@JessicaOutOfTheCloset: Intersections of Vintage Styles, Gender, Queerness, and Disability in Online Spaces

Abstract

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard is a British internet and television personality who creates digital content for various social media platforms. Her content focuses on vintage dressing and a variety of other intersecting subjects. In consideration of the recent rise in popularity of vintage dressing and the need for continued research about people with historically marginalized identities, she is a notable subject for sartorial study. We utilized netnography to examine 3 months of Facebook posts and 1 month of YouTube posts until we reached saturation. After analyzing the online sources using the coding and the constant comparison method, we identified celebrating deafness, disability, and chronic illness through dress and challenging stereotypes of dress surrounding her queer label as prominent themes. Feminist queer crip and the (k)notty model guided our interpretation, with close attention paid to Kellgren-Fozard’s privileged identities and space within a capitalist system. Broader shifts toward inclusivity and intersectionality in the fashion industry and society overall are demonstrated through the study’s examination of Kellgren-Fozard’s online presence, yet with critical attention to capitalism and commodity activism.