Why JoJo Siwa is performing is a big deal

Why JoJo Siwa is performing is a big deal

by

There is no precedent for what JoJo did – no star of his caliber, at his age, whose audience is mostly elementary school students, has come out so publicly. And JoJo, with his unshakable joy, is a different example than all LGBTQ youth have ever had.

“JoJo’s pride in his identity and his confidence in ignoring negative responses indicate that his presence on social media will foster a sense of supportive community for LGBTQ youth,” said Traci Gillig, assistant professor of communication at Washington State University who studies the impacts of LGBTQ + Representation among young people. “She is more of a voice – and a great one – communicating to LGBTQ youth that they are loved.”

Now, LGBTQ children have one of the biggest children’s stars in the world at their side.

JoJo says she’s the happiest she’s ever been

For the uninitiated, Joelle Joanie Siwa is a relentless, occasionally irritating sunbeam. She is rarely seen without her gravity defying ponytail, tied perfectly with a huge bow. She exudes innocent and inexhaustible positivity. She makes statements to her young viewers in excited screams.

In 2021, JoJo is at the height of his powers. She is a pop star, published author and a former student of Abby Lee Dance Company. Her name is used to sell gorgeous unicorn clothes, pink furniture, masks and, of course, bows. She made millions with her products, tours and popular social channels. She lives in a mansion adorned with images of her face and drives a convertible BMW that has its smiling face on the hood.

Since JoJo’s persona has been monetized (and because most of her audience is children), she keeps fans at bay. She invites the cameras into her home and, while she is reliably dizzy and fun, she also plays a role.

His departure, however, was devoid of any pretense.

CNN contacted JoJo advertisers for comment and received no response. But JoJo made a statement about his departure on Instagram Live.
Wearing a black Time 100 sweatshirt (a subtle flex; she was on the magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world last year) and a low-key bow, her voice dropped to a record she rarely wears online. She seemed genuinely touched by the support she received.

Someone on Instagram Live asked her how she identified herself. She answered frankly – she doesn’t know.

“I want to share everything with the world; I really do, ”she told her rapt audience. “But I also want to keep things in my life private until they’re ready to go public.”

Still, she “has never, never, never been happier before,” she said, beaming.

Jojo Siwa is one of the most influential children's artists in the world. She is also one of the first famous people to come out, as a teenager, at the height of her powers.

“I think assuming has a stigma around it, which is a very, very, very scary thing,” she said. “It is not anymore. There are so many people who accept and love it out there. Of course people will say that it is not normal, but it is your normal.”

Going out is still very, very, really scary for many LGBTQ children. A Human Rights Campaign survey found this out – just over half of the 10,000 teenagers interviewed said they looked after their families. Adolescents who made a commitment to their immediate family members reported feeling happier than those who did not.

JoJo also has the advantage, of course, of being rich and popular online. She could lose a lot if she took over – sponsorships, fans, some income – but non-famous kids who watch her videos can lose a lot more.

But seeing someone like JoJo, who at 17 has conquered worlds, performing in a very public way is still significant, said Jill Gutowitz, a cultural writer whose next book, “Canon,” examines the impact of queer women on pop culture.

“Queer adults have only begun to see themselves represented by highly visible celebrities in recent years, but teenagers and children – the Siwa audience – still don’t have many highly visible and queer pop culture figures to look at,” Gutowitz told CNN by e -mail.

Now, they have one of the most visible children in the world as an example.

“I have heard many people say that launching such a large platform is ‘brave’ and, in a way, this is true, given the history of our culture of burying or erasing queerness,” she said. “But I don’t think JoJo Siwa came in because she was doing something ‘brave’ – I think she left because that’s who she is, and it’s important for her to share everything about herself with her fans.”

In this way, JoJo is living the same values ​​that she extols in her messages to fans: She is being herself.

It is setting a new precedent

Gillig, an assistant professor of communication at Washington State University, said JoJo’s departure is unlike any other celebrity.

“JoJo is a rare example of a young man who was in the media spotlight for years before he became LGBTQ as a teenager,” said Gilig.

There are some fictional examples – two characters from the Freeform program “The Fosters” have emerged – and the inevitable comparisons to Ellen DeGeneres, who appeared on the cover of Time magazine and in an episode of her sitcom in 1997, said Gillig. JoJo has an advantage that the comedian who became a talk show host did not have, however.
Two years after Ellen’s emergence, only half of Americans believed that a gay relationship between two consenting adults should be legal, according to the Gallup survey. That number is at 72% now. Homophobia and efforts to limit legal protections afforded to American gays are still common in the United States, although general support for same-sex relationships has increased.

However, there is less consensus about children coming out. Children who know they are LGBTQ when they are young are not always believed by adults in their lives, and their experiences are often dismissed, said Lori Duron, an advocate for LGBTQ youth and the mother of a non-binary gay child.

People ask Duron’s son how, at age 13, he knows he is gay and not binary. They say he is too young to know for sure how he identifies, said Duron, a member of PFLAG, an organization for LGBTQ parents and children.

When asked how long she has known she is LGBTQ, JoJo said she has probably known her entire life.

“I always believed that my person would be my person,” she said on Instagram Live. “If that person was a boy, great! If that person was a girl, great!”

Duron said he thinks JoJo’s example can force parents to take their children seriously when they become young.

JoJo, twin with a doll.

“For her to come out, keeping it super positive – I think it can change some minds and some hearts,” she said. “Because she is still exactly who she was two days or two weeks ago, and they are seeing it. It is this visibility that softens people’s minds and hearts over time.”

It is also impressive, said Duron, for parents to see the support that JoJo’s parents showed her publicly.

In her follow-up video, JoJo ends with something her father said to her earlier: “‘Hey man, love is universal!'”

Jessalyn Siwa, JoJo’s mother who appeared with her daughter for two seasons on “Dance Moms”, supported JoJo on Instagram: “The best thing you can be is yourself and the best gift you can give to someone is love- them exactly as they are forevermore. ”

“It is very important to see that adults can be safe, have love and support,” said Duron. “I think it’s very important for her audience to see, too – that she is loved and accepted at home.”

She has no time for haters

It remains to be seen whether JoJo makes his identity a bigger part of his empire, but his own ad was once an important step in children’s entertainment. It was only in 2018 that a major studio released a film centered on a gay teen love story – “Love, Simon”, whose high school protagonist was closed for much of the film. Troops of queer protagonists have been turned into shows like “Sex Education”, “Riverdale” and “Schitt’s Creek”, but these series are aimed at teenagers and adults.
JoJo came out in her own way, on her own terms – and fans are largely supporting her, as is Nickelodeon, who signed JoJo for a talent contract in 2017. When contacted for comment by CNN, a representative referred to to Nickelodeon’s Instagram post – a photo of JoJo with the caption “I’ve never been more proud.”
His admission was still courted, as JoJo calls them, “haters”. Some followers – many of them parents – claimed that their children would never watch another of their videos.
For a user, it answered with typical energy – “Ok!”
JoJo Siwa performed with Nicole Scherzinger in "The masked singer."
Hate has become dangerous at one point, however. JoJo said his home was “beaten”, meaning that someone called a SWAT team to his home on a fake call. The incident scared her, she said on her cameraman’s live broadcast on Instagram.

Still, said Gillig, “the long-term impact of his departure will undoubtedly be positive for LGBTQ people”.

It was just last week for Duron’s son. He, vertiginously, sends JoJo’s TikToks to her and runs to her room to show off her new arc star videos.

“It makes you very happy,” she said. “He still doesn’t feel totally safe at times and he doesn’t see that visibility in the world, so seeing that and seeing someone – he sees her picture when we’re shopping – is just meaningful.

On Instagram Live, JoJo’s joy bubbled up. She laughed, smiled, used “amazing” in all the other phrases. She joked that her face started to hurt from smiling.

Even haters could not dim their brightness.

“Why does she, with the platform and the power she has, want to hide a large part of herself just to make some hateful people comfortable, when all her message is to be loud and proudly yourself?” Said Gutowitz. “It doesn’t make sense to her, and she doesn’t have to do that. And that is a powerful message.”

Shortly after his animated speech on Instagram Live, JoJo left for Canada, where he will stay for months to film a secret project. When and if she is ready, she will tell more about her story to her large audience. But for now, she said enough.

Your happiness speaks for itself.

.Source