

A fearless digital entrepreneur and transgender advocate who built a beauty empire from her YouTube bedroom.
Nikita Dragun rewrote the rules of influence by centering her transgender identity not as a sidebar, but as the core of her glamorous, unapologetic brand. Starting with makeup tutorials on YouTube, she documented her transition with a level of transparency and polish that was unprecedented, amassing millions of followers who were drawn to her confidence and artistry. She leveraged that platform to launch Dragun Beauty, a cosmetics line specifically designed to address the needs of the transgender community, like color-correcting kits, while appealing to a broad audience. Her life, chronicled across social media, is a high-production blend of fashion, beauty, and candid personal moments, challenging stereotypes and expanding visibility. While her career has navigated public controversy, her impact is undeniable: she carved out a lucrative space in the beauty industry by speaking directly to an underserved community and proving that identity could be a powerful foundation for empire.
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Nikita was born in 1996, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
The biggest hits of 1996
#1 Movie
Independence Day
Best Picture
The English Patient
#1 TV Show
ER
The world at every milestone
Dolly the sheep cloned
September 11 attacks transform the world
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
She is of Vietnamese and Mexican descent.
She starred in her own reality series, 'Nikita Unfiltered', on YouTube Originals.
Her birth name is Nikita Nguyen; she chose the professional surname 'Dragun' as a personal brand.
“I'm not here to be palatable. I'm here to be myself.”