How visibility gave Fabrice Goffinet self-confidence

Fabrice Goffinet opens the door for us, dressed in sweatpants and slippers, his little fluffy cloud Sky, Fabrice's dog, in tow. His home in Oberkorn is also his workplace, as Fabrice's nail salon is located on the ground floor and his Tiktok videos, which have been clicked millions of times, are produced on the floor above. The 26-year-old's world is clean, aesthetic and somehow unusual, as not many people in Luxembourg can make a living from influencing. For Fabrice, too, this remained just a dream for a long time, until a year ago, one post changed everything. With a colourful cup of the Brazilian hair care brand Skala in his hand and the song Treta do Dj Lorran playing in the background, the Luxembourger made his breakthrough, as his video went viral and was clicked over three million times within just a few hours. "The song created a real trend and everyone copied my video and tagged me, which is also the reason why the brand contacted me at some point, " says the 26-year-old.

A year later, Fabrice is still reaching a wide audience with his videos – "as soon as I post one with the colourful Skala cups, I know it's going viral, " he says. No fancy equipment, no big camera, just an influencer with a smartphone and Tiktok for editing: Fabrice uses the simplest of social media registers and really strikes a chord with his followers. What sets him apart: his shiny curls, which he styles daily with a broad grin on his face, the countless mouth-watering delicacies he bites into and the dance videos with his family, because without the "fam", Fabrice wouldn't be where he is today. "My parents are my biggest support. They were always there for me and I never had to explain myself, " says the trained beautician. Even as a child, Fabrice was different to his twin brother: if the latter wanted a toy car, Fabrice wanted a Barbie; if the latter met up with friends to play, Fabrice slipped into girls' clothes.

Through self-acceptance to fame

"I've always been interested in cosmetics and all sorts of beautiful things, so it wasn't a shock to anyone when I wanted to become a beautician. It was either that or hairdresser." However, the fact that everything was easy at home didn't mean that Fabrice didn't encounter obstacles, as not everyone was as supportive of his homosexuality and career aspirations as his family. "I used to get bullied a lot because I'm gay. When I didn't have the visibility I have today, many people would comment 'gay' or 'fucking faggot' under my videos or shout after me on the street. It's different today, " says the 26-year-old. He still remembers working in a salon right next to the highschool Lycée Nic-Biever in Dudelange, the large window there, where pupils would walk past during the lunch break and shout homophobic remarks. "When I became known on Tiktok, the insults suddenly turned into comments like 'Fabrice King'."

From really bad to really good, that's how Fabrice describes his journey. From heart palpitations and panic attacks that made him ill, visits to the doctor for tranquillisers and suicidal thoughts to comments that leave him cold today – "Fabrice just had to learn to accept himself, " he says about himself. Today, the influencer no longer wakes up at night to read comments with a queasy feeling, but instead blocks them out and is happy about all the encouragement he receives both online and in real life. Sure, the private messages with "nasty" statements are still there, but Fabrice's content regularly breaks the million-view barrier, the Luxembourger is recognised on the street and thousands of people worldwide write to him to get hair tips. "Even Jason Derulo once mentioned me in his story, how many people can say that, " says the 26-year-old.