Canadian-born internet celebrity Giselle Loren Lazzarato Getty became a breakout star on YouTube under the name we know her best - Gigi Gorgeous. Since posting her first video back in 2008, her fans have witnessed her rise to fame and then in 2013 Gigi came out as transgender. Since then the stunning star has undergone a handful of plastic surgeries and other procedures needed in order to transition including a tracheal shave, breast augmentation, facial feminization surgery and more. It’s no doubt that Gigi’s journey is one that’s inspired many, and she’s even been called "one of the most public-facing trans women in the world."
Canadian-born internet celebrity Giselle Lauren Lazzarato Getty became a breakout star on
YouTube under the name we know her best, Gigi Gorgeous.
Since posting her first video back in 2008, her fans have witnessed her rise to fame and
then, in 2013, Gigi came out as transgender.
Since then, this stunning star has undergone a handful of plastic surgeries and other procedures
needed in order to transition, including a tracheal shave, breast augmentation, facial
feminization surgery, and more.
It's no doubt that Gigi's journey is one that's inspired many, and she's even been
called one of the most public-facing trans women in the world.
Giselle Lauren Lazzarato Getty was born Gregory Alan Lazzarato in 1992, and since starting
her YouTube journey back in 2008, a whole lot has changed, but she's still a YouTube
star as well as a model, influencer, transgender activist, and more.
These days, Gigi has a signature glamorous look, but a lot has taken place for her to
get where she is now.
YouTube followers first knew Gigi as Gregory, a gay male who was great at doing makeup tutorials,
and it wasn't until December 2013 that Gigi announced herself as a transgender woman.
Unlike many other stars, Gigi's been super open about all of the work that she's gotten
done leading up to her dream transformation, using this as an opportunity to educate the
public.
She's covered most of her surgery experiences over the years on her personal YouTube channel.
Now, of course, Gigi has undergone some intense cosmetic procedures to transform her look,
ranging from hormone replacement therapy to multiple face surgeries.
Taking a look at what work Gigi has gotten done to her face, there's quite a bit.
She had a forehead reduction, her chin was done, and a nose job.
In one of Gigi's videos, she explained that her hairline was lowered, her brow was shaved,
she got a mini eyebrow lift, a rhinoplasty, and her chin was shaved down.
All of these surgeries with the intention of softening Gigi's facial features and making
them less prominent.
And they're also known as facial feminization surgeries.
Getting all of this done, cue Gigi to talk about how brutal the pain was afterwards.
What I remember is just throbbing pain.
Like I thought, I felt like someone had shot me in my face, or my brain was like swollen
and ready to explode like through my skull.
It was the worst pain ever, like a migraine.
And considering it's almost the entire face going under the knife, I can't say that I'm surprised.
At the time of these surgeries and this video, Gigi's nose job wasn't too drastic, but
more recently, her nose appears even more petite.
So it can be assumed that she got a second nose job.
Some websites speculate that she had her eyes fixed as they look much bigger than earlier
days, but this might have been a result of her brow lift.
Gigi's lips are always extra plump as well, which we can thank injections for.
She actually started getting them done before her full transition and posted a video about
them in 2013.
I never really thought I would go through with lip injections, but it turned out to
be like the best thing ever.
And these pictures are the after pictures.
As you can tell, they're absolutely humongous.
However, in 2020, Gigi posted that she got her lip fillers dissolved, but either way,
they seem to always look full.
In terms of the facial feminization work that Gigi has underwent, it helped to alter more
typical male features and make them more feminine.
However, this next one sounds even more painful to me as Gigi had to undergo a procedure to
remove the Adam's apple, which is what's called a tracheal shave.
This is exactly what it sounds like.
Shaving down the trachea or the cartilage in that area, which makes up the Adam's apple.
She explained in a video that they only use local anesthesia for this instead of putting
you under, which is common, but sounds super painful or just uncomfortable.
In order to permanently remove facial hair, Gigi has gone through electrolysis.
This is when heat or chemical energy is used to destroy the hair's center of growth.
When she got this done, she documented her journey on YouTube as well as opened up about
her struggles.
Her facial hair and the process of removing it had been an ongoing insecurity for her.
This procedure was painful too, leaving redness and scabs all over her face.
But that didn't last long and her skin was healed in about a week.
Hormone therapy and breast augmentation were also necessary for Gigi to make her transition.
Online sources describe this process.
The purpose of the hormone therapy is to cause the development of the secondary sex characteristics
of the desired sex, such as breasts and a feminine pattern of hair, fat, and muscle
distribution.
In terms of her breasts, Gigi has had them done more than once.
Aside from her initial breast implant surgery in 2014, later on in 2017, she said she had
another to fix some details.
A few different videos can be found on YouTube where she gives details about her boob job
journey.
When talking about bottom surgery, it took a while for Gigi to open up and a few years
back she said,
Whenever I'm asked the genital question, I just like to leave it open-ended because
who needs to know that?
However, more recently in 2019, Gigi decided to open up about this topic once and for all.
Gigi revealed a few years ago that she backed out of gender reassignment surgery at the
last minute because she got cold feet about the intense and invasive procedure.
On her YouTube channel at the time, she spoke about her choice to postpone the procedure
indefinitely until the time was right, despite going all the way to Thailand for her surgical
consult.
Gigi explained that after writing her book, He Said, She Said, Lessons, Stories, and Mistakes
from My Transgender Journey, she felt strongly about getting the surgery and believed it
would complete her.
But once the invasiveness of the entire thing sunk in, she ultimately changed her mind.
She said in her video,
I feel like a lot of trans people feel that and they feel like they're not done until
they get the bottom surgery or whatever it is that makes them happy.
Now considering gender reassignment surgery involves converting male anatomy, female anatomy,
by removing the penis muscle and creating a vagina by turning the skin inside out, it's
no doubt that this would be a very scary procedure to follow through with.
After Gigi booked her appointment, she got second thoughts and said,
After you get it, obviously there's no going back, which is why it's kind of such a mind
death.
And Gigi went to explain more,
I don't know what my reassignment surgery story looks like.
I'm just taking it day by day and what feels right to me because this is my body.
I have to live with this every single day and when that moment comes, I want it to be
perfect.
I have not had a sex change yet.
It's something that I've held off on doing.
I thought that I needed sexual reassignment surgery, or as they call it now, sexual confirmation
surgery.
I thought I needed that right away as soon as possible.
In her honest video, Gigi even opened up about her desire to have a family with her now wife
oil heiress Nats Getty, explaining the two were still trying to conceive a child together,
but sadly with no luck yet.
One of Gigi Gorgeous' most popular videos is definitely the 2016 clip where she came
out as a lesbian.
She said, I would have not seen falling in love with a girl coming from a mile away.
But now that I'm here, I feel so happy.
She revealed this after she started dating heiress and activist Nats Getty.
A year after the couple got engaged in 2018, Gorgeous said in an interview, I'm not attracted
to men anymore.
I don't think I ever really was.
Gigi and Nats tied the knot in July 2019 with Gigi sharing footage of their wedding on YouTube.
While the pair is married and happy together these days, in early 2021, Gigi came out once
again in a video titled coming out for the last time.
Here, Gigi revealed she identifies as pansexual and described the term, how she sees it herself
as falling in love with the soul of somebody.
Apparently pansexuality felt like a light bulb moment for Gigi.
And while it may seem confusing to some, it's clear to Gigi and Nats.
Gigi post this video following the transition of her partner Getty and explained that this
taught her a lot about her own sexuality.
Nats Getty came out as transgender and non-binary on social media in January 2021, posting a
heartfelt post on Instagram captioned, coming out as non-binary and transgender.
Gigi also posted a video giving insight into her partner's decision to go ahead with top
surgery and the reasons behind it.
Either way, we can see that Gigi Gorgeous has had such a stunning, inspiring transformation
and it's clear that she's paved the way for many others to be open about their journey.
That's going to wrap up today's before and after video.
But before we go, answer this question for me.
Is there any makeup artist on YouTube who inspires you the most and why?
Let me know in the comments below.
Don't forget to like, subscribe and turn on your notifications.
My name is Cara the Vampire Slayer.
Follow me on Instagram to chat further.
And if you want to watch another video, stay tuned for our look at Trixie Mattel.
Bye!
Trixie Mattel is Brian Michael Ferkus' stage name, a singer, actor and famed drag queen.
While Trixie won RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3, he competed prior to this in Season
7 as well.
While Trixie is easily recognized by her extremely contoured makeup and Barbie-like style, her
rise to fame is also marked by her comedy, being one half of a comic duo on Viceland,
The Trixie and Katya Show, as well as on YouTube's Uh-Huh.
From the moment the Drag Race star became a fan favorite, the unique way she dolls up
her face was always noticed.
However, Trixie didn't always do her makeup that way.
At the start of her drag career, she painted her face with a more traditional look but
got bored and was almost going to quit drag altogether.
Luckily, Trixie Mattel realized she had the power to turn her stage persona into whatever
she dreamed and began to experiment with different looks that turned her into more of a doll
than a human.
So today, we're going to look at Trixie's before and after transformation.
Brian Michael Furkes was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is half Ojibwe, growing up
to a single mother and absent father, while later being subjected to emotional and physical
abuse from a homophobic stepfather who would call Brian a Trixie when he acted feminine.
As you might've guessed, this inspired Brian's future drag name, while her last name, Mattel,
was inspired by her affinity for Mattel Barbie dolls and children's toys.
Brian moved in with his grandparents at age 15, a period which Trixie speaks about in
the 2019 documentary, Moving Part.
His grandfather was a country musician who taught Brian to play guitar, which is where
his fascination with music ultimately began, and this was encouraged by his grandfather
as well.
Trixie later said about this part of their childhood,
Well, after high school, Trixie attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to study
musical theater, where she also began dabbling in drag after being introduced to it performing
in a production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Trixie realized that his journey to stardom might move quicker if he put on a dress, since
his singing career on its own didn't seem as promising to him.
While the young queen first performed in drag at La Cage Nightclub in Milwaukee, becoming
a regular performer in Milwaukee's drag scene and quickly became a regional staple.
Trixie said about this,
I was living in Milwaukee and performing three nights a week in Chicago, one night in Madison,
one night in Milwaukee.
Singing wasn't happening, but drag was.
I was like, well, music can be my hobby, drag will be my career, and that's okay.
I mean, I was dirt broke, but I was paying all my bills doing drag, and I felt like a
real artist.
I felt fabulous.
Trixie attended beauty school in 2014 before withdrawing to participate in RuPaul's Drag
Race.
In 2015, the confidence Trixie gained on the local scene inspired her to submit the audition
tape for the seventh season of the show, where she was accepted on a first attempt.
However, showing up to the RuPaul workroom, Trixie became a bit unsure, because all the
competitors appeared to her as much more talented, diverse, and experienced than herself.
But nobody would have known of Trixie's anxiety from the ballsy debut that she made on Drag
Race.
Fans fell for Trixie and her Barbie clown makeup at first sight, as well as her brilliant
comedy.
While she was an audience favorite, she was eliminated, placing sixth overall, but becoming
the first queen to last more than one episode after being voted to return to the competition.
Since her debut on the series, Trixie performed stand-up comedy tours, released a hit album,
appeared on American Horror Story, and launched the popular web series Uh-Huh, and The Trixie
and Katya Show with her fellow Drag Race co-star Katya.
Of course, Trixie further returned to win the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All
Stars in 2018.
It's no doubt that Trixie Mattel has her own unique makeup look, and she wants you
to know it's supposed to be like that.
Since debuting her wild contour face on Drag Race, it's since become legendary in the
drag community.
Trixie said about this,
I want to look like the most made-up person in the world, where else on my face could
you put more makeup?
There's nowhere.
If I died tomorrow, I wouldn't want to look back and feel like, why didn't I go for
a bright lipstick?
I went for it every day.
While she has one of the most recognizable faces in Drag Race history, Trixie's face
still has gone through some changes over the years.
At the beginning of her career, Trixie painted her face in a more traditional way, but claimed
that she was getting bored with the look, and she was even on the verge of quitting
drag altogether.
However, Mattel realized she could turn her stage persona and look into anything she dreamt
of.
Moving forward, she began experimenting with different looks that turned her into more
of a doll than a person.
Trixie said she found inspiration in toys that she always wanted to play with as a kid,
but was always judged for.
Trixie's giant, expressive eyes took on the shape of characters from My Little Pony,
while her silhouette was inspired by Polly Pocket.
And her extreme contour helped to make her look like she was made of plastic, like a
Barbie.
About her look as Trixie, she revealed,
I like being Trixie and I like that makeup.
I never wanted to be one of those drag queens that is like a chameleon.
I wanted to be like Coco Peru or Lady Bunny where you have a consistent look.
She also said that her makeup got bigger following her first appearance on Drag Race, explaining,
After Drag Race, I didn't win and I was mad.
Everybody who doesn't win Drag Race thinks it's unfair, but I look back and go, Oh no,
you were awful and you deserved it.
But I think I was daring myself to put on more makeup and more makeup.
I also got better at it.
I got better at placement and being bolder with what the proportions of my features are.
A Trixie face is all angles and all balancing.
There's a lot on, but there's a lot of balance there.
According to Trixie, her makeup fool face boasts equally extreme lights and darks, such
as a dark eye contrasted with a light lip or vice versa.
Just like her classic makeup look, but on steroids.
While it's most definitely a look that's helped Trixie stand out from the crowd, not
all are fans.
Season 8 Queen Acid Betty attacked Trixie's look when she popped up on screen for a message
to Kim Chi during an episode of the backstage series Untucked.
She said, Look at that ugly makeup, but let's be honest, that nose contour is atrocious.
As you probably know, Trixie Mattel has found a ton of success in her drag career, winning
the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and then competing on the TV special
of RuPaul's Drag Race, Holla Slay Spectacular and winning in a tie with other competitors.
In 2020, Trixie released her third album, Barbara, to acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard,
People, Entertainment Weekly, and more.
She also released a New York Times best-selling book with Katya called Trixie and Katya's
Guide to Modern Womanhood and started a podcast with Katya called The Balds and the Beautiful.
Some more ventures that came along for Trixie included a spot on the judging panel for the
Paramount Plus Queen of the Universe singing competition, the Trixie Mattel one-day-only
music comedy special, and then in 2022, Trixie's Discovery Plus reality reno show, Trixie Mattel
debuted.
Seeing how successful this queen is, I'm sure the future will bring only more for Trixie.
But for now, that will conclude today's before and after video.
But before we go, answer me this, do you have a signature makeup look that sets you apart
from the rest like Trixie?
Let me know in the comments below.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on your notifications.
My name is Cara the Vampire Slayer.
Follow me on Instagram to chat further, and I'll see you all in another video.
Bye!