Little kids all over the world look up to Jojo Siwa.
Her large, flashy bows and bubbly personality appeal to many children. Her popularity first began when she was only nine years old from the hit show Dance Moms.
She has now been in the public eye for over half of her life, and for most of that time, her persona was geared towards younger children. Her bright, sparkly outfits and outgoing personality allowed children to connect with her. While her co-stars on Dance Moms began to grow and act older, she continued to rise to fame by targeting a younger audience with her more childish tendencies. Her net worth as of 2021 was higher than all of the other original Dance Moms stars.
Recently, Siwa has begun to stray away from her kid-friendly content. Her Instagram is no longer filled with bright colors; it has shifted to an array of dark, muted colors. She even included a warning saying: “The following content is not made for children and may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers.” I think it was important for her to include this warning before beginning to post less kid-friendly content so that neither parents nor children were surprised to see her new “era.”
Her whole identity used to revolve around how she acted young for her age, but now she is trying to leave that label behind. Personally, when I think of her—even now—I think about the girl with the bow, I think it will be difficult for her to leave her old “brand,” but many other celebrities like Miley Cyrus have done it as well. If she stays on the right track, I think she will be able to connect successfully with an older audience.
Although some fans are upset with this new stage in her life, many others are proud of her for confidently making this transition. One fan wrote, “I’m curious about what is happening. It is not easy to develop a totally new style as an adult artist. I wish you all the best, JoJo. Be you and be happy.”
She has made a complete 180-degree switch from her innocent to “bad girl” persona, which feels a little bit off-putting. I think if she made more of a gradual switch, it would be better received by her audience.
Recently, a small portion of her new song “Karma” was released, and it is much different from some of her previous songs like “Boomerang.” Personally, this song was not my favorite as I did not really connect with the lyrics. Some have also questioned her using the same song title as one of Taylor Swift’s songs in the album, Midnights. Although she has received some hate for her new song, despite this, she is still able to laugh it off and ultimately seems to be unbothered.
I think that Siwa’s choice to lean into a more mature image should be respected. People should let her live her life without unnecessary scrutiny over her decisions.
