter named Jennifer, which is why the name got so popular. I am a baby of the 70s. 🙂 _sigh_ > > \*\* The explanation I’ve heard is that “Jenny” was the name of Ali McGraw’s character in the movie _Love Story_, which came out in the early 70s. A lot of women thought the name was pretty, and so when they had daughters, that’s what they named them. As a slight hijack, one reason why I hated being in school with so many “Jennys” was that my name is Jeannie. People would call me Jenny all the time, and then get confused when I said, “No, it’s Jeannie.” They’d say, “Isn’t it just the same thing?” Uh, no, it’s not. Or they’d say, “Well, it’s close enough.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![SoMoMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SoMoMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoMoMom)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2001, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/58 "2001-02-23T16:49:41Z")
I know a Jeni/Jennifer. She’s one of my favorite people in the world. She’s definitely not a goody-two-shoes although she is very likeable (even by a few teachers). I was discussing this thread with someone else who knew Jeni from childhood and he agrees with me that there is nothing wrong with being a slut as long as your a good person. I know a Jenny/Jennifer who became a teacher. She was kind of a goody-two-shoes although she and I did some shoplifting in jr. high once. ---
**Author:** ![Eo\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ebca7d/32.png) [@Eo\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eo_Echo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/59 "2001-02-24T03:17:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broken Doll \* > \*\*No, all the Jenny’s/Jennifer’s I’ve known have been the sweetest people. However, my friends and I actually use the name “Jenny” [said in a kinda stupid voice like “Jennay!”] as an insult…I guess you just have to be there to understand. \*\* Would that be a _Forrest Gump_ reference, perchance? ---
**Author:** ![tubagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@tubagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tubagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922/60 "2001-02-24T22:51:34Z")
My dumb bitch of a dog’s name is Jenny. She is really dumb. She is really my mother’s dog. I’ve never seen such a mean, stupid dog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-bad-jennys/54922.md?page=4)