YouTube star Ingrid Nilsen has something she wants you to know.
“I’m gay,” she told fans in an emotional 19-minute video posted on Tuesday.
Nilsen, best known as missglamorazzi, then shared the story of coming to terms with her sexuality. She admitted knowing she was gay as early as 4 years old.
“It’s just something I’ve always known from my earliest memories but it’s complicated because it’s hard to put that into words,” Nilsen said. “It’s just been there. This is not something that I chose. It is something that is a part of me and has always been a part of me.”
The 26-year-old describes how a lack of universal acceptance growing up influenced her decision to keep her sexuality a secret for so long.
“I decided that I would start living this life that I didn’t really want to live because I wanted to be loved and I wanted to be accepted,” she said.
In attempt to suppress her feelings, she dated men. Nilsen compares it to being trapped behind a glass wall where people could see her but could never have all of her because there was still a barrier.
“I can care about a man but I cannot be in love with a man and I cannot give myself wholly and completely to a man — physically, emotionally — because it’s just not in my nature.”
Nilsen was an early adopter to the beauty vlogging community, joining YouTube in 2009. Her videos, which have amassed millions of views, often follow themes of confidence and acceptance.
She closed out her speech by announcing that she is not apologetic about who she is.
“This is the life that I’ve always lived in my head, and now it’s real. I’m giving myself my best chance, and so should you,” she said.
Mashable has reached out to Nilsen for further comment.
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