This fall, Jojo Siwa became the first contestant on Dancing with the Stars (USA) to have a same-sex dance partner. However, while dancing with partner Jenna Johnson may have been historic, the vibe of the choreography and the matchy-matchy (often neon) costumes, read more like “besties partying together,” rather than the chemistry of partner dancing. As I watched her dance numbers from week to week, it was hard not to feel that on some level this chaste portrayal of same-sex couples dancing undermined the supposed message of LGBT visibility.
During Queen Week, Siwa and Johnson paid tribute to queer icon Freddie Mercury by dancing a tango to “Body Language.” The sparkly costumes and the sharp but tongue-in-cheek choreography was delightfully campy. However, rather than complimentary moves which would either heighten sexual tension or show a sensual give-and-take, Johnson and Siwa mostly mirrored each other. It feels more like a variety act than a couple dance.
Compare Siwa’s “Body Language” with these two guys dancing on what seems to be a piece of cardboard. I don’t know if they’re gay or straight but the passion is palpable: a fight between distance and intimacy at every turn.
Siwa explained in a recent Ellen Interview that she hoped by appearing on DWTS with a same-sex partner, she would help normalize same-sex relationships: “[you’d think] boy-girl…cool, ok girl-girl…cool too. It just makes it more normal.” But what exactly is being normalized? While not all DWTS numbers are meant to be steamy, a tango is not a gal-pal dance.
Completely de-sexualizing LGBT depictions in the media is just its own type of misrepresentation. Roommate versus lover. Friend versus girlfriend. To “be herself” Siwa must rebrand what it looks like to be in a same-sex relationship, not to spook Southern and Middle American viewers. Siwa’s brand, which she has described as “Kids Bop meets Pridefest,” interacts with LGBT culture through campy fashion, dance, and song. Being yourself is more about the slogan—wearing a sequined rainbow jacket—than being vulnerable.
Siwa is not the first member of the LGBT community to compete on dancing with the stars. In fact, Dark Horse’s Cody Rigsby was on the same season with a female partner. Past seasons have also included the NFL’s first openly gay football player Michael Sam, and America’s Next Top Model Cycle 22 winner Nyle DiMarco. The lack of chemistry in Siwa’s dance routines is made even more apparent by these past performances. Dimarco’s Argentine tango with female partner Peta Murgatroyd in 2016 literally began and ended on a mattress, not to mention the blind-fold.
This is not really meant to be a criticism of Siwa herself, who chose to live her truth and be a gay role model for a generation of children, despite the risks. Walk into any Walmart, Target, or Claire’s in America, and confronted with Siwa’s sparkly, bow-laden interpretation of girl-power, you will begin to understand the complex stakes of her position. Her brand relies on the innocence of the children’s apparel and toy market, and targets consumers in the Bible Belt and Middle America. You can even buy Jojo Siwa girl’s underwear. This makes any explicit exploration of sexuality and sensuality tricky.
Often, contracts with entertainment networks and vendors include moral clauses. Any sort of scandal or explicit sexuality could void the contract. The question is, of course, does authentic LGBT visibility constitute a scandal? While Siwa’s parent company, Nickelodeon, is known for slightly more leniency on moral clauses, Siwa has recently begun to buck heads with the network, tweeting: “Working for a company as a real human being treated as only a brand is fun until it’s not.” There may be a limit to how far Siwa can push visibility before her brand suffers.
It is also interesting to see her partner, Johnson, scared about the effect on her own career, despite being perceived as straight (she’s married to Valentin Chmerkovskiy). Even though she agreed to dance with Siwa when asked, she admitted in an interview together with Siwa, “I’m embarrassed to say I was a little bit nervous, just how everyone was going to take it, what the response was going to be.” Johnson was also visibly uncomfortable when Siwa disclosed that Johnson said she prefers doing dances with girls now.
The monumental impact of Siwa’s coming out and increasing lesbian visibility one dance, song, and sparkly bow at a time is undeniable. However, I dream of a day when DWTS (and mainstream media in general) is ready to portray same-sex desire and sensuality as nonchalantly as that of heterosexuals. Siwa is just leading us for the first steps of this dance. True visibility comes when we can see someone as a fully human: campy, messy, sexy, and more, all in one. And when it isn’t news anymore.
