Here's Everything You Need To Know About Nikita Dragun
You may or may not know that there are two mothers of dragons, one on HBO and the other is all over social media. The former is Khaleesi and the latter is Nikita Dragun. If you find yourself wondering who Nikita Dragun is, let me give you all the deets on this incredibly popular social media star.
Nikita Dragun is becoming a major household name after amassing a super large following across YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. With a combined following of nearly 9 million, she's becoming incredibly influential in the beauty and makeup space, particularly after she started discussing her transition on her YouTube channel in 2015. Since launching her YouTube channel in 2014, Dragun has secured beauty brand deals, walked the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet, collabed with Kylie Jenner, and even launched her own historic cosmetics line, but more on that later.
How She Got Into YouTube
Dragun says she knew she was different from a young age. In fact, she recalls being different in pre-school, telling Forbes in April 2019, "I never wanted to nap. I was always mature for my age. I wanted to put on a dress and look cute." I feel her on that one. However, after her teacher called her parents on her "different" behavior, Dragun avoided dressing up.
Later, in high school and college, she began to take ownership of who she was and wanted to continue to be. “I was just the most feminine gay guy out there, so I would dress in tight jeans, lashes, a little purse, etc. People just accepted me. But it wasn’t until college that I really started to develop my trans identity.”
In 2013, Dragun launched her YouTube channel and Instagram to share her makeup tips with the world.
In 2015, Dragun moved to Los Angeles and began studying business and marketing for cosmetics at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). It was at this point she really began to build her loyal fandom, the Draguns. Nikita opened up about her identity in a YouTube video titled "I am TRANSGENDER" on December 28, 2015.
Dragun Got Victoria's Secret To Hire Its First Transgender Model (Kinda)
Dragun is more than just a YouTuber, she's an advocate for change. The 23-year-old is constantly using her platform to represent the trans community. In November 2018, Vogue spoke with Ed Razek, Chief Marketing Officer of L Brands (the parent company of Victoria's Secret). Razek told the publication that, while they are proud of Victoria's Secret's culturally diverse background, they do not think plus sized-women or transgender women belong in their show.
"If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have," Razek told Vogue, before going more into detail a few answers later. "It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special," said Razek.
The backlash to Razek's comments was swift, and Victoria's Secret issued a statement walking back his comments on Nov. 9, 2018.
Still, Dragun created her own "fantasy" proving the Razek's original comments wrong, writing, "dear Victoria’s Secret, you said trans women can’t sell the 'fantasy' so here i am as a TRANS WOMAN selling the FANTASY!"
I'm certainly sold!
On Aug. 1, it was reported that Victoria's Secret had hired its first trans model. While the brand didn't take directly to their socials, the Brazilian trans model Valentina Sampaio did, and of course, Dragun celebrated with a tweet.
"i genuinely do not believe it was my video alone that caused Victoria’s Secret to change. i just wanted to use my platform to actually make a difference and stand up for my community! i believe in second chances and that everyone can change. TRANS WOMAN CAN SELL THE FANTASY," she wrote.
Talk about impactful.
Dragun Launched A Historic Beauty Line
Her revolutionary endeavors do not stop there. The beauty enthusiast is now a history-making business owner. In March 2019, Nikita Dragun launched Dragun Beauty, which is reportedly the first makeup line owned by a transgender person and designed specifically for transgender people.
The line sold out within 24 hours upon launching. No biggie.
There's no doubt Nikita Dragun is making major moves in the beauty and makeup space. From uplifting the trans community to evoking real change in the industry, Dragun is someone I'm sure we will be seeing a whole lot more of and with Game of Thrones being over, who wouldn't mind another (truly) revolutionary Mother of Draguns to follow.
