Ingrid Nilsen certainly has trepidation as she announces she’s gay in a compelling YouTube video — or she’s a terrific actress, or both! (You don’t get 3.5 million YouTube subscribers without delivering some dramatic action. You need to get personal, and Nilsen is one of the best at it.) The fashion vlogger’s coming out video is her most watched recently, presumably because she’s addressing a subject more important — if less actionable — than “Crazy Busy Day?//Helpful Hair Tips + Style.” The latter is more typical of the Ingrid Nilsen offerings.
A judge on the TV show Project Runway: Threads, Nilsen’s coming out is certainly courageous. Anyone telling the truth about themselves in public commits an act of bravery. Fortunately, Nilsen’s in an industry — fashion — where being gay isn’t generally perceived as a stigma, the way it stubbornly remains in, say, electoral politics and professional football. Such enormous fashion names as Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs and Coco Chanel are acknowledged gay icons.
