Beauty guru Nikkie De Jager comes out as transgender in emotional video: Everything you need to know about her
YouTube's ever-increasing platform for strong LGBTQ idols just gained another inspiring star in the form of Dutch beauty guru and veteran vlogger Nikkie De Jager aka @NikkieTutorials. Coming out as transgender after ruling the beauty vlogging platform for years, Nikkie posted the announcement on Monday, January 12, through a video on her YouTube channel, where she opened up about her gender identity to over 12 million subscribers in what has been her first time addressing the topic ever.
“Filming this video is scary, but it feels so liberating and freeing,” Nikkie said in the video, adding: “I’ve wanted to share this side of me with you for so long, but I never could figure out the timing. There was always going to be the day where I would tell you. I did not expect that day to be today, but here I am.”
All of 25, Nikkie explained in her video how she has been blackmailed by a person who'd learned of her life pre-transition and threatened to expose her privacy to the press, by leaking the story. She has also claimed that she would have opened up about her identity to her subscribers someday but had chosen to keep her private life a secret so that people drawn to her platform would focus on her work and flourishing skills as a makeup artist, more than how she identifies herself. Coming out with this video, Nikkie not only gave her blackmailer a giant middle finger, but also joined the ranks of other celebrities like Bella Thorne, who have released content they were getting blackmailed over to take the narrative back into their hands.
Nikkie soared to popularity with her in 2015 when her YouTube video, 'The Power of Makeup', went viral and inspired several others to own up and reveal their faces without makeup on an online forum. Speaking about her struggles early on in life, the makeup guru who has also collaborated with the likes of reality stars like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, shared how she knew she was a girl as early on in her life as she can remember. Tears welling in her eyes, Nikkie spoke about how thankful she is to her mother for being a constant support.
Nikkie revealed she has lived her life as a girl ever since the age of six; she began hormone replacement therapy at the age of 14, completing her medical transition by age 19. In her video, she said: "If you want to put a label on it, yes, I am transgender,” she said, “but at the end of the day, I am me.” After this video that has amassed almost 5 million views already, Nikkie has joined the leagues of YouTube beauty gurus from the LGBTQ community, like Gigi Gorgeous and Ingrid Nilsen. the tear-jerker also got her a major shoutout from celebrities like RuPaul’s Drag Race queen Aquaria and fellow beauty YouTuber Desi Perkins, among others.
Nikkie has been together with her partner Dylan Drossaers since 2018 and the two are still going strong as ever. The couple, who are believed to be engaged, are quite popular on Nikkie's Instagram page, and in her video, Nikkie claimed how she wished she had told Dylan about her identity sooner. "But that is a private matter that we're dealing with, and I am so proud that we are able to deal with [it]," she said of her relationship.