Nikita Dragun
Nikita Nguyen (born January 31, 1996)[1][3] known professionally as Nikita Dragun, is an American YouTuber, make-up artist, and model.[4]
Early life
Nikita Dragun was born in Belgium and attended high school in Virginia. She is of Vietnamese and Mexican descent, and came out as a trans woman when she was a teenager. In several of Dragun's YouTube videos, she has spoken openly about her transition.[5]
Later, Dragun decided to move to Los Angeles, and got accepted to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, where she obtained her business degree. She said, “I was very Hannah Montana at the time. I would be in class, and we’d talk about influencers and brand deals, and my face would pop up on the screen and they’d start talking about me! They had no idea that I was sitting in the class. I never wanted anyone to know.”[6]
Career
Dragun joined YouTube in February 2013. She stated, “I started to get little brand deals around that time… That was also when I decided to start taking Instagram and YouTube seriously.” In 2015, by which time she was living in Los Angeles, she came out as a transgender woman.[4] As of May 2021, she has over 3.68 million subscribers on YouTube, 9.1 million followers on Instagram, and 13.6 million followers on TikTok.[7]
In response to comments by L Brands chief marketing officer Ed Razek that trans women should not be included in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show because "the show is a fantasy", Dragun tweeted a video of herself modeling lingerie. In the tweet, Dragun argues that trans women were indeed able to convey fantasy.[8]
In March 2019, she announced a make-up line, Dragun Beauty.[9] Aside from the mainstream market, the cosmetic line is also targeted towards the transgender community. All products are vegan and cruelty-free, this is cited as a reason why Nikita decided to launch her brand independently.[10] In June 2019, Dragun was interviewed about her make-up brand on the LGBT radio network Channel Q, where she credited her journey as a transgender woman building her brand as the inspiration behind Dragun Beauty and its products.[11]
In September 2019, it was announced Nikita would be starring in her own docuseries on Snapchat, "Nikita Unfiltered". The series follows Dragun as she searches for love, "a different path" in her career, and navigates fame as a trans woman. The series premiered on 21 March 2020.[12][13]
Controversies
On July 21, 2020, Dragun held a surprise birthday party for YouTuber Larri Merritt during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Hype House mansion.[14] The party included internet celebrities such as James Charles, Charli D'Amelio, Dixie D'Amelio, and others.[15] At the time of the party, California's COVID-19 cases had just surpassed New York's cases.[16] There was an estimated 67 people in attendance,[17] many of whom were seen without face masks[15] despite local health recommendations.[18] Photos and videos of the event appeared on social media sites such as Instagram. These posts drew criticism from the public, including other influencers like Elijah Daniel and Tyler Oakley.[14][19] Merritt, and some of the other attendees, later apologized.[17] Residents of the Hype House later tested negative for COVID-19.[20]