Incognito browsers, clearing search history, and rejecting all cookies. Those are the hoops I had to jump through to research this piece. No matter how much I rubberneck when JoJo Siwa is algorithmically pushed to me, I do not want the computers in my life thinking I enjoy her content. Siwa has lived her life in a social pressure cooker. From dance studios and cameras, to the stage and social media, we’ve seen her evolve in various ways. With that in mind, there is a lot to learn about Siwa from a gendered and media literate perspective.
Siwa first appeared on Dance Moms in a bow and neon top at nine years old. She donned this look through her Nickelodeon contract and reality TV show phases until her D.R.E.A.M. tour at 19 years old. As a legal adult, she maintained a ditzy pop persona saturated with pink, high ponytails, sequins, and costumes. This was undeniably feminine, but also childish. Siwa froze herself in a state of youth, likely to appeal to her younger fans. In the process, however, she has exaggerated this personality to an extent that felt fake. Could an adult really enjoy dressing like and performing for kids?
This is generally a common experience for child stars hailing from Disney or Nickelodeon. Miley Cyrus rocked the Disney knees in Hannah Montana until she was 18 years old. Much like Siwa, she lived in a haze of modesty, sequins, and children’s content. Two years later, Cyrus cut her hair, released “Bangerz,” and rode a wrecking ball naked. Parents everywhere covered their children’s eyes. Cyrus’ bad girl era was in full swing, literally. She, like many child stars, cracked from the pressure. The same can be said for Amanda Bynes, Justin Bieber, Brittany Spears, or even Drew Barrymore.
Siwa is evidently on a similar trajectory. She came out in 2021 as part of the LGBTQ+ community. She got a pixie cut in 2022. She released a controversial song, “Karma,” in 2024. Siwa is certifiably in her bad girl era. What’s the difference between Cyrus’ and Siwa’s rebrands? Where Miley Cyrus acted out to take back control, Siwa seemingly is still acting out for attention.
“No one has made, in my generation, this extreme of a switch, and I am the first of the generation,” said Siwa to Billboard when talking about her rebrand. I guess you could call her current self expression more adult. That being said, even if she’s not donning bows anymore, Siwa’s still wearing costumes. Since her “extreme switch,” Siwa has embraced more traditionally masculine clothing like snapbacks, muscle tanks, and knee length shorts. This would be a fitting and normal street style if it didn’t look like her clothes were still custom made and hand sequined.
Moreso, it appears that Siwa equates adulthood to just big shows of power. In the “Karma” music video, Siwa seems to be dominating over her female counterparts, usually in a physical or sexual nature. Her actions in the video have nothing to do with the themes of the music. What I can only assume is that Siwa just really wants people to know she’s sexually active and an adult.
In case that doesn’t prove a skewed sense of maturity, Siwa’s recent music makes her sound both like a toxic incel and a womanizer at the same time. She sings “some of my exes are ugly/some of my exes are vain,” in “Choose UR Fighter” and “don’t lie to me like you don’t like this/I know you see me when you close your eyes,” in “Guilty Pleasure.” Siwa sounds unforgiving, spiteful, and unchanged in these lines.
Possibly, I’m being too hard on Siwa. Maybe I wouldn’t be saying this if it were Chappel Roan or Lady Gaga doing what she is doing. But, stardom doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but actually a constant court of public opinion. Context, personality, and history are important when considering Siwa’s evolving legacy.
After all this, I’m left with questions about who Siwa’s target audience is. Women? Lesbians? Dancers? It can’t possibly still be kids anymore because she is making explicit music. But her view on relationships and life lacks any semblance of complexity, so it can’t be adults. I’m not a teenager, but I don’t think they want to claim her either.
Siwa’s audience is anyone who has opinions on her. Good, bad, or strong opinions. We will never feel weak and neutral towards her because that doesn’t get views. Controversy, scandal, drama, rage bait gets views and she’s an expert at stirring the pot. Lest we forget she’s said as much on the Call Her Daddy podcast. She explained that as an influencer and an artist, she “understands both of the games,” the game being making a living off the internet. We think we’re trolling her, but she’s been trolling us for years.
Painting on Kiss-esk makeup, recycling old songs, using the Tool logo on her merch, producing a Sabrina Carpenter “Espresso” dupe, and claiming to have invented gay pop, Siwa is burning bridges and still coming out on top. So what? Why do I care? Why should you care? We need to decide if we want Siwa to continue to make iffy and possibly problematic decisions in return for entertainment. Or, do we want to practice some media literacy and turn a blind eye to the fiasco that is JoJo Siwa.
