Is this the real reason for JoJo Siwa’s controversial rebrand?

JoJo Siwa’s latest red carpet look has taken over the internet. Until now, the sapphic pop star has been known for making music for children and wearing cutesy, rainbow-colored outfits to match. But her outfit for the iHeartRadio Music Awards was the opposite: an all black ensemble with graphic, KISS-esque makeup. What inspired the dramatic change? Some queer fans think they have the answer.

When a video of Siwa in her controversial outfit doing a questionable dance to her upcoming single “Karma” went viral, the internet was scratching its collective head, wondering what Siwa could possibly be going for with this rebrand. One user chimed in with a possible explanation: “This how I looked and acted after my first lesbian heartbreak too,” they wrote. “Just give her time.”

That user is referencing Siwa’s very public breakup with influencer Avery Cyrus, which was undeniably messy from both sides. (At one point, the two even feuded over roast beef sandwiches.) That breakup happened at the end of 2022, more than a year ago, and it wasn’t Siwa’s first time breaking up with a woman — but as that user pointed out, these things can take time.

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With the perspective that Siwa may be processing her feelings for her ex-lover, folks became much more sympathetic to her strange style choices. Some even shared their own reactions to sapphic heartbreak, from sobbing on bathroom floors to filling their faces with piercings.

Others, though, still can’t get over Siwa’s outfit and how forced her rebrand feels. Despite going for a punk look, Siwa can’t seem to shake the aesthetic of a children’s performer.

Siwa’s new adult-oriented single “Karma” drops this Friday, April 5. Let’s hope it’s not as cringe-worthy as her styling would have us believe.

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