Nikkie de Jager or better known as NikkieTutorials is a 25-year-old Dutch YouTuber with well over 13 million subscribers. NikkieTutorials found her fame on social media by making makeup tutorials and transformation videos. On January 13, 2020, NikkieTutorials posted an 18-minute video entitled “I’m Coming Out” where she reveals that she is transgender and how she was blackmailed to tell the “truth.” Her video has already received over 32 million views.
“It is time to let go and be truly free. When I was younger I was born in the wrong body, which means that I am transgender,” de Jager begins her video. As a viewer, I can see the relief flow through her body but also the fear that comes along with those words. She continues to explain how scared she is to post this video and I can hear the anxiety in her voice; anyone watching this video will be able to sense it.
NikkieTutorials has been on YouTube for 11 years and has posted well over 1,000 videos. In her coming out video, de Jager explains that she transitioned while on YouTube, “I have literally transitioned into me in front of all you.” But she never discussed these private matters in her videos. Nikki explains, “I wanted my channel to be about my art (makeup). I wanted my art to do the speaking for me.”
De Jager continues, “I have been blackmailed by people who wanted to ‘leak’ my story to the press.” NikkieTutorials decided to take the power into her hands and create this powerful video explaining when she transitioned and why she did not discuss this on her channel. Being the savage she is, Nikki takes by her power when saying, “To the people who tried to blackmail me and thought they could really mess up my life with that, this one’s for you,” while holding up her middle finger.
Nikkie spreads love throughout her video for all who have supported her, especially her mom, who she has cutely nicknamed “MommaTutorials”, and her fiance Dylan. She also sends lots of love to her fans and viewers and asks for them to continue to support her. She pleas, “I am me, I am still Nikkie, nothing changes about that.”
I have watched NikkieTutorials’ videos for years and the thought that she could be transgender never crossed my mind because it didn’t matter. I was not watching her videos to examine her life but to learn about makeup and awe at her amazing makeup transformations. Nikkie is still Nikkie, a fantastic makeup artist with a highly successful YouTube channel. We should all continue to celebrate Nikkie’s talents and celebrate her courage for coming out.
In NikkieTutorials’ first video after coming out, entitled “Responding To My Coming Out.” she discusses how appreciative she is for the massive amounts of support she has received since coming out. “It has been so much positivity. It has been so crazy and absolutely surreal seeing the world respond to me and welcoming me with open arms and showing me nothing but love and respect,” de Jager says.
NikkieTutorials continues by discussing the elephant in the room, the blackmailers and their identities. Nikkie proclaims, “I think we need to stop the witch hunt…If anyone’s going to have the right to tell more about these blackmailers, it’s going to be me.” She continues by stating that the police have found out who the blackmailers are and how she has been contemplating if she should punish this person by revealing who they are.
Nikkie de Jager has decided to take the high road and not steep to her blackmailers’ level by deciding not to punish them. She feels that they have already been punished by her knowing their names and by them always having this fear that she could leak them to the press. “It is my right to determine if I want that name to come out or not,” Nikkie says.
NikkieTutorials boldly says, with her chin held high and confidence radiating, “For 2020, we’re going to let karma do its mother flippin’ thing, okay?”
From @nikkietutorials on Instagram