Beauty YouTuber NikkieTutorials Came Out As Transgender — But Not On Her Own Terms

Aesthetics YouTuber Nikkie de Jager — who is also known by her 12.7 million subscribers as NikkieTutorials — is most often known for posting product reviews and special effects makeup looks. But on Monday (January 13), she posted a new sort of video on her channel. In it, she shared that she is transgender — but her choice to open up about her gender identity was impacted by someone who'd threatened to out her.


"Today I am here to share something with you that I've habitually wanted to share with you one day, although under my own circumstances," the makeup artist explained. "And it looks like that chance has been taken away from me, so today I am taking back my own power."


as soon as I was younger, I was place on Earth in the incorrect body, which means that I am transgender," Nikkie continued before telling her subscribers  — affectionately referred to as her "glow babies" — that she's the exact same person they've been watching on her channel for over a decade.


The 25-year-old YouTube star shared that she began transitioning socially at the age of 6 and started taking hormones at 14; she completely completed her transition at 19, a few many years soon after first beginning her channel in 2008. "I transitioned while on YouTube," she said.


But the video also came with a direct message to those who bullied her into going public with her gender identity. "I have been blackmailed by people that wanted to leak my story to the press, and at first it was frightening," Nikkie mentioned toward the end of the video. "It was frightening to know that there really are people out there that are so evil that they can't respect someone's true identity. It is vile plus it is gross and I know you are watching this."


soon after publishing the "freeing" and "liberating" video, fans flooded the comments with messages of love and support. Several also came through with comments condemning whoever threatened to out her before she was prepared to share her story on her own terms.


While some transgender people feel comfortable sharing their gender identity with others, people are under no obligation to disclose their identities to other people, whether because they feel unsafe in doing so, they simply pick not to, or any other reason. And while Nikkie added that she had recommended on coming out publicly at some point on her channel, outing (or threatening to out someone) isn't only a violation of privacy — it's also very dangerous.


Per GLAAD, "Transgender people can lose jobs, housing, companions, or perhaps their lives as soon as other people find out about their gender history." Outing a member of the trans community who doesn't want their gender identity to be public knowledge may also make the person a target for transphobic hate crimes.


With blackmail threats looming, Nikkie's video was her way of showing the world that she wasn't going to let transphobic people control her narrative anymore. "They mentioned they wanted to leak it because I'm lying, or I don't wish to tell my truth, or they feel like I'm also scared for people to know who I truly am," she mentioned. "I'm not scared."


To be sure, seeing the star publicly embrace who she is immediately considering that these years is something to be celebrated. It's also something that will probably help subscribers who are also questioning or navigating their own identities.


"I am here to openly share that I am transgender, and with this message I'd like to inspire little Nikkies around the world who feel insecure, who feel out of place, [and] who feel misunderstood," she mentioned. "This world needs us. We need to accept each other, we need to respect each other, yet most of all we need to hear each other and understand."