0:00:00.596,0:00:02.396 I know exactly what you're saying when you 0:00:02.548,0:00:04.902 say like when you're sitting at home writing 0:00:04.902,0:00:06.949 you're not like, I'm deaf, I'm deaf 0:00:06.949,0:00:07.866 I'm deaf, I say the same for me 0:00:07.866,0:00:08.784 like when I'm 0:00:08.784,0:00:10.197 sitting around doing my makeup 0:00:10.197,0:00:13.083 I'm not like ooh I'm blind, I'm blind 0:00:13.113,0:00:15.219 Like, I'm not thinking about my 0:00:15.219,0:00:17.340 blindness, I'm just living my life 0:00:17.340,0:00:20.754 because this is our normal (Music) 0:00:24.956,0:00:27.072 Hello everybody, we are back 0:00:27.072,0:00:29.089 with my series , where I sit down 0:00:29.089,0:00:30.505 with another person 0:00:30.505,0:00:32.039 from the disability community 0:00:32.039,0:00:33.855 and we disscuss all things 0:00:33.855,0:00:36.022 life and disability related 0:00:36.022,0:00:38.439 and this one is probably the 0:00:38.439,0:00:41.639 most requested that I've seen. 0:00:41.639,0:00:44.646 So we finally have Jessica 0:00:44.646,0:00:46.433 and I'm gonna let you say your 0:00:46.433,0:00:48.024 last name 0:00:48.024,0:00:52.475 (Laughs) Jessica Kellgren-Fozard 0:00:52.475,0:00:54.928 It's ok, I know, it's a difficult surname 0:00:54.928,0:00:58.311 we literally like went over this before 0:00:58.311,0:00:59.611 we started filming 0:00:59.611,0:01:00.644 We've just been like talking on 0:01:00.644,0:01:01.728 Google Meet 0:01:01.728,0:01:04.095 And I was like, practicing the name 0:01:04.095,0:01:05.378 and I was like no, you know what, 0:01:05.378,0:01:07.228 I got here, I was too deep, 0:01:07.228,0:01:08.211 I was like, I'm jumping 0:01:08.211,0:01:09.325 out of the pool. 0:01:09.325,0:01:11.145 She'll take over. So thank you- 0:01:11.145,0:01:13.812 It's ok. It's complex. 0:01:13.812,0:01:14.812 The Kellgren bit is Swedish, 0:01:14.812,0:01:16.695 the Fozard is my wife's surname, 0:01:16.695,0:01:18.661 it's from Normandy, smush it together, 0:01:18.661,0:01:20.078 it's complicated for everyone. 0:01:20.078,0:01:22.711 Or Jessica Out Of The Closet, 0:01:22.711,0:01:25.495 which I think is a brilliant name 0:01:25.495,0:01:27.160 because not only are you one of 0:01:27.160,0:01:30.357 the most fabulous fashionistas 0:01:30.357,0:01:32.128 that I follow on social media, 0:01:32.128,0:01:34.611 but you are also in fact out of 0:01:34.611,0:01:37.344 the closet, and so I think it's just 0:01:37.344,0:01:38.977 such a fun username. 0:01:38.977,0:01:41.041 (Laughs) Yeah, 0:01:41.041,0:01:42.944 out of the closet in many ways. 0:01:42.944,0:01:44.428 Out of the gay closet, out of the 0:01:44.428,0:01:46.977 disability closet, just living life open. 0:01:46.977,0:01:48.874 That's the way to live life. 0:01:48.874,0:01:50.677 Being your best, most authentic, 0:01:50.677,0:01:52.960 confident queen self. And that is 0:01:52.960,0:01:54.693 exactly what you do. 0:01:54.693,0:01:57.010 I watch your videos and I 0:01:57.010,0:01:59.027 legitimately laugh out loud. 0:01:59.027,0:02:01.360 Like you're one of, not only the most 0:02:01.360,0:02:03.193 fashionable people I follow but one of 0:02:03.193,0:02:04.889 the funniest people I follow, 0:02:04.889,0:02:07.810 and I think that you, just by simply 0:02:07.810,0:02:10.760 being you, break so many disability 0:02:10.760,0:02:14.205 stereotypes and misconceptions, 0:02:14.205,0:02:17.343 and I think it's so fabulous for just- 0:02:17.343,0:02:18.577 so thank you for just exisiting 0:02:18.577,0:02:19.960 on the internet. 0:02:19.960,0:02:22.393 (Laughs) I mean, I could say 0:02:22.393,0:02:24.376 the same thing about you, Molly. 0:02:24.376,0:02:26.277 I woke up this morning and I was like, 0:02:26.277,0:02:28.278 OK, Molly, you have to try to look, like, 0:02:28.278,0:02:30.710 a little bit half fabulous 0:02:30.710,0:02:32.609 because you're going to be sitting next to 0:02:32.609,0:02:34.309 Jessica in a video and it's going 0:02:34.309,0:02:35.627 to be embarrassing. 0:02:35.627,0:02:38.793 Oh no, I think you are incredibly stylish, 0:02:38.793,0:02:40.526 I must say. I always enjoy 0:02:40.526,0:02:41.572 your Instagram as well. 0:02:41.572,0:02:43.593 Thank you, I appreciate it. 0:02:43.593,0:02:46.475 So, I know a ton of my audience 0:02:46.475,0:02:48.027 knows and loves your content already 0:02:48.027,0:02:50.176 but for those who don't, would you like to 0:02:50.176,0:02:52.276 kind of give the brief introduction of who 0:02:52.276,0:02:54.059 Jessica is in a nutshell. 0:02:54.059,0:02:56.043 My goodness, okay, the elevator pitch 0:02:56.043,0:02:58.526 of me, then, I guess. 0:02:58.526,0:03:00.577 So, I'm Jessica, I'm a YouTuber, 0:03:00.577,0:03:02.609 content creator. I make content that is 0:03:02.609,0:03:06.742 generally fun, informative, educational, 0:03:06.742,0:03:09.426 amusing, around things that are to do with 0:03:09.426,0:03:12.059 disability, chronic illness, and LGBTQ+ 0:03:12.059,0:03:15.092 issues. So I have two genetic conditions, 0:03:15.092,0:03:16.975 hereditary neuropathy with pressure 0:03:16.975,0:03:19.326 palsies, which means that there are gaps 0:03:19.326,0:03:22.310 in the myelin sheaths around your nerves. 0:03:22.310,0:03:24.825 For me that means that I can paralyze 0:03:24.825,0:03:27.509 parts of myself, that my nerves are more 0:03:27.509,0:03:29.943 easily damaged, which does things like 0:03:29.943,0:03:32.559 affect my hearing and I have loss of 0:03:32.559,0:03:34.959 vision in one eye because of it, and it 0:03:34.959,0:03:37.174 can do things like my hands don't have 0:03:37.174,0:03:39.825 any feeling because I paralyzed both of 0:03:39.825,0:03:41.691 my arms for a year and a half when I was 0:03:41.691,0:03:44.076 a teenager. And they came back to a 0:03:44.076,0:03:47.410 certain degree, but they can't now feel 0:03:47.410,0:03:49.105 anything, so it's like wearing gloves 0:03:49.105,0:03:50.908 all of the time. And I don't get hot and 0:03:50.908,0:03:53.142 cold, any of those kinds of things, 0:03:53.142,0:03:55.442 or wet. Which is really annoying when 0:03:55.442,0:03:57.392 you're trying to hang up the washing, 0:03:57.392,0:03:58.443 'cause you're like, is this wet? 0:03:58.443,0:04:00.991 Is this dry? Absolutely no idea. 0:04:00.991,0:04:02.909 And I end up having to like, press my face 0:04:02.909,0:04:05.009 to all of my laundry to see whether it's 0:04:05.009,0:04:07.792 dry or not. Very strange thing. 0:04:07.792,0:04:10.508 And then you just get a random cheek stain 0:04:10.508,0:04:12.225 or random foundation stain on the side 0:04:12.225,0:04:13.389 of your white shirt. 0:04:13.389,0:04:15.474 I mean, I should add, I only do this when 0:04:15.474,0:04:17.974 I'm not wearing makeup. (Laughs) 0:04:17.974,0:04:19.158 Pro tip. 0:04:19.158,0:04:21.625 And then I also have Ehlers Danlos 0:04:21.625,0:04:24.473 Syndrome, which is about my connective 0:04:24.473,0:04:26.523 tissue, and means that not only am I 0:04:26.523,0:04:30.259 hyper mobile, and very flexible and bendy, 0:04:30.259,0:04:32.106 which most people think is like, whoa, 0:04:32.106,0:04:34.179 what a great party trick, and it is, 0:04:34.179,0:04:36.519 it's a pretty good party trick that I 0:04:36.519,0:04:39.051 perhaps overused when I was a child. 0:04:39.051,0:04:41.522 I dislocated various things just to prove 0:04:41.522,0:04:43.626 to people that I could. Don't do that. 0:04:43.626,0:04:45.397 That's a terrible idea. Don't do that. 0:04:45.397,0:04:48.815 But it also affects connective tissue in 0:04:48.815,0:04:51.223 things like my internal organs, 0:04:51.223,0:04:53.397 so I have some issues with my heart, and 0:04:53.397,0:04:56.145 I have postural orthostatic tachycardia 0:04:56.145,0:04:58.240 syndrome, which comes from that, 0:04:58.240,0:05:02.079 which is just a regulating blood pressure 0:05:02.079,0:05:07.296 issue, so I faint a lot. And I can't exert 0:05:07.296,0:05:10.128 myself too much, basically I go up two 0:05:10.128,0:05:12.055 flights of stairs and I'm like, oh gosh, 0:05:12.055,0:05:13.571 there's a heart attack coming. 0:05:13.571,0:05:15.512 Ok, wonderful, and then I've got to lie 0:05:15.512,0:05:17.094 on the floor for half an hour. 0:05:17.094,0:05:19.558 And the vintage fashion is just a layer 0:05:19.558,0:05:21.894 over the top, just to make everything look 0:05:21.894,0:05:22.976 gorgeous while we're 0:05:23.018,0:05:24.243 here. I think you should 0:05:24.243,0:05:25.723 make more fashion content. 0:05:25.723,0:05:27.411 I'm putting the pitch in now, 0:05:27.411,0:05:28.976 and I think a lot of people 0:05:28.976,0:05:30.946 in the comments will agree 0:05:30.946,0:05:33.006 that you should have like a whole segment 0:05:33.006,0:05:34.789 of your channel devoted to 0:05:34.789,0:05:37.929 fashion content because we need that 0:05:37.929,0:05:39.729 vintage inspo that you bring, 0:05:39.730,0:05:42.250 we need your vintage wisdom. 0:05:42.250,0:05:44.366 I was just, like, as we were talking 0:05:44.381,0:05:46.071 before we started filming, I was 0:05:46.071,0:05:47.451 peppering her with questions 0:05:47.451,0:05:48.981 about the vintage fashion scene 0:05:48.981,0:05:51.361 because I am fascinated by it 0:05:51.361,0:05:52.953 and whenever I've tried to do it, 0:05:52.953,0:05:55.819 it has (pause) not necessarily panned out 0:05:55.819,0:05:58.141 So, I feel like you should make fashion 0:05:58.141,0:05:59.990 videos and yknow when I started 0:05:59.990,0:06:01.350 doing fashion content 0:06:01.350,0:06:03.116 it was kind of like a total mistake 0:06:03.116,0:06:05.516 I wanted to make one video about, like, 0:06:05.516,0:06:07.374 accessibility in online shopping 0:06:07.374,0:06:08.102 and that was 0:06:08.102,0:06:09.049 supposed to be it. 0:06:09.049,0:06:10.832 But people requested me keep doing it 0:06:10.832,0:06:11.612 and I was like 0:06:11.612,0:06:13.682 "Well, If you want me to feed my addiction 0:06:13.682,0:06:15.582 and talk about something I love, 0:06:15.582,0:06:17.298 I am happy to do so" 0:06:17.298,0:06:19.456 There is people 0:06:19.456,0:06:21.796 in the disability activism community 0:06:21.796,0:06:24.053 who have been upset by that. 0:06:24.053,0:06:27.312 Like, they want me to kind of dedicate 0:06:27.312,0:06:28.582 my channel to disability. 0:06:29.508,0:06:31.989 And I can understand that, but 0:06:31.989,0:06:33.663 to me, I am a human 0:06:33.663,0:06:35.718 and disabilities are a very real, 0:06:35.718,0:06:37.062 important topic to me 0:06:37.062,0:06:38.580 and it affects my life daily, 0:06:39.283,0:06:40.884 but so does fashion 0:06:40.884,0:06:42.907 and the confidence that fashion gives me! 0:06:42.907,0:06:43.975 So does makeup, 0:06:43.975,0:06:45.069 so does my guide dog, 0:06:45.069,0:06:46.060 so does dating, 0:06:46.060,0:06:48.116 so do all these other aspects 0:06:48.116,0:06:49.668 and I think it's very important 0:06:49.668,0:06:51.739 for us, as a disability community, 0:06:51.739,0:06:54.389 to show society the human side 0:06:54.389,0:06:56.130 of our day-to-day life 0:06:56.130,0:06:58.760 and the very normal, average 0:06:58.760,0:07:00.875 human things that we love 0:07:00.875,0:07:02.121 and that we partake in. 0:07:02.121,0:07:03.911 Of course, of course 0:07:03.911,0:07:06.420 I always link this back to 0:07:06.420,0:07:07.314 children's books 0:07:07.314,0:07:09.166 because I think it's the easiest way 0:07:09.166,0:07:11.458 to understand people learning new concepts 0:07:11.458,0:07:14.249 So, there are so many children's books 0:07:14.249,0:07:16.056 that are about issues. 0:07:16.056,0:07:17.114 It's about 0:07:17.114,0:07:19.087 "Some people move in a wheelchair" 0:07:19.087,0:07:21.563 or "some people have 2 mums" 0:07:21.563,0:07:24.115 and kids don't love them, 0:07:24.115,0:07:26.416 they don't want to read those books, 0:07:26.416,0:07:28.071 because they're very much 0:07:28.071,0:07:30.571 focused on "this one object that you need 0:07:30.571,0:07:32.257 to learn." It's not fun! 0:07:32.257,0:07:34.507 Whereas, when they are reading 0:07:34.507,0:07:36.442 like a fun, adventure book 0:07:36.442,0:07:38.129 where "oh. the main character just 0:07:38.129,0:07:40.268 happens to have a disability" 0:07:40.268,0:07:42.499 or just happens to have a different 0:07:42.499,0:07:45.110 family setup to the nuclear family, 0:07:45.110,0:07:47.164 then it's more engaging 0:07:47.164,0:07:49.564 and they are more willing to learn things 0:07:49.564,0:07:51.178 And I know the great things about 0:07:51.178,0:07:53.393 having disabled content creators 0:07:53.393,0:07:54.679 who are creating content 0:07:54.679,0:07:56.718 that isn't just disability focused 0:07:56.718,0:07:59.071 is that you are also bringing in people 0:07:59.071,0:08:00.749 who wouldn't have necessarily have 0:08:00.749,0:08:01.797 clicked on your video, 0:08:01.797,0:08:03.325 being like "Ooh, I don't know, 0:08:03.325,0:08:04.578 i don't know i wanna 0:08:04.578,0:08:05.638 watch something about 0:08:05.638,0:08:06.478 a blind person 0:08:06.478,0:08:07.628 cause I've never really 0:08:07.628,0:08:08.528 met a blind person 0:08:08.528,0:08:09.868 and that could be awkward." 0:08:09.868,0:08:11.488 But if it's a video where you are 0:08:11.488,0:08:12.498 doing something else 0:08:12.498,0:08:13.378 and they click in, 0:08:13.378,0:08:14.148 they are like 0:08:14.148,0:08:15.402 "Well, you know what, 0:08:15.402,0:08:17.202 this is actually really interesting, 0:08:17.202,0:08:18.302 Imma keep watching her 0:08:18.302,0:08:19.422 other videos as well." 0:08:19.422,0:08:21.022 And then, it's just a great way 0:08:21.022,0:08:22.432 to lead people in, I think 0:08:22.432,0:08:23.782 And they start to really be 0:08:23.782,0:08:25.249 more involved in the issues, 0:08:25.249,0:08:27.369 it's not something that's far away 0:08:27.369,0:08:28.939 Now, it's "oh, my favourite 0:08:28.939,0:08:30.185 content creator Molly 0:08:30.185,0:08:31.682 also happens to have 0:08:31.682,0:08:32.590 a disability and 0:08:32.590,0:08:34.110 also happens to talk about that 0:08:34.110,0:08:36.091 And now I've learnt things about it" 0:08:36.091,0:08:38.061 So I always think that's the best way, 0:08:38.061,0:08:39.423 but, actually, Molly, 0:08:39.423,0:08:41.233 two birds, one stone, 0:08:41.233,0:08:43.497 to do with this fashion thing, 0:08:43.497,0:08:44.997 I think the next time you come 0:08:44.997,0:08:46.877 to England, I'm gonna have to give you 0:08:46.877,0:08:47.797 a vintage makeover. 0:08:47.797,0:08:48.505 Oh my gosh, 0:08:48.505,0:08:49.694 absolutely!! 0:08:49.694,0:08:51.372 Once this whole madness 0:08:51.372,0:08:52.788 in this world is done, 0:08:52.788,0:08:54.764 and we're all vaccinated, 0:08:54.764,0:08:56.331 I'm coming out to England, 0:08:56.331,0:08:57.899 so I can finally see my brother 0:08:57.899,0:08:58.890 for the first time 0:08:58.890,0:09:00.335 in over a year. 0:09:00.335,0:09:01.796 AND I can see you 0:09:01.796,0:09:03.778 and we are doing the vintage makeover 0:09:03.778,0:09:05.539 I'm absolutely holding you to that. 0:09:05.539,0:09:07.814 But I could not agree more with 0:09:07.814,0:09:08.894 what you've just said. 0:09:08.894,0:09:11.204 My favourite thing about what 0:09:11.204,0:09:12.504 I do is that I get to 0:09:12.504,0:09:14.473 make learning fun for people. 0:09:14.473,0:09:16.032 I get to teach 0:09:16.032,0:09:18.024 people in a way that entertains them 0:09:18.024,0:09:19.894 that truly is the best way to learn. 0:09:19.894,0:09:21.696 That's how I always 0:09:21.696,0:09:23.363 learned the most growing up 0:09:23.363,0:09:24.764 I was never somebody 0:09:24.764,0:09:26.774 who could sit in class 0:09:26.774,0:09:28.844 and hear you talk to me about something. 0:09:28.844,0:09:30.474 I need to be the one 0:09:30.474,0:09:32.084 that was getting up and doing it 0:09:32.084,0:09:33.614 I was a very kinesthetic learner 0:09:33.614,0:09:35.424 I need to be actually doing the thing 0:09:35.424,0:09:36.524 and immersed in it 0:09:36.524,0:09:38.048 to be able to understand it 0:09:38.048,0:09:39.524 and being able to 0:09:39.524,0:09:41.939 hopefully be entertaining to people 0:09:41.939,0:09:44.802 um, while they- they learn 0:09:44.802,0:09:46.295 and open their minds 0:09:46.295,0:09:47.672 to new ways of thinking 0:09:47.672,0:09:49.046 is so rewarding 0:09:49.046,0:09:50.796 so I completely agree with you 0:09:50.796,0:09:52.212 And I always say 0:09:52.212,0:09:54.212 we talk a lot in the disability community 0:09:54.212,0:09:55.182 about the fact that 0:09:55.182,0:09:56.631 y'know that we're quite low 0:09:56.631,0:09:59.420 on the totem pole of causes 0:09:59.420,0:10:01.213 and of things that people care about 0:10:01.213,0:10:02.724 and talk about or know about. 0:10:02.724,0:10:04.404 You know, you often see those like 0:10:04.404,0:10:05.918 "Diversity panels" 0:10:05.918,0:10:08.193 and it's like everything is shown 0:10:09.536,0:10:10.616 ... except disability. 0:10:10.616,0:10:11.804 And we're like "Hey now, 0:10:12.514,0:10:13.214 "Hi" 0:10:13.214,0:10:15.208 "Where are we at the table" 0:10:15.208,0:10:17.275 I think so many different 0:10:17.275,0:10:18.970 brands and companies 0:10:18.970,0:10:20.740 think that they can kind of get away 0:10:20.740,0:10:22.615 doing the absolute least 0:10:22.615,0:10:24.635 when it comes to disability representation 0:10:24.635,0:10:26.590 Whether that be in adverts 0:10:26.590,0:10:28.988 or actually making things accessible.