In Jan. of 2021, Jojo Siwa came out as a lesbian and the online queer community gathered around her in praise and admiration. A childhood star, via Lifetime’s “Dance Moms,” turned kids’ pop icon, had come out as gay. Beloved by children all across America, Jojo Siwa was the perfect opportunity for kids to grow up looking up to a queer celebrity who could normalize being queer to kids. Not to mention, make kids in the queer community feel represented in someone they idolized.
Siwa’s usual hateful comments telling her to stop dressing like a child or get rid of the Tesla with her face plastered all over it, turned into uplifting comments about what a great role model she was. And, for a bit, Jojo proved herself capable of being just that: going on tour, appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” as part of the show’s first same-sex couple and posting her usual happy, upbeat dances online.
She showcased her first relationships with women on various social media platforms and became part of a Tik Tok couple that raised some eyebrows. Despite a messy breakup or two, she was able to remain mostly unproblematic. However, Jojo has since re-entered the hate train of Tik Tok and other social media platforms due to her self-proclaimed “bad girl” era.
Jojo released her most recent single, “Karma” in early April, and was immediately met with backlash. Sure, the lyrics are a tad cringey, but she didn’t write them. Most of the backlash was received in result of the song’s music video which showcases Siwa dancing with a number of different women, crawling out of the ocean on all fours and most infamously grinding against one of the women on the beach.
Followers questioned how Siwa could go from glittery bows and songs about being a “Super Girl” to skin-tight bodysuits and makeup similar to Gene Simmons (despite Siwa claiming not to know of Simmons in an interview). How would her tweenage fans react? Definitely not positively. Views racked up, as did the comments on her video, which when skimmed through showcased not one favorable comment.
The same week, Jojo was caught in an interview with Billboard branding herself as the “inventor” of gay pop. A simply ridiculous statement from someone in an industry where legends like Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Madonna have preceded. Not to mention, current pop artists like Troye Sivan, Reneé Rapp or Miley Cryrus. The past few weeks of Siwa sightings have resulted in her becoming the internet’s favorite meme, deservingly.
Siwa seems unaware of the true negative impact she may have. This is not just about rebelling, because like it or not, being a queer role model is a more sensitive job than other rising stars. Instead of understanding the role she may have in deterring young girls to fully embrace their identity in order to not be seen as “cringey” as her, Siwa is leaning into any ounce of fame she can garner. Her story is becoming akin to James Charles, who fueled ridicule of the queer community and left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
Siwa had the potential to be a gay pop icon, but she’s turned into a downfall. In an interview with the New York Times, Siwa herself mentioned that she doesn’t expect people to think “Karma” is amazing. Instead, it’s meant to turn heads. If that’s her goal, she is succeeding.
It’s fun for the internet to hate on her. It’s fun to dress up in a onesie and makeup and reenact her cringy red carpet moments. It’s fun to watch the “Karma” music video with your friends and cringe at her dance moves. It’s fun to dissect her progression from the girl that sold personalized bows to the 20 year old appearing on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. If Jojo’s good at one thing, it’s not music — it’s getting people talking.