Good news for those of us who use shitty reality television shows to cope: Siwa’s Dance Pop Revolution drops soon. That’s right, gay icon and positivity pocket rocket JoJo Siwa has a new reality dance competition series of her very own.
Something tells me this show won’t be as ethically questionable as Dance Moms, the show that originally catapulted JoJo into the spotlight, about a group of talented kids who dance for Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC). JoJo Siwa and Abby Lee Miller, the brutal dance instructor in Dance Moms, couldn’t be more different — at least in terms of tact.
So, what’s the Jo?
Siwas Dance Pop Revolution will begin streaming on Peacock, starting November 4. Three out of eight episodes will drop on premiere day, with one new episode released each week thereafter.
JoJo will team up with her mom and manager, Jessalyn Siwa, in Siwa’s Dance Pop Revolution. The group of 11 young dancers, who also happen to be huge JoJo Siwa fans, compete for a coveted role in XOMG Pop, a pop-group Jessalyn will manage.
Not only will the winner(s) become a member of the pop-group sensation, but XOMG Pop will also serve as an opening act for JoJo’s ShowShow. The tweens will participate in a range of challenges and performances, with JoJo serving as mentor and choreographer. Jessalyn will ultimately determine the final XOMG Pop lineup.
The importance of being JoJo
The fine tuned JoJo brand might be a reflection of late-stage capitalism’s hyper-consumerism, and I’m sure we’ll see the consequences of people performing a product in lieu of themselves for fame, but it’s hard not to root for JoJo. Yes, even when your old, frosty heart is grated by the rainbows, glitter, bows, energetic youthfulness and enthusiasm.
The fact that JoJo’s been hounded for “not acting her age” — and has been since long before she turned 18 — demonstrates the sexualization of teenage girls. JoJo, and her lack of obvious Kim Kardashion contouring, is questioned for her upbeat, desexualised personality in ways celebrities like Millie Bobby Brown, who has been pressured to grow up too fast, are not.
Why do adults want teenagers to act more sexy, especially when JoJo has so much influence over little kids? JoJo has discussed being compared to Charli D’Amelio, “the face of Gen Z,” a 17 year old social media personality and ex-competitive dancer, who JoJo has been told “acts older” in a way that suggests JoJo should follow suit. Charli, too, has a big influence over children.
If you scroll through Charli’s Instagram, you’ll see her go from a normal teenage girl to a 24 year old-looking woman in the short time she gained internet fame. It’s simple economics. She exemplifies what her market wants to see, she wouldn’t have 150 million followers if she didn’t. JoJo’s main fanbase, tweens, love her the way she is. There is a pressure on JoJo to sex-it-up so adults engage more with her brand. Let that sink in.
If kids are going to consume anything, then let it be JoJo. JoJo is perfect for kids. She dresses and acts relatable and appropriate, while also being the “older sister” they can look upto. She wears rainbow tracksuits and sparkly runners, not the gendered fairy-Barbie-princess shit us 90s kids were force-fed.
JoJo coming out as gay might have upset homophobic parents, but it has been so important to the lives of the little girls obsessed with her. Imagine if our childhood pop idols were lesbian or bisexual. Wouldn’t it have been easier to come to terms with ourselves?
Idolizing JoJo means many kids are going to grow up with less self-hatred or less hatred for their gay peers. They will either be more comfortable coming out themselves one day, or they will be more accepting of lesbian and bisexual female friends. What an impact.
