“You know why you’re here? Because I feel sad for your little girl. ‘Cause she is gonna grow up thinking that she’s it. And when somebody out in that big bad world makes fun of her, she’s gonna lose it.” These are the words of Abby Lee Miller to Jessalynn Siwa, mother of Jojo Siwa, on Season 5, Episode 4 of the global hit reality TV show, “Dance Moms”. This scene had 12-year-old me completely jaw-dropped. I was appalled. All I could think was “You prove her wrong Jojo, you’ll show her one day.” I’m now 20 years old and that day still has not come.
As someone who grew up with “Dance Moms”, I will always stand by my opinion of the infamous dance coach, Abby. She is verbally abusive, short-tempered, and impulsive. Maybe she created beautiful choreography, winners, and stars, but a good teacher for children is a caretaker, an empath, and at least, a good person. That being said, she wasn’t always wrong, it’s just how she approached it. She saw the danger in the ego and lack of social awareness that Jojo was developing and tried to stop it, but as usual, Abby’s methods were counterintuitive. For a child, a bit of brattiness is normal sometimes, but when that behavior continues into adulthood, it becomes a problem.
Jojo began both competitive dance and bleaching her hair at 2 years old. She started her journey with Abby on Season 2 of “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition”. While she did not win the competition, she won something arguably better, a spot on “Dance Moms”. On the show, she was known as “Jojo with a Bow Bow”. She was a sassy, high-energy performer with a big bow and an even bigger personality.
The girls on the show had very different experiences but all came out with trauma that shaped them into who they are today. Now they’re all grown up and some of the girls have taken that trauma and developed a strong sense of empathy that they use to help young dancers just like them. The fan favorite, Chloe, started her dance competition, Elevé, which is built on not only constructive criticism but also positivity. Jojo on the other hand, has done the complete opposite. I empathize with the trauma that Jojo went through as a child but what she has done with that trauma is just as bad.
On February 13th, 2024, Rolling Stone published an article exposing the abusive environment created by Jojo and Jessalynn Siwa in their reality TV show, “Siwa’s Dance Pop Revolution”. The premise was that they were trying to create a group of dancers called “XOMG Pop!”. The article follows the story of Leigha Sanderson who was 14 years old when she was on the show. Leigha was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida which affected her spinal cord among several other complications. Throughout the show, the girls experienced grueling and intensive dance rehearsals on a level that caused bodily harm. The article explains a situation where Leigha was having complications with her condition which caused her to bleed from her belly button and instead of giving her a break, Jessalynn Siwa told her to put a maxi pad on it to avoid messing up her costume. Jojo and Jessalynn are continuing the cycle of abuse that “Dance Moms” caused. When Jojo talks about the show and Abby, she praises both.
On May 1, 2024, the “Dance Moms: The Reunion” was released. It featured OG girls Brooke, Paige, and Chloe, as well as girls who joined later, Kendall, Kalani, and Jojo. This guest list sparked controversy because three highly popular OG girls, Maddie, Kenzie, and Nia chose not to attend. The sister pair, Maddie and Kenzie have blatantly avoided speaking too much about “Dance Moms” because it is a stressful topic that brings back unwanted trauma. Nia publicly stated that she just didn’t want to and that is enough of an explanation. Of all the girls, she was treated the worst by Abby so it’s completely understandable. Jojo, instead of empathizing with these girls and respecting their decision said on the reunion, “Them not being here is kinda like let me erase my past, pretend it never happened, and shove it down the drain.” Her saying that about three girls who had been with Abby since they were two years old, something Jojo did not experience is incredibly disrespectful. Not wanting to relive your trauma on TV for the entire world to see is completely valid. Maybe that past belongs in the drain. Jojo even went as far as to say “To me, Abby was always right.” Was Abby right when she threw a chair at Paige? Was she right when she screamed at, body-shamed, and emotionally manipulated little girls?
The problem with Jojo is that to her, fame is fame. She doesn’t care if the fame comes from a good, bad, or even abusive place, if the result is fame then it’s worth it. She thinks the other girls are entitled to be grateful for the show because it gave them fame. She taught the kids on her show to undergo abuse for the sake of stardom. Now, with her music video “Karma” coming out, Jojo does not care how she is perceived, as long as people remember her. She has made disrespectful and egotistical claims that she is THE innovator of our generation for “Gaypop”. She claims that she’s creating art when really she’s creating a meme on purpose. She knows that her concepts, statements, dancing, costumes, and whole persona are outlandish, ridiculous, and even offensive but it doesn’t matter because, at the end of the day, she’s still getting engagement. What Abby was wrong about was that Jojo would lose it when people made fun of her. Jojo won’t lose it because she doesn’t care even though she should. When I saw Jojo on “Dance Moms” as a kid, I thought she was a natural performer who just loved to dance but now I just see her as someone who will do anything for fame.
Words by Mishi Ali
Graphics by Lauro Pacis