Ingrid Nilsen came out in a video on her YouTube channel yesterday, and in spite of the video being nearly 20 minutes long, I watched it several times because I was so moved by her bravery and just the rawness of it all. [Scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch!] When I saw the thumbnail for the video, I honestly thought "What?" because I had no idea, and I think that goes to show that even when you make your life public on the internet, so much of yourself is still hidden.
I've been a viewer of Ingrid's before I even created my own YouTube channel. I love her adorable and bubbly personality and her goofy sayings. She's such an inspiration to, not only me, but also the more than 3 million viewers who are subscribed to her channel.
Even though, I'm not gay, it doesn't mean I can't relate to some of the struggles that Ingrid faced when trying to mask this part of her. She talks about how society put a stamp of disapproval on being gay, thus building the foundation for a metaphorical prison for her. She then continued to build the prison herself while suppressing her true feelings and her true self.
I think a lot of people can relate to trying to hide the parts of themselves that they don't want other people to see. It's like everyone has their own idea of what perfection looks like, and there's always someone who is going to complain. As the saying goes, "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone who doesn't like peaches."
It's so incredibly brave and moving that Ingrid wanted to share this part of herself with all of the people who essentially allow her to do what she loves for a living. I appreciated the fact that she spoke to her viewers as if they were in the room with her. She shed light on something that needs to be talked about, especially with the current Supreme Court deliberations on same-sex marriage. The amount of love and respect I have for Ingrid has grown tenfold, and I really hope that a lot of good comes out of her being willing to share her story.
If you haven't watched the video yet, grab a box of tissues and hit play.
What are your thoughts on Ingrid's coming out video?
