Interview with a Teen Drama Fan: Disability Activist Jessica Gimeno

Disability activist Jessica Gimeno and I went to college together — sort of. 

Jessica was a senior at Northwestern University while I was a freshman, but we never connected until years later.

And it was actually “Beverly Hills, 90210” that brought us together a few years ago.

“I don’t know any others from Northwestern that watch soaps,” Jessica told me recently.

I don’t, either, and that desire to find like-minded people was one of the reasons I started the original TeenDramaWhore in 2008. It took many more years for Jessica and I find to each other, but I am so glad we did.

To put it simply, Jessica is a remarkable person. She started her website, Fashionably Ill, in 2012 to speak frankly about living with physical and mental health challenges… and looking quite stylish while doing it. In 2015, Jessica gave a TEDx talk on “How to get stuff done when you are depressed,” the video of which now has more than 2.6 million views on YouTube.

Recently, Jessica graduated from Northwestern (again!) with a master’s in public policy and administration while living with chronic pain and fatigue. Now, she’s studying psychology at University of California, Berkeley, while pursuing a career in public policy. Like I said, she’s remarkable.

On a recent Zoom chat, Jessica and I discussed...

-Her love of “Beverly Hills, 90210”

-How teen dramas and soap operas are a comfort in difficult times

-Minority representation in the teen dramas

-Our “The Summer I Turned Pretty” watch parties

-Her advocacy on behalf of disabled people like herself

...and much more. Watch the full interview below!