JoJo Siwa is basically the internet's favorite punching bag right now. Honestly, it’s a lot. Every time she breathes, there's a new headline, but nothing quite broke the collective brain of the digital world like her Ladygunn magazine cover from late 2024.
You’ve probably seen the photos. She’s standing there in this blindingly gold, sequined ensemble. But it wasn't just the sparkles that caused the meltdown. It was the anatomically correct, bedazzled chest plate and the very obvious, stone-encrusted "bulge" or codpiece.
The internet went feral. People were "confused." They were "uncomfortable." Some even joked that everything they learned about JoJo was against their will. But if you look past the initial shock value, there’s actually a very calculated, almost clinical strategy behind why she did it.
The Strategy of the Bedazzled Bulge
JoJo isn't accidental. She’s spent her entire life under the thumb of corporate giants like Nickelodeon, and now that she’s 21, she’s steering the ship herself—even if she’s steering it directly into a storm.
In the Ladygunn interview, JoJo didn’t hold back. She literally called herself an "attention whore." It’s a rare moment of self-awareness. She knows that in the 2026 media landscape, "good" content is secondary to "viral" content. She told the magazine that she didn't want to just do a "cool photoshoot." She wanted something that would make people ask, "What the f*** is she wearing now?"
She’s basically treatng her public persona like a long-form performance art piece. The goal? To be the next Halloween costume. To be the meme that won't die.
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Breaking Down the Look
The photoshoot, styled by Phil Gomez and shot by Hope Glassel, was a hard pivot into gender-bending. Here’s what was actually in that wardrobe:
- A custom gold-sequined chest plate from Sparkyle Studio by Kyle Farmery.
- Matching bedazzled briefs/codpiece.
- Heavy-duty boots from Laruicci and Dr. Martens.
- Makeup by Donni Davy (the genius behind the Euphoria looks), using Half Magic Beauty.
It was camp. It was drag. It was designed to provoke.
JoJo vs. The Harry Styles Comparison
One of the most controversial things JoJo did after the shoot was compare herself to Harry Styles. During an appearance on the Talk Tuah podcast with Haliey Welch, she brought up Harry’s 2020 Vogue cover—the one where he wore a dress.
"Obviously, wearing a bulge is a little different than wearing a dress," she admitted, but her point was about risk. She feels like as a queer artist, she has to push into the "risk zone" to represent the people who don't fit in.
Critics, however, weren't buying it. The main gripe? Harry’s look felt like an evolution of high fashion, while JoJo’s Ladygunn shoot felt like a loud, manufactured scream for relevance. There's a nuance there that she might be missing, or maybe she just doesn't care. She’s playing the "villain" role and she's playing it well.
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Dissociation and the "Karma" Era
The Ladygunn shoot happened right in the middle of her "Karma" rebrand. This is the era where she traded the side-pony and bows for black leather, KISS-inspired face paint, and lyrics about being a "bad girl."
In the article, she talked about a "special talent" she has: dissociation.
"I definitely dissociate well. It’s a special talent for sure... whatever moment I’m in, I’m in it for that moment. Once it’s done, though, I’ll be out."
This explains a lot. It’s how she can stand on a red carpet in a fuzzy black ball costume or pose with a bedazzled codpiece while the entire world laughs. She’s not "in" the body of the girl being mocked; she’s the CEO in the back room watching the metrics climb.
What Most People Get Wrong
Most people think JoJo is being "ruined" by bad management. If you spend five minutes on TikTok, you'll see comments saying her team is sabotaging her career.
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But the Ladygunn feature suggests the opposite. JoJo is the one asking her publicist if CNN has posted about her yet. She’s the one chasing the front page of WWD and New York Magazine. She isn't a victim of a bad rebrand; she is the architect of a chaotic one.
She’s leaning into the "G-Pop" (Gay Pop) label she tried to claim she invented—a claim that got her into hot water with fans of Tegan and Sara, Hayley Kiyoko, and Janelle Monáe. She knows the controversy keeps the lights on.
Why This Photoshoot Actually Matters
Whether you love the gold codpiece or want to bleach your eyes, the Ladygunn shoot is a landmark in celebrity branding. It marks the moment JoJo Siwa stopped trying to be liked and started trying to be unavoidable.
It’s a masterclass in the attention economy. She isn't looking for a "vibe"; she’s looking for a reaction. In a world where we scroll past thousands of images a day, she found a way to make everyone stop. Even if it was just to say "yikes."
Real Takeaways for the Future
If you're watching JoJo’s career to see what happens next, keep these things in mind:
- Expect the Extreme: She has explicitly stated she will go as far into the "risk zone" as possible. Expect more prosthetic-heavy, gender-blurring fashion.
- The "Miley" Blueprint: She is following the Bangerz-era Miley Cyrus roadmap—shock the public to kill the child star image. It worked for Miley; we'll see if it works for JoJo.
- Audience Shift: She is no longer chasing the "JoJo Bow" kids. She is chasing the queer club scene and the high-fashion experimental world, even if that world hasn't fully invited her in yet.
If you want to understand the modern celebrity machine, look at the JoJo Siwa Ladygunn photoshoot. It’s not about the clothes. It’s about the fact that you’re still talking about them.
To really get the full picture of her evolution, you should look back at her iHeartRadio Music Awards look from earlier that year. It’s the direct predecessor to the Ladygunn shoot and shows exactly when the "bad girl" transition shifted from a concept to a full-blown aesthetic takeover.