In One of One, Coveteur spotlights unique, interesting people carving a niche for themselves in the world—their hyper-specific passions, backgrounds, dreams, and inner lives.
If you need proof TikTok’s trending invisible string theory is true, look no further than Cyrus Veyssi’s existence. “There’s a photo of [my parents] in Iran in their early teens at a party together,” Veyssi recalls. “One [of my parents] is in one corner of the image and one is in the other corner—but they never met at that party.” Fast forward many years, and both of them had left Iran after the war and moved to Paris, where they finally came into each other’s paths and fell in love—the perfect illustration of the concept that two souls can be cosmically connected, regardless of distance or time.
Veyssi, now one of the Internet’s most beloved beauty and lifestyle creators, is a big believer in the mystical overall. “I'm a third generation Gemini, so I'm extra crazy,” they laugh. “My grandpa, mom, me—it’s definitely been an important part of my spiritual journey.” As one of the few non-binary and queer creators of color, Veyssi has carved a path that no one has walked before, and with a humor, empathy, and warmth that’s all their own. Their millions of followers heal from watching Veyssi’s loving relationship with their father, Baba, and find joy in their signature TikTok series, from their "bougie gay uncle" persona to their dating-advice-disguised-as-GRWMs (“I used this new product and it’s groundbreaking…it’s when you take your ex’s number out of your phone,” they say in a recent video.) When ignorant people leave hateful comments, Veyssi responds with lighthearted retorts that often get hundreds of thousands of views—and usually, the commenters’ profiles go inactive shortly after.
In an online space that can feel increasingly hate-filled, Veyssi’s platform serves as an antidote. Like a soothing salve, warm hug, or surprise FaceTime from your funniest, most considerate friend, their mood-lifting powers are palpable and real---and there's nothing mystical about that.
Coveteur caught up with Veyssi in-person to hear more about their background, Baba’s dating advice, and what they’re manifesting for 2025.
Ella O'Keeffe
Take me back—how did you start creating content?
During the pandemic, I had a full-time job but I was sitting at home. I've always loved beauty and skin care, so I started posting silly little TikToks of my routine. No one cared. It was like, whatever, I'm just doing this for me.
What was your first viral video?
I got a comment and it was like, “Oh my God, you're queer and and you're Persian—what age did your dad leave?” Basically, insinuating that queer people must not have support systems. And I thought, wait, this is the perfect opportunity to bring my dad in. So the first video I made with him was my first viral video—we responded to that comment and it got three million views in three days.
It’s rare to see an immigrant parent and their queer child having such a pure and loving bond—it brings such joy for so many people. Have you and your dad always been close?
We've always been really close. My dad and my mom are among a very small community of Iranians that have always been really open-minded. For kids of immigrants, our parents go through so much trauma already, so it's almost not wanting to add additional trauma to their lives, which is a very selfless thing to do. I was really lucky that my parents never expected that of me.
That’s really special. Can you share what it was like to come out to them?
Coming out to them was a dream and I came out to them twice—I came out to them as queer and then I came out to them as non-binary. I think when I came out as non-binary, there were a lot more questions. But I always say if someone is willing to listen, that's when they learn. And that's the advice that I give to most parents. I'm like, talk less. What is your kid saying and what are they trying to explain to you? I'm very lucky that both my parents were willing to keep their ears open. I think it not only healed me, but—then when our relationship became public—it healed a lot of other people, too. I always say, my Baba is your Baba. I think my page has transformed and developed from just beauty and lifestyle to a community page.
What dating advice would Baba give to the single people out there?
Baba would say: don't date, period. My dad was literally such a player when he was younger and he had multiple girlfriends. [Laughs.] But he would probably say, you'll find someone, not when you least expect it, but when your guard is down—those two things are really different.
Is that how you met your boyfriend?
I met my boyfriend when I literally tripped outside of a Soulcycle class—he was right there and my guard was down.
Ella O'Keeffe
Ella O'Keeffe
How has your content evolved since you first started posting, and what has been the biggest influence on that change?
There is so much more to my story, and I think that the thing that saved me was comedy. And so that's why you'll see that I love to just play with comedy and be funny because that is the way that we get through the best of times and the worst of times. Literally laughing at our traumas, as benign as that sounds, can be really, really helpful.
Humor is such a big part of your content, and it’s something you don’t often see in other creators who are in the beauty and lifestyle space. How did you start incorporating it in a way that felt authentic to you?
When I was beginning my career online as a beauty and skincare creator who wanted to work with luxury brands, I felt like I had to be super serious and very aesthetic. I did that for many months and I was like, this is so lame. Hats off to the girlies that can do it, but it's not what my personality is. I remember making one video that was the start of my series, “Send this to your husband or your boyfriend.” And it just got such a positive reaction and I felt good. I was like, you know what? This is who I am and this is my personality. If those luxury brands want to work with me, they will; and if they don’t, they won’t.
If the response wasn’t positive, do you think you would’ve kept posting with humor?
I think part of what motivates me so much still is the fallacy that queer people and people of color are only main characters when it has to do with trauma or hardship. And I'm like, why can't we just laugh and why can't we prove you wrong? A lot of the times, I find joy in the series that I make, not only because I think it empowers people and it makes them laugh, but also because it also gives queer people a little bit more of an edge. It's like, we can respond to hate comments and we're not snowflakes. You know what I mean? We have a better sense of humor than you do.
What’s making you laugh the most these days?
Someone said this the other day, and I so agree: some of the funniest people in the world live in the comment sections.
Ella O'Keeffe
Other than humor, what are some other ways that you make sure to take care of your mental health?
This may sound very trivial, but I batch content. There are days that I wake up and I don't feel great. I don't create content on the days that I don't feel good. It’s inauthentic and it doesn’t feel right. So when I'm in a good mood, I film 30 videos. People see my content spread out over the course of six weeks, but I filmed all of those videos in one day. And that video still feels really authentic—I filmed it when I felt great.
Are you in the comments section?
I’m definitely in the comments, but sometimes when it's a DM that's really hurtful, I try and respond with the utmost empathy I can, and then I'll post that response—because I do want people to know that when people try and find your trauma, they're just revealing their own. I think to myself, if this person is saying something so hateful about me, I can't imagine what they're saying about themselves.
That’s a really empathetic way to look at it.
I was in a place when I was really young where I hated myself, and I projected that onto other people. So I'm like, I can't imagine how much this person hates themselves if this is what they're telling me, and they're with their thoughts 24 hours a day. It’s given me a lot of power to understand this reality that is: people who are hurt will hurt you. I can't think of the last time I ever thought to write something negative about someone. I'm really at peace right now.
I love that you respond to the comment so publicly. It takes away the anonymity that so many haters hide behind.
When I was in the eighth grade and someone would call me a slur, I didn't have the confidence to respond. So, it's almost like I'm making up for it now. If you can send it to me and you feel comfortable saying it to me, then I'm just going to show it to 1.9 million followers.
Ella O'Keeffe
You mentioned a couple times when you were younger, you weren't as self-assured. You even said you hated yourself.
I really did.
But now you exude so much self-love. Do you have any advice for anyone who might be still struggling to find who they are and feel happy in themselves?
It goes against the grain of what is natural to us, but what I would say is: learn to relish in your loneliness. Learn to love being alone—choosing to be alone. For so long, I craved validation from other people to make myself feel better, but when I was in a room alone, my thoughts just poured into my head.
The only way you can do it is if you practice loneliness—literally set a timer on your phone to be lonely, and it starts to take away from the scariness of it. It becomes like a routine, and then you look forward to it. I would literally set 30-minute alarms to just be alone and sit in my loneliness. It was hard, and there were moments that were really low, when I was like, why am I doing this? But what it taught me was at the end of the day, I'm the only person that can be there for myself.
This feels like something that could turn into a movement.
Listen, use it with caution. There are times when it's nice to be with people, and I recommend being with people. But in the end, how you feel about yourself is the only thing that really matters.
A fun question—what are the five beauty products you never travel without?
The Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum is one of my OG products. 30 bottles later, it's still one of my favorites. I am obsessed with the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream. I always tell people, if it's in your budget to splurge on a single product, let it be that. The Dior Forever Skin Foundation Stick—it’s the only foundation I’m wearing right now. Lancôme Hypnose Drama mascara. It's one of those mascara that works on so many types of lashes. It’s so gorgeous. And I’m obsessed with the Maybelline Lifter Gloss. I use the shade Ice.
If you’re seeing your frenemy, what are you wearing and what fragrance would you choose?
I’d smell like Baccarat Rouge from Maison Francis Kurkdjian, without a doubt. Honestly, I would go very incognito, so I would be wearing the shark costume from the Katy Perry music video. I’d smell amazing, but I’d be invisible.
If you weren’t a content creator, what would you be doing?
I’d be a creative director. Or a ballet dancer.
In 2025, what are you manifesting?
I’m manifesting a consistent sleep schedule. The other day, I was crashing out, ad I looked at my Fitbit and I had slept three hours one night and two hours the night before.
Are you an insomniac usually?
I love being up. What if I miss something? I don't want to be asleep. I don't want to miss things. I just want to be up when the world is up. Do you know what I mean? I'm in bed scrolling. Or I'm sort of just watching my boyfriend sleep and I'm really not jealous of him. Like, I'm up and you're not. But I recognize how important sleep is—it's also so vital for your skin health and for your mental health. So let's manifest consistent sleep, like seven to eight hours.
Photographs: Ella O'Keeffe
