In a genuine and intense new episode of her popular YouTube series, Ingrid Nilsen comes out as gay and talks about growing up in an environment where it wasn’t okay to be gay. She recalls having crushes on girls in preschool, but learning quickly to suppress her desires and lock it all away. She talks about dating guys, being afraid, living with a wall between herself and the world, having secret hookups with women — stuff a lot of y’all can probably relate to. So I’ll stop talking about it and just encourage you to watch the whole damn thing yourself:
Ingrid Nilsen has been a top YouTuber for quite some time (she has nearly 3.5 million YouTube subscribers and 1.1 million Instagram followers), producing lifestyle, fashion and makeup-related videos. She recently affirmed to The Huffington Post that she considers herself a “private person” but that she felt, entering her mid-twenties, ready to start making more “introspective” videos for her viewers, telling HuffPo, “I wanted to create things that were meaningful and a true reflection of where I am in my life.” Looks like she’s off to a very strong start in that department!
Ingrid is already celebrating with Lesbian YouTube Grandmaster Hannah Hart:
This is great news! I suspect, though, that as a top YouTuber she has somewhat more than 3.5 subscribers…
yes by “3.5” i meant “3.5 million.” fixed!!
My reactions as I watched the video:
1. wow her lipstick is amazing. she’s super cute and clearly amazing at make up.
2. omg I’m crying. I identify so much with this.
3. more happy crying.
4. she looks like a high femme ellen page
She’s lovely. I bet she’s the type to slip under the radar (or gaydar), though. There are comments saying things like “It’s a joke.” or “It’s impossible!!!” – implying that, what? She doesn’t ‘look’ gay or something?
Idk. I just know that she’s lovely. Inside and outside.
lol those were my sentiments exactly as well!!
Take that “you’re-too-femme-to-be-gay” naysayers.
Wow, that just comes at the BEST time ever. I just wrote a blog post about the importance of personal coming out stories through video. This makes me want to write a follow-up and do a more in-depth analysis of how important it is. Can’t emphasize it enough. I know many people just dismiss it as some sort of arrogant self-display, but it’s much more than that. Just… hear her voice. Can you hear how hard she’s breathing?
Thanks, Riese, that you posted it today.
From my blog: “I think many of us have been there. Our voices crack when we finally gather all our courage to tell our mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers and friends. Our hearts pound, we might even be sweating. How did you sleep last night? Could you sleep at all?” And then,, after having written this, to watch Ingrid’s video… mind = blown at the confirmation.
I really do believe Sharing is Caring. I love it.
I had to pause this so many times when I was watching because of how much I was crying.
Not only did her story really resonate with me, but as someone who has watched lots of youtube beauty videos over the past 7+ years, it means a lot to me to see a prominent beauty guru come out– even though I hadn’t watched her videos before.
I have no idea who she is, but cool! Also digging the red lips. Go live your life, Ingrid!
She is known for her red lip (she is a beauty guru). I thought it interesting that she didn’t have as much make up as she usually does but kept the red lip.
I’m very happy for her and I can relate to so much of what she is saying. Her fashion videos are really great as well.
I got into Youtube because of Hannah (who in turn I think maybe I discovered through an AS interview?). I haven’t watched much Ingrid except collabs but I love the vid and her. I hope she’s getting the loving and supportive responses she richly deserves
Also as someone who is quite terrible at makeup, maybe she can inspire me to figure some of that shit out.
WHOA. This is huge. When I first started really admitting to myself that I’m trans, I got kind of obsessed with watching her videos. So, she’s kind of my first femme coach, basically. So, this is amazing.
oh wow, that’s so cool!
As a (very casual) beauty blogger and fellow gay lady, this makes me so happy!!
I love her and was just so happy, watching this video <3 <3
I was so happy to see Ingrid’s video and to see this article. I believe I started watching her channel when she was living in NY and I’ve loved her ever since. I’m always trying to find not-straight beauty and fashion women, so I’m so happy to see someone I already watch and love come out <3
I watched her videos back in 2010/11, and I’m so happy for her. I haven’t really watched much since, but maybe this time I’ll actually learn how to do make-up. I cried SO hard watching the video this morning when I woke up. It’s really wonderful to see her be so honest and true. Plus, her friendship with Hannah Hart is just what my heart needed.
I don’t usually watch that sort of content on YouTube I knew who she was anyway. I think I might have seen her in a FineBros videos, that’s why.
Anyway, don’t go too deep into the comments section of that video like I did. There is quite a bit of ignorance and stupidity directed her way from so-called fans. But I suppose that is to be expected when your audience is largely hetero, extremely femme girls. I think it was brave of Ingrid to come out so publicly knowing she could probably lose some of her viewership over it.
Very very powerful video. The part especially where she says the thing about living inside her head, and now it is reality. I just loved this!
That was the moment that I started actually weeping while I was watching this. :)
She’s adorbz! Totally reminds me of someone and I can’t put my finger on who. Maybe Sophia from The Fosters?
I thought so too, both Callie and Sophia!
I may or may not be crying. A couple summers ago Ingrid was a huge role model for me, I watched the daily vlogging of her and her friends religiously. That was around the same time I was realizing that I was a victim of that same prison she talked about, where being straight gets shoved down your throat and you tell yourself “they’re not so bad, boys” while you’re trying to convince yourself you don’t actually want to date girls. Now I’m out to almost everybody in my life and I’m never going back to that place where I was hiding part of myself. I stopped watching YouTubers, mostly, but it still means so much to me to hear that someone I looked up to is still on my team.