JoJo Siwa is undoubtedly one of the most cringey — and hated — artists of our generation. Her music video for “Karma” earned the most dislikes of any YouTube music video by a female artist in 2024, and the comment sections on her songs are constantly filled with animosity, with jabs such as, “Gonna play this at my funeral so people would be jealous im in the coffin” under her most recent music video for “Choose UR Fighter.” Although I agree Siwa is eminently cringey, I believe people are often too quick to judge her. Too many allow their discomfort with her persona to overshadow any attempt to understand her.
Siwa’s ascent to fame has been far from ordinary. She stepped into the public eye when she was nine years old during her debut on “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition.” At 11 years old, she joined the cast of “Dance Moms” before signing with Nickelodeon, cementing her iconic brand of youthful and glittery exuberance.
Throughout her childhood, Siwa’s every move was tied to her brand. She almost always wore brightly colored sparkly clothes with her signature high, side ponytail and oversized bows. She released songs and YouTube videos that displayed a meticulously crafted “JoJo Siwa” character. She launched JoJo dolls, clothes, toy cars, bows and a variety of other merchandise that showed off her brand. “JoJo Siwa” was simultaneously a character, a brand and herself — she was a JoJo Siwa trinity.
Siwa’s rise to stardom was incredibly unique compared to other former child stars. Icons like Miley Cyrus and Olivia Rodrigo gained popularity portraying scripted characters on the Disney Channel. Siwa, on the other hand, only made the rare guest appearances on scripted shows like “Bizaardvark” and “The Thundermans” — in which she played, well, herself. She was nearly always performing a hyped-up version of herself, merging her public persona with her daily life. While Cyrus and Rodrigo created content aimed at a younger audience, they both dressed and acted like typical girls of their ages. In contrast, critics called Siwa a “giant toddler” due to her childlike style and behavior.
Siwa’s transition into adulthood as an artist was also distinctive. Her childhood brand was so intensely geared towards children that her shift to producing more explicit content was even more jarring than other child stars’ transitions. Although Cyrus’ shift from her “Hannah Montana” era to singing naked on a wrecking ball was intense, the transformation from Siwa singing “Every girl’s a super girl” with a big sparkly bow on her head to singing “I’m your guilty pleasure” surrounded by giant teddy bears touching themselves is an even more staggering contrast. Siwa had to eliminate her entire brand to make this switch, a feat Cyrus and Rodrigo did not have to undertake.
Yet, when Siwa claimed that “no one has made, in my generation, this extreme of a switch” in a March 2024 interview with Billboard, the internet bashed her wildly. The top comment on BillBoard’s TikTok of the interview clip says, “Honestly the level of delusion is kind of iconic.” However, what Siwa is saying is true. There are not many others who have gone so dramatically from embodying a childlike character for the majority of their childhood to creating the type of explicit content she is creating now.
Nevertheless, because both Siwa’s youthful and adult eras are incredibly cringey, people don’t take time to consider the truth behind her claims. Many people scorn Siwa for her remark that she “want[s] to invent a new genre of music … gay pop.” Critics discredit Siwa’s vision by asserting other artists have already contributed to the gay pop genre. However, in the same interview, Siwa clarified that she is not the first to make gay pop music — she just wants to give the genre a name and distinguish the genre from other pop music. She said her vision of gay pop is “not necessarily ‘pop’ — it’s not giving you ‘Katy Perry California Girls pop’ — it’s giving you ‘Lady Gaga Judas.’” She also referenced “Applause” by Lady Gaga and “Can’t Be Tamed” by Cyrus, proving she is aware of past gay anthems.
This article is not to say Siwa does not deserve criticism. For one, her management of her girl group XOMG POP! has been morally questionable. However, we should be careful not to judge what she says so quickly just because her music and vibe are cringey. Siwa is only 21 years old, the same age as myself and many other Tufts seniors. She is still developing her identity, just like us. She never had the chance to grow as a person beyond her public “JoJo Siwa” persona. Instead of outright dismissing her, we should recognize that Siwa has been finding herself in the public eye for over a decade, and be mindful of that fragility.
