JoJo Siwa is getting blasted online after releasing a sneak peek of the music video for her latest single “Guilty Pleasure.” The former Dance Moms star— who just revealed she will star in an upcoming reality show about her life— is now being slammed for the video, which many fans online claim gives off “predatory” vibes.
The video— which is set to be released on Thursday— features JoJo wearing a bra made of teddy bear heads (as you do), along with plenty of chains and rhinestone straps. In the still photo from the video posted to her Instagram, 21-year-old JoJo is seen straddling a woman (who is choking her), and looking seductively into the camera (well, as seductively as one can look wearing a teddy bear helmet).
“Let’s fu*kin go,” JoJo captioned the photo. “The story I’ve been waiting to tell. LINK IN MY BIO. Set your notifications. Don’t be late to the pleasure house. See you tomorrow night.”
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The post was quickly filled with comments from followers who were disturbed by the imagery in the video, particularly due to the fact that JoJo still has a large following of kids.
“This feels so disgusting and predatory with teddy bears being linked to a ‘pleasure’ theme,” one person wrote. “Please reevaluate what you’re doing and the message you’re sending.”
“I am all about rebrand but this looks like the sexualization of children,” another person commented.
A lot of people seemed particularly disturbed by JoJo using teddy bears on her bra (or, as she has called them “t**ty bears”) and in sexual situations.
“Using stuffed animals, alongside sexually charged visual effect, borders on pedophilia,” one person wrote. “This is downright disgusting but not surprising.”
“Teddy bears and BDSM? Rlly bro? Your audience still involves children. This is weird man,” someone else wrote.
Others expressed that the video was just another example of JoJo trying (really, really) hard to project a more grown-up image.
“Her trying too hard to seem like a badazz is hilarious,” someone wrote. “It’s like when you give your little cousin apple juice and tell them it’s beer.”
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“This feels like tween trying to be sexy, especially with the Kidz Bop style auto tuning,” another person commented.
The negative feedback for JoJo’s video comes just one day after it was announced that the So You Think You Can Dance? judge will be starring in an upcoming docuseries about her life.
Variety broke the news that JoJo will appear on a new show that will document her “personal and professional life.” JoJo will be reuniting with Jeff Collins— the creator of ‘Dance Moms’— for the show, which will be created by Jeff’s new production company Resilient Content.
JoJo’s new show— which is currently untitled— will be a “coming-of-age premium docuseries” that gives viewers an “in-depth look into her creative process as she charts her course as an adult pop star – evolving from the beloved child star audiences adored on screen,” according to a statement from Resilient Content.
“JoJo will reveal what it’s like to be one of the world’s most-famous 20-year-olds running various businesses, fulfilling a recording deal, and living by herself for the first time.”
JoJo and those closest to her will narrate the show, which the production company promises will give viewers “a glimpse of the persona as she reveals who she is in the quiet moments away from the blaring lights of the stage.”
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In addition to ‘Dance Moms’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’, JoJo has also appeared on The Masked Singer, Dancing with the Stars and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
You can watch the preview clip of JoJo’s “Guilty Pleasure” video (in all its teddy bear bra glory) below. The video will premiere in full on Thursday night.
RELATED STORY: ‘Dance Moms’ Gets A Reboot With ‘Dance Moms: A New Era’; Abby Lee Miller Replaced By Her Rival, Studio Bleu Coach Glo Hampton
(Photo: YouTube; Instagram)
32 Responses
I saw her video & loved how artistic it was. Don’t worry Jojo–Michael Jackson was the greatest & sucked him negative criticism b/c of his ” It’s Bad” & ” Thriller ” & we do know how LEGENDARY his video still is ! This is great entertainment & you have what it takes to ignore MAGA WOME ppl who have nothing better to than ruin the world! Canadians love you ! 🥰 ❤️😀💝🎇🇨🇦
I think what bothers me most is that she’s so big in being a queer icon, and then this is how she goes about it. It doesn’t seem like she has educated herself or actually learned the history of our community, and the fact is is that that’s a huge part of being a queer icon and a role model whether you like it or not. Young LGBTQ+ people will look up to you and follow you and this is the last thing they should be following.
All that being said, behind all of this fuckery is a young kid who is just coming into their own and embracing their sexuality. A lot of young people who have just come out have a tendency to make it their entire identity because it’s new and exciting and freeing. Most people eventually calm down. It just so happens that a LOT of people are seeing her go through that phase. On top of that, she’s also a kid who never actually got to be a kid. I can guarantee that she is emotionally stunted and still mentally very young, but she’s in a world where at her age there’s certain behavioral expectations. And she’s surrounded by people who are going to say yes and push her to do anything as long as it keeps the money rolling in.
All that’s to pretty much say, while I hate what she is portraying as a queer role model, and I definitely think her whole trying too hard to be grown up schtick is super cringe, my heart kinda breaks for what’s actually happening in the background. I hope eventually she finds healthy people who will help her heal and grow.
JoJo is just so annoying at this point! She’s is trying way too hard to be “badass” and she’s failing miserably. I just feel so bad for my baby because she really enjoyed JoJo and I can’t let her watch this attempted train wreck.
Interesting that no one called it predatory when Miley Cyrus did it. This 100% is just veiled homophobia.
Child stars grow up. It happens and everytime people freak out about it. Even famous people are allowed to grow from children to adults. She isn’t a teenager anymore and it’s okay for her to make music that isn’t for children anymore.
Miley got a shit ton of flack for her behavior too, I don’t know what rock you were living under but she got a ton of heat for it. That said by the time she started pulling this shit, she was past her “Hannah Montana” days and much her audience had grown in age as well. Yes, she still had some attention from younger audiences, but nowhere near the amount Jojo does, and she’d already moved away from catering to a younger audience. (it was still weird af, at best, though, and she too took the wrong way ’round)
Jojo caters *specifically* to children, and even more specifically, young girls. They are her bread and butter, they have been for years. There is nothing at all wrong with wanting to age, or just move, out of that sort of target audience, but you can’t do both at the same time and expect no backlash.
I don’t actually see anything wrong with her moving on in her career at all. I can just understand why it comes across as predatory when it’s done in this manner, while her entire audience is still young children. It has nothing to do with homophobia and constantly trying to make everything seem like it is, only dilutes the very seriousness of actual homophobia. I would say the same thing I am now if it was a man under her choking her. She’s not getting backlash for wanting to move on, she’s getting backlash because she’s keeping one foot in each door and her audience hasn’t yet changed. So, she’s making these videos for literal children, they are the first ones who will see it-and that’s what people have issue with. Most of her audience is still currently watching DPR, XOMG Pop, or old dance moms videos on youtube. They aren’t ready (nor should they be) to watch her get choked out while acting “sexy” just because they searched her name. You can’t mix soft core pseudo-porn in with the wiggles and expect no parent to notice, lmao.
I’m talking specifically about Miley Cyrus dancing with teddy bears. No one called it predatory when she did it. Calling gay people child predators is the new slur…. In case you haven’t noticed. JoJo Siwa has been saying for awhile now that she doesn’t want to make music for kids and wants to grow up. If parents aren’t listening to her then that’s on them.
Miley did get flack for that, though, a lot of it actually (and well deserved!).
She was still making content, specifically for children, not even a full month ago. She still promotes all of her content, again, aimed specifically at children. This isn’t a matter of parents, or people, not listening to her say she wants to move on from that kind of content (I think most agree, she should, lol). This is a matter of her not actually moving on from that content, and continuing to try and put out both at the same time. It’s going to get her backlash, it just is. Up until now, searching her name has been safe, her content has been child safe, she has specifically catered it to and for children. It is on parents to know what their kids are watching, absolutely. I just understand why things like this seem predatory, when the person is STILL making and promoting content to and for kids. You can’t mix the two and expect no problems.
She should move on to different content, and I wholeheartedly support her in that. I don’t support her pandering this to the same audience she panders literally all of her other content.
Has absolutely NOTHING to do with her being gay.
Has EVERYTHING to do about marketing sex to children.
Cindy, you can make music for adults with being filthy and trashy.
Without*
Cindy, correct me if I’m wrong but was Miley gay at one point and even in relationship with a female? So how is this “veiled homophobia”?
It was weird and obnoxious when Miley did it and it’s even more so with Jojo doing this. She is so cringe
Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber all over again. Nothing new. These famous kids do grow up, and they go nuts with sexuality and freedom of expression 🤷♀️ I hope Jojo’s 20s are easier on them than mine were on me, whew
It’s way more predatory when people take into account the show she (and her mom) had for young girls, Dance Pop Revolution, and the “group” created from that XOMG Pop that did all kinds of appearances, tours and were on AGT . It’s not as well known to some, I’m sure, but it’s definitely out there and kids are still watching episodes and videos of the show and the appearances the group did. The group has only recently, though not officially, disbanded. They cancelled the tour just last month, so this is still all pretty fresh and there’s still a pretty big following.
There’s nothing at all wrong with rebranding yourself, in the least, especially as you move from being a child into adulthood. But she literally flipped the switch overnight, while she was still pandering to children. Her audience has never been adults, even if some adults have liked her and/or her content. Her audience has always been children (still is), which means making that transition into a new audience takes time and well thought out (+ executed) plans. She’s going to keep getting blasted for a while if she doesn’t recognize this transition for what it is.
That’s not sexy, that’s ridiculous and only a creepy would find teddy bears “sexy”. She’s so annoying
Corny and disingenuous
she is no longer allowed for my family—she is no longer kid friendly and try explaining that to the kids that were the ones who made her who she is—without those young fans she would be nobody
lol this isn’t predatory it’s
CHEESY and she’s trying too hard.
I think she’s desperate to be miley Cyrus But she doesn’t have the talent.
This has got to be the most cringe, worst and lamest rebranding a celebrity has ever done. I get she’s trying to distance herself from the little kids but this ain’t the way.
Predatory?? I think stupid, silly, dumb, and ridiculous are the proper adjective for this crap. Predatory serms rather hyperbolic.
Nah, it’s predatory. She’s still dressing childlike to appeal to the children in her fan base, & dry humping on the stage. She also stuck her hand down her pants at one of her concerts, a concert where there were younger children.
At this juncture, it’s on mom and dad to police where they take their children.
This isn’t “dance moms Jojo”. It’s full blown “sold my soul, MK Ultra, agenda to destroy children Jojo”.
Parents buy the tickets. They need to research what they’re exposing their children to.
She looks like she is 7 years old still lol
I don’t know why, but I’ve never liked her
Because she’s annoying. She’s screech-y when she sings and she dressed like a human cupcake. She’s trying leave that, but it gives Dollar Tree Miley Cyrus.
Jojo= Wish version of Miley Cyrus lol
People need to stop using words they don’t understand predatory is just ridiculous.
It is incredibly predatory and pedophilic, it’s disgusting
I don’t think she looks seductive I think she looks creepy. It also feels kind of like she is borrowing inspiration from artists like Miley Cyrus. Miley was dressed up in a very juvenile looking outfit that was a mouse, a bear? Then she proceeded to grind on Robin Thicke in an old VMA performance was uncomfortable to even watch. Not a huge fan of Miley but what I will say is that JoJo is not on that level of fame. She just thinks she is. She is trying desperately to rebrand herself as a sexy vixen. Maybe once she lost the big ass bow she wore in her hair for years & years she should have just tried to be an adult.
Her trajectory as a creepy side show act seems to have on track for a while now.
*have been (sorry)