How Beauty Vlogger Ingrid Nilsen's 'Coming Out' Could Shatter the YouTuber Ceiling

Ingrid Nilsen, the 26-year-old YouTube Star and Project Runway: Threads judge, came out of the closet as a lesbian in an emotional 20-minute video. So far, the video has racked up more than 2 million views.

Coming out on YouTube is not a new phenomenon. Many famous LGBT YouTubers have created videos about their coming out experiences on the site. For example, Tyler Oakley and Hannah Hart, two of YouTube's most well known content creators, shared their coming out stories with their followers, whereas Joey Garceffa and Connor Franta, like Nilsen, came out in videos uploaded to the site. 

As a beauty vlogger, Nilsen built a large following by creating makeup tutorials and style tip videos. She has nearly 4-million subscribers on YouTube, 1-million followers on Instagram and almost a million Twitter followers. 

In an article about beauty vloggers titled, "How The Fastest-Rising Beauty Vloggers Found Youtube Success," from January, Fashionista reports that "Makeup tutorials are among the most-viewed on YouTube."

They interviewed Nilsen, who told them she has plans to create videos about topics more than beauty, such as cooking and DIY. She told Fashionista that she plans to expand her brand into stores like Target and WalMart in the future: 

"I will still do the content I am known for, but am definitely interested in growing in other areas and helping even more people... I would love to have an all-encompassing lifestyle brand... If you were to go to a store like Target or WalMart, I would have something in every department: moisturizer in the skincare aisle, granola cookies in the snack aisle, workout gear in the clothing department! I think teen girls are exposed to a lot of distractions and I want to make it cool to be healthy."

Her coming out video could lift her into the mainstream YouTuber world, which is predominately male and white. Not only will it provide an opportunity for her to expand her brand, but it will also create visibility for femme lesbians, and demonstrate that there is no one way to be 'gay.' 

Nilsen has received messages of support from many LGBT YouTubers:

Tyler Oakley:

Hannah Hart:

Joey Garceffa:

Connor Franta:

And, she recently tweeted that she's happy and that this is a moment she will never forget: