Now, I have really noticed my purpose on this Earth is to leave it a better place than when I came into it.

When I started, it was more about beauty tips, fashion, and lifestyle stuff. OFM had the opportunity to catch up with Gigi and talk about using her stardom for activism, having the courage to put yourself out there, and her brand-new podcast, Queerified, which launched in June.Īs a social media star, what do you hope audiences take away from your content? She has shown the world that real beauty comes from sharing your personal story and flaws, and she uses her platform to speak to both the LGBTQ and straight community alike. Gigi has been named one of Time Magazine’s “25 Most Influential People on the Internet,” Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” and was The Los Angeles Blade’s “Best LGBTQ Influencer” in 2020. And, of course, her YouTube channel continues to thrive, with millions of people viewing her videos. She has won several awards, teamed up with IPSY for a makeup collection, and has built a full-on empire that includes a feature-length film about her story and a memoir. Since then, Gigi has become a transgender activist, author, television personality, actress, model, and LGBTQ icon. A few years after making her internet debut, Gigi came out as transgender. In 2008, she became a breakout star on YouTube, posting videos on beauty, fashion, and makeup tutorials as a high school student, while also encouraging viewers to express themselves in the face of bullies and harassment. Be sure subscribe to POPSUGAR Girls' Guide for new episodes of Pretty Unfiltered every Wednesday.Born in the Canadian City of Montreal, Gigi Lazzarato Getty, aka Gigi Gorgeous, is proof that beauty exists beyond smoke and mirrors. This Is Everything is currently streaming on YouTube Red. Of course there are other things going on, you're trying to overcome more obstacles in your life, but that's just life.' Even though I'm transgender, my entire family still loves me, and everything is fine in that aspect of my life. 'It's about the struggle and overcoming it. 'I really want people to take away from the film that you can chase your dreams, and you can achieve them, and you can achieve love in your friends and your family, even if they don't initially give that to you,' said Gigi. They are so lucky they have amazing role models and an open-minded generation and society,' Gigi told us. Gigi's hope is that This Is Everything will help to inspire people to accept and love themselves. Last year, she came out as a lesbian on her channel - the video has 2.3 million views. That is what my YouTube channel is for: honesty, openness, and authenticity,' said Gigi. 'Of course I'm going to be posting about the tragic losses I've had in my life or my sexual identity every day on Instagram. Her mother's death is what inspired her to come out as transgender. Judy battled leukemia and did not live to see Gigi's transition. Those lows include the death of her mother, Judy, in 2012. But I feel like, you won't be able to really feel the outpouring love and positivity of the highs if you don't feel the lows,' said told us. Gigi, who started by filming makeup tutorials as Gregory Gorgeous in 2008, appears to live a glamorous life on YouTube and Instagram, with lavish vacations, custom-made gowns, and photos with celebrities like Katy Perry, but she isn't without her own struggles. 'Once we signed up with Barbara Kopple, she said, 'You know, I want to film you.' And I said, 'You know what? There's no other way to do it than to pray to God and to wipe my hands clean of it and let it be,'' Gigi said. The film, directed by Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple, took the power out of Gigi's hands - something different for the content creator.

This Is Everything, a documentary that showcases Gigi's life, transition from male to female, and her relationship with her family, premiered on YouTube Red Feb. Giselle 'Gigi' Lazzarato, known to her millions on YouTube as Gigi Gorgeous, is the first YouTuber to have a film premiere at Sundance as an official selection - and was recently announced as the first transgender ambassador for Revlon.

Gigi lazzarato