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Jennie Garth has openly shared her struggles with significant insecurities during her tenure on Beverly Hills, 90210.
In her latest memoir, I Choose Me, Garth, now 54, reflects, “I never anticipated that embodying a character would begin to shape my self-perception. When I took on the role of Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210, I hadn’t yet confronted the issues I had with body image in my personal life.”
Garth discusses how storylines involving Kelly’s dieting, insecurities, or being “lauded or criticized for her appearance” often seemed “alien” to her own experiences.
“I approached these scenarios with the creativity and curiosity of an actress,” she explained. “Much like Kelly, I encountered harsh judgments and grappled with preserving my mental well-being. The show’s messages—whether scripted or imagined—began to blur the line between who I was and who I played.”
Reflecting on her involvement with The CW’s 90210 reboot, Jennie Garth expressed some regret. “I wish I hadn’t done it. No disrespect to them,” Garth, 52, remarked during a ’90s Con panel for the original Beverly Hills, 90210 on September 14, as reported by People. “The producer was a mutual acquaintance, and I remember he approached me…”
According to Garth, she soon “felt judged” for her appearance and outfits between 90210 takes.
“[I was] always internally comparing myself to my costars or guest stars joining us,” she said. “I was a young girl and I wanted approval from Luke [Perry], Jason [Priestley], Brian [Austin Green] and Ian [Ziering]. I felt competitive with other young women and worried when I wasn’t getting noticed.”
Amid her body image battle, Garth had a breast augmentation and liposuction when she was 24 years old.
“I started to believe that this was just what you did at a certain age,” she wrote in her book, noting other actresses were also going under the knife at the time. “I wanted to disappear into the version of beauty that was being sold to all of us at the time: small, effortless, waif-like. I thought if I could just carve myself into that image, maybe I’d finally feel like enough.”
In the years since wrapping 90210 in 2000 and welcoming three daughters with ex-husband Peter Facinelli, Garth has learned to embrace her body.
Jennie Garth reflected on her Beverly Hills, 90210 days in her newly released memoir, I Choose Me, sharing details about her relationships with each costar. Garth, now 54, starred as Kelly Taylor in the teen drama, which ran for 10 seasons from 1999 to 2000. The show also starred Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), Shannen Doherty […]
“I never thought I’d be doing my first underwear shoot at 53 … but here we are,” Garth wrote via Instagram in June 2025, sharing pics from her ThirdLove lingerie campaign. “I’ve never felt more confident, or comfortable in my skin.”
She continued at the time, “Not just because it’s a first for me, but because it’s with a brand that genuinely supports women through every phase of life, including menopause.Thank you @thirdlove for helping me feel strong, sexy, and supported — exactly as I am.”
I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention is out now.