Jessica Kellgren-Fozard (b. 1989) is a British model, activist, television personality and YouTuber. She first became known in 2008 for her appearance in Britain’s Missing Top Model, a television program about models with disabilities, and followed that as a host on local Bristol television. In 2011 she began creating videos for a YouTube channel, focusing on vintage beauty and fashion and on LGBTQ and disability issues. At last count she had over 900,000 subscribers. Kellgren-Fozard is deaf and suffers from a litany of illnesses: hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsy, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and mixed connective tissue disease. There have been times when she has had to use crutches or a wheelchair. She was awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Worcester for her work in disability awareness.
Kellgren-Fozard was raised a Friend at Frenchay Quaker Meeting in Bristol. Her grandmother had been helped by American Quakers, and her parents are Friends. As a child, she attended Sidcot Friends School. Kellgren-Fozard and her fiancé were married at Frenchay Meeting in 2016. Because of the acceptance she felt and the values she learned, she speaks fondly of Friends. Her YouTube channel contains several videos about Quakerism, especially her upbringing as a Friend.
I liked Jessica Kellgren-Fozard’s videos. I am not greatly interested in vintage beauty and fashion but I thought her positive and vivacious manner was charming. (She calls herself a “jolly lesbian version of a vintage Hollywood sweetheart.”) And I found her chatty Quaker videos delightful.
A link to her “Oh God… Let’s Talk About My Religion // What Is Quakerism?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8RDjg0Mhyw.
Gary Sandman