Jessica Szohr is best known for her role on Gossip Girl as Vanessa Abrams. She first appeared on the show in 1x06: The Handmaiden's Tale and quickly became a series regular. She has been thrown into the spotlight because of the show and her romantic relationship with co-star Ed Westwick. Fans' reaction to Vanessa goes both ways and it's unfortunate that Jess is getting slack from viewers because of what the writers do to her character. But, throughout it all, Jessica has been strong and hasn't let it seep into her work. The cast and crew all love her and she gets along with everyone she meets. Jess is a great spirit and we love that she isn't easily affected by the negativity surrounding her character and her portrayal. Though I've never met the actress, I've read blogs, tweets, and seen interviews. She seems like a very nice, happy, fun, and normal person, which is one of the attracting reasons why people love her.

board open -> June 1
5,000 -> June 13
10,000 -> July 14
15,000 -> August 13
20,000 -> September 10
25,000 -> October 2

In the words of FenixxB:

During the summer of 2008, I began watching Gossip Girl episodes online and I immediately caught up just in time for the premiere of Season 2. I was instantly hooked on the show. I liked the music, the fashion, the gossip, the technology, and most of all I loved the characters. I wanted to know more about the show and the actors portraying the characters.

In the midst of all this searching, researching, and immersing myself into the online GG fandom; I discovered that the Vanessa Abrams character was not well liked. I never understood that. There was certainly not enough of her in the first season to really form such a strong opinion about her, so I was baffled. It seemed to me that what I liked about her character the most were the things people disliked. Her exotic beauty, her unique style, her Brooklyn vibe, and her unrequited love for Dan - because let's face it, who hasn't experienced some type of unrequited feelings for another? The Vanessa character has a lot of potential and not just in the love department.

Speaking of love, what's not to love about Jessica Szohr? The stunningly beautiful young actress has won me over through her interviews, comments, photoshoots, and personal style. She comes across as a down to earth, nice, Midwestern girl. Her bubbly nature and dimply smiles are infectious. Her personal fashion sense is stylish and trendsetting. Jessica's co-stars on Gossip Girl, celebrity friends, and various fan encounters have nothing but nice things to say about her. I hope that she continues to have artistic success and that we get to see more of her in various roles in the future.

I'm glad that we have a board that's dedicated to Jessica Szohr. We have a great group of fans! Thank you all for making this board a pleasant place to visit and I enjoy engaging in various conversations about our favorite actress with all of you.

Why do you like Jess?

There’s something about Jessica that is just so alluring. She gets hated on for silly reasons, but she sticks it out and the people who work with her and know her just love her. And that makes me love her. ♥ Kiss of Death

I LOVE Jess because ... who doesn't? She's beautiful and talented and a total sweetheart. She's also got a great casual style, like me! Whenever I see her in interviews I just want to give her a hug. She deserves a lot more love. I have a mad girl-crush on her. ♥ cbluv

Jess is IT. She's got the beauty, the talent, the style, the charm. She has got everything. What's so wonderful about her is that she's so amazing, yet so friendly and makes so much effort with her fans. She's amazing. ♥ pattywack

She's very nice to her fans, she's a good actress, and a beautiful woman! I adore her since the first GG episodes. She's MY start...my main reason to watch Gossip Girl. And Jessica is a Kings of Leon fan. Wohoho!!! This is like the best combination ever! I'm a happy co-mod of her livejournal. ♥ Blackened Sky

What I like about Jess is the bubbly-ness she has around her. She is always always so happy and the fact she is gorgeous, too. And I don't think I've ever heard her say anything bad about anyone or anyone say anything bad about her. She is loved by everyone and loves everyone. ♥ mylu

What I like about Jess is that she seems like such a nice person and so friendly. Everyone who has met her (lucky!) have always stated how nice she is. She always seems to be having a great time and I think she is sooo beautiful. ♥ zccajj

Why do you like Vanessa?

I have read the first 5 books (like 5 years ago) and Vanessa is my second favorite book character. I came into the show waiting for her and, finally, she was introduced in 1x06. She wasn’t how I pictured and she was not as hardcore as the books; she didn’t go to Constance and she’d known Dan forever (instead of a few years). I know people hated her because she was there to stir trouble for Serena/Dan. I liked it since I’m not a fan. I love Vanessa and Dan’s friendship and it’s so real and they understand each other. We don’t know much about her background, but we know she’s a loyal friend with real feelings and she gets hurt and yes she does do things maybe she shouldn’t, but hormones do that to people. We’re finally getting to know her more in Season 3 and I’m excited to like her even more. ♥ Kiss of Death

V is a badass, who stands for what she believes in. But at the same time, she's an extremely selfless person, who's always going out of her way to help others, no matter how badly things go at the end. She's smart, she's a film junkie, and she's got a unique sense of style. She's also not afraid to tell it to Blair as it is. What's not to love? ♥ cbluv

I love how indie she is. Her style is so awesome, she's witty, knows who she is and stands by that, and just plays off each character so well! She adds so much to the show, and the show wouldn't be the same without her. ♥ pattywack

She's fierce, doesn't care about rich UES kids, she doesn't give a damn what others are saying about her, and she's just living her life!! I love it. You go girl! ♥ Blackened Sky

She wants to help everyone and isn't afraid to speak her mind either. I didn't love her in the beginning when she joined, but Jess' awesomeness won me over. ♥ mylu

I love Vanessa because she is the character on the show that I can relate to the most. I love her original style most of the time and I love that she is different from the other characters. ♥ zccajj

Favorite pairings - romantic and friendship

Jess/Ed, Jess/Leighton, Jess/Chace
Vanessa/Dan (OTBrooklynP), Vanessa/Blair (enemies), Vanessa/Rufus (shh, I only mean in the family sense, for the most part) ♥ Kiss of Death

For Jess, all I'll say is if she and Ed ever break up, I will go into mourning.
Vanessa: she's so shippable, I ship her with all the guys in GG. ♥ cbluv

Jess/Ed obviously! LOVE Jess/Leighton
Nate/Vanessa. Friendship wise LOVE Dan/Vanessa. Blair/Vanessa is so fun and I really wish Serena/Vanessa could be great friends ♥ pattywack

Jess/Ed, Jess/Leighton, Jess/Chace, Jess/KOL boys
Vanessa/Nate, Vanessa/Chuck, Vanessa/Dan, Vanessa/Blair, Vanessa/Serena, Vanessa/Rufus ♥ Blackened Sky

With Vanessa, I am a big multi-shipper – if Vanessa is happy I will be. However, my favorite pairing is Nate/Vanessa (Team Dimples!!). When Nate started having scenes with Vanessa is when I started to take notice of him. I think they are so adorable together and always make me smile. I also love the friendship between Vanessa and Dan - Brooklyn FTW!! ♥ zccajj

Your favorite part about the board.

Hmm, my favorite part of the board is the people. Jess’ board is our safe haven. There are many Vanessa/Jess non-fans that it’s nice to be in an atmosphere with people who love/like her as much as I do. We have so much to talk about and it helps us love her more because we can rationally discuss the good and the bad. It’s a homey feeling. ♥ Kiss of Death

The awesome posters!! We're not a big crowd here, and it's even better, cause we're one big family that is extremely dedicated to Jess and the board and I love it! ♥ cbluv

The people! Everyone here is so friendly and respectful. This board makes for me. Seriously. I love it so much. ♥ pattywack

Everyone is so welcoming and even though I don't really post that much I feel like home there! ♥ Blackened Sky

The best part of being on this board is talking to people who love Jess/Vanessa. It’s so lovely and it’s like our little bubble. It’s a Hate Free Zone!!! Having the Jess board has made my want to go on a lot more. We had been campaigning for Jess for a long time so to actually get the board, it showed that Jess/V does have fans!! It’s like a big F- YOU to all the haters ♥ zccajj

ღ I am so happy to moderate such an amazing board with such amazing posters. You’re all wonderful and I’m so happy that in such a short period of time we’ve made it this far. I know I’m kind of crazy, but thanks for putting up with me around here and here’s to another 25K! ღ Jackie [Kiss of Death]
ღ Onyeka [cbluv]

[ICONS made by MPGirl]