YouTube Star Gigi Gorgeous Is Blowing Up
Photo: Instagram/Gigi Gorgeous
Gigi Gorgeous is a YouTube star turned beauty spokesmodel, but her story is different than Michelle Phan’s, Bethany Mota’s, and her other online peers who found fame – she’s transgender. Gigi posted her first YouTube video as Gregory Gorgeous in 2008 from her Toronto home, and has since gained the love and loyalty of 2.2 million subscribers.
Gigi founded her YouTube channel on candidness and a big personality, but in a 2013 video, she apologized to her viewers for being closed and impersonal in prior months. She came out as transgender, but worried about losing the support of her budding 500k following by opening up about her transition. “I had my viewers at the time that were like: ‘You’re amazing. You’re my idol,’” Gigi, whose real last name is Lazzarato, told The New York Times. “I didn’t want to let them down. I didn’t want to let anybody down. I wanted to keep being the person that they loved.” But after her supportive mother passed away, Gigi had some soul-searching to do. “I never got to say it to her face,” Lazzarato told People. “[Her death] made me realize, ‘Life is too short to not do what you want to do. Let’s become the most authentic you that you can be.'”
The support flooded in, and so did the beauty sponsorship deals. Crest Canada was drawn to her, “Because of her beautiful, white smile and because she reaches consumers looking for new beauty solutions,” a spokeswoman for the company wrote in an email to The Times. Since coming out, Lazzarato’s videos are totally open and honest, sharing everything from her beauty tutorials and date night mishaps to her facial feminization surgeries and the struggles she’s encountered while transitioning.
She now lives in Los Angeles and has partnerships with Too Faced Cosmetics and Pantene, and it’s just the beginning for her. She befriended Miley Cyrus and Kylie Jenner, and she’s studying acting, saying that she looks forward to a time that directors will hire transgender actors without making a big deal of it. Gigi also has a documentary deal for a film that will debut in 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival. “I haven’t said a lot of this stuff to the camera yet,” Lazzarato told The Times. “Personal stuff. People are going to have to wait to see.” But even with a promising future to look forward to, Gigi’s YouTube Channel isn’t going anywhere. “I feel like it’s been something different every day, and if I don’t film and I don’t record, I’ll forget,” she said. “I look back and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that happened.’” You’ll definitely be seeing more of this rising star.
Gigi Gorgeous with Kylie Jenner (Photo: Instagram/Kylie Jenner)
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