Saying the name “JoJo Siwa” in 2017 conjured images of a smiling girl with a high blonde ponytail and brightly colored, oversized hair bows. Saying the same name in 2024 brings to mind a slightly more feminine version of KISS frontman Gene Simmons.
It’s true that all kids have to grow up. Siwa, like so many child stars who came before her, was destined to shed her sweet and innocent pre-teen idol image for something edgier as she matured. But Siwa’s transformation is so extreme, and so abrupt, that it demands explanation.
Siwa, who was born in 2003, shot to fame as a young performer on the Lifetime reality series “Dance Moms.” The Omaha, Nebraska, native appeared on two seasons of the show in 2015 and 2016. However, Siwa was not destined for mere reality star fame.
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The aspiring singer released two singles, “Boomerang” and “I Can Make U Dance,” in 2016 and watched the music video views rack up. Siwa was named the Breakout Artist of the Year by Vivid Seats in 2018. This prompted her to announce she was embarking on “D.R.E.A.M. The Tour” in 2019.
Besides just singing, the young celeb became a national sensation thanks to clever branding and marketing. One school in the U.K. tried to ban the massively popular, oversized hair bows sold under Siwa’s brand name because they were so popular that educators deemed them “distracting.”
“I’ve always just worn bows” the singer told CBBC’s Newsround in 2017 of the international trend. “They just got bigger and better and sparklier – and then I became ‘JoJo with the bow bow’ and it became a thing,” she added.
Later, Siwa said the bows were “more than just a hair accessory.” She said they were also “a symbol of power, confidence, believing-ness.”
The brand is still sold at major retailers such as Claire’s, Justice, Walmart, and Target.
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It wasn’t just bows, either. Siwa’s merch started popping up everywhere as young kids emulated her look and sang along to the bubblegum pop lyrics of Siwa’s upbeat song catalog. With titles like, “Every Girl’s a Supergirl,” “Kid in a Candy Store,” “High Top Shoes,” and “Bop!,” it’s easy to see exactly who the YouTube star was marketing to. There were leagues of JoJo Siwa devotees, fan club members, and YouTube subscribers. Most were in the highly impressionable pre-teen demographic.
The change in Siwa was both gradual and all at once. One of the most pivotal moments in her image change happened in January 2021 when she came out as LGBTQ. Siwa alerted fans by posting a photo of herself wearing a shirt that said, “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” She later clarified that her sexual attraction didn’t align with any strict labels and if anything, she was “pansexual.”
“I always believed that my person was just going to be my person,” she said at the time, as The Daily Wire previously reported. “And if that person happened to be a boy, great, and if that person happened to be a girl, great!”
“I think humans are awesome, I think humans are really incredible people. Right now, I’m super duper happy and I want to share everything with the world but I also want to keep things in my life private until they are ready to be public. Right now what matters is that you guys know that no matter who you love, that it’s OK. It’s awesome and the world is there for you,” Siwa continued.
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The former child star went public with two romantic relationships with women shortly after.
While many followers were critical of Siwa for becoming a vocal LGBTQ advocate, others championed the move. But the pop singer’s most shocking and controversial transformation was still to come.
On April 2, the YouTube star debuted a drastically different look at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, explaining that she was evolving to cater to an older audience. Siwa dressed in all black with a revealing cut-out mesh bodysuit, combat boots, dramatic black eye makeup, and a faux mohawk.
The singer said it was the same outfit she wore while recording her new music video for the single “Karma.”
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The former “Dance Moms” star had already showed off her brand overhaul on March 5 by uploading a series of behind-the-scenes photos from dance rehearsals for her upcoming single release, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
The captions from the nine posts formed a message that read, “See you in one month. Remember Karma’s a b****.”
“This is my ‘KARMA,’ black beast look,” Siwa said during a red carpet interview with E! News at the iHeartMusic Awards. “It’s got some rips in it, but you’d never know.”
When asked how she’s responding to backlash for her new, more provocative look, Siwa said, “People are afraid of things they don’t know. Things can be scary for people. New things can be very, very scary.”
She added, “The way that I’m able to keep going and keep being like, ‘Wait, actually what I’m doing is right,’ is because some of the most respected people in the world have come up to me and been like, ‘What you’re doing right now is so right. It is what the world needs, and I’m learning from what you are doing right now.’”
She mentioned rapper Lil Nas X and Meghan Trainor as two individuals who had vocalized their support for her new image. “Support from people like that means the world to me,” Siwa boasted.
The singer made it very clear that her new content was not for a younger audience. She teased the release of her latest single in March with a series of Instagram posts, writing:
Warning. The following content is not made for children and may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers. May contain sexual themes, violence, strong language, traumatic scenarios, and flashing lights. Viewer discretion is advised.
The “Karma” music video now has more than 24 million views on YouTube.
Gone are the days of songs about high top shoes. “I was a bad girl / I did some bad things,” the single opens.
The chorus continues with more of the same message. “Karma’s a b****, I should’ve known better / If I had a wish, I would’ve never effed around / When I saw the pics of you and her, I fеlt the knife twist / Karma’s a b****, and she’s with you right now.”
“I wanted it to be as bold and as ballsy as possible. There is nothing more ballsy than this song,” the 20-year-old said during a Billboard interview about the song.
“The genre is — I said it back in the day when I first signed with Columbia. I said, ‘I want to start a new genre of music.’ And they said, ‘What do you mean?’ And I said well, ‘It’s called gay pop.’”
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Siwa names fellow former child star Miley Cyrus as her biggest inspiration.
“It’s no secret that my transition is heavily inspired by Miley Cyrus, of course,” she said. Siwa mentioned when Cyrus made headlines for her provocative Video Music Awards performance with Robin Thicke in 2013.
“Like it or not, everyone knows that moment and I think that that made such an impact,” Siwa said. “I think every child star has made their impact in some which way becoming an adult star. But Miley’s flip, Miley’s switch, Miley’s turn was the greatest thing I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes.”
Like it or not, parents of young fans need to realize that Siwa has traded in big hair bows for sexual innuendo. And it doesn’t look like she’s going back.
