Current:Home > InvestJoJo Siwa Details How Social Media Made Her Coming Out Journey Easier -WorldMoney
JoJo Siwa Details How Social Media Made Her Coming Out Journey Easier
View
Date:2025-04-17 10:02:58
For most of us TikTok is a fun place to kill hours of time, but for JoJo Siwa the popular social media app is so much more than cat videos and viral trends.
"Just getting social media for me, it actually gave me a safe space when I came out," she said of posting a clip of herself singing along to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" in 2021. Just 17 at the time, JoJo "knew that even if everyone around me didn't support me that there was gonna be people online that did."
She added, "And I knew that I was gonna find those people and I was really excited about that. I always told myself it was gonna be easier to come out online than it was in person. And I do believe that's very true."
But the 20-year-old has also used the app as a creative outlet.
"I've never talked about this before, but social media is an art," she explained. "And a lot of times people dog on influencers and nag on influencers saying that anyone could do it."
However, JoJo couldn't disagree more. "That's not true social media," she said. "It really is an art."
And these days, the TikToker has found her footing in the online space, acknowledging that "there's something that you just have to understand about it."
"It's been fun to be able to figure out what ways I get to be a part of that," JoJo continued. "You know what I mean? How I fit into the piece of the puzzle there."
But along with her online community, JoJo also credited some influential members of the LGBTQ+ community for inspiring her long the way, including Elton John, who she works closely with to raise money for The Rocket Fund, a campaign through his AIDS Foundation, which aims to prevent HIV infections and reduce stigmas.
Also on the list: "superstar ally" Lady Gaga, she continued, "Miley Cyrus is a freaking icon till the day I die. Freddie Mercury has taught me a lot. Freddie Mercury has gotten me through a lot of my insecurities. And he's not even alive here. He's fixed my brain."
And having gleaned so much inspiration from them, she now has her own advice for others in the LGBTQ+ community.
"Be yourself," she urged. "You have to know that you're always changing. You're always growing. You're always evolving. Never, ever put yourself in a box. And never ever limit yourself."
veryGood! (6253)
Related
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Who is Mary Lou Retton? Everything to know about the American gymnastics icon
- Norway activists renew protest against wind farm on land used by herders
- NASA shows off its first asteroid samples delivered by a spacecraft
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- 'Too dangerous:' Why even Google was afraid to release this technology
- Moving on: Behind Nathan Eovaldi gem, Rangers sweep Orioles to reach first ALCS since 2011
- Machine Gun Kelly Responds on Bad Look After Man Rushes Stage
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Georgia high court reverses dismissal of murder charges against ex-jailers in detainee death
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Vermont police release sketch of a person of interest in the killing of a retired college dean
- Kenya ends arrangement to swap doctors with Cuba. The deal was unpopular with Kenyan doctors
- 2 senior generals purged from Myanmar’s military government are sentenced to life for corruption
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Rare birdwing butterflies star in federal case against NY man accused of trafficking insects
- Photographer who captured horrifying images of Challenger breaking apart after launch has died
- Ashley Graham's Fave Bronzing Face Mist Is on Sale at Amazon October Prime Day
Recommendation
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
Biden proposes a ban on 'junk fees' — from concert tickets to hotel rooms
Sen. Tim Scott says $6 billion released in Iran prisoner swap created market for hostages
Detroit automakers and union leaders spar over 4,800 layoffs at non-striking factories
Small twin
“Addictive” social media feeds that keep children online targeted by New York lawmakers
Jada Pinkett Smith says she and Will Smith were separated for 6 years before Oscars slap
Moving on: Behind Nathan Eovaldi gem, Rangers sweep Orioles to reach first ALCS since 2011