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JoJo Siwa addresses "brutal" backlash over her shocking 'bulge' photoshoot

14 October 2024, 16:39 | Updated: 14 October 2024, 17:50

JoJo Siwa responds to brutal trolling over Ladygunn magazine photo shoot. Picture: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images, Talk Tuah via YouTube

By Katie Louise Smith

JoJo's bedazzled bulge well and truly broke social media, and now she's explaining the meaning behind the photoshoot.

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Nothing says 'I'm in my grown up era' like posing in a rhinestone bulge, right? JoJo Siwa's latest shock photoshoot has divided the internet and now she's responding to the absolutely brutal comments hurled her way after it went viral.

Everyone's favourite chaotic internet personality JoJo has seen more than her fair share of criticism since entering her new NSFW era. Last month, she made headlines thanks to her striking LadyGunn cover shoot.

In two of the photos, JoJo (now 21) poses in nothing but a rhinestone-embellished chest plate and a striking fake rhinestone bulge worn over tights. The photos were also shared on her Instagram.

The shoot quickly went viral; some people thought it was great, others were absolutely horrified and left a handful of nasty comments about it.

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JoJo Siwa has faced intense criticism over her new 'adult' era. Picture: Getty

Speaking on the Talk Tuah podcast with the viral 'Hawk Tuah Girl' Haliey Welch, JoJo explained the story behind the bedazzled bulge.

"The stone bulge is — we were just giving a little spice, a little gender-bend, a little, you can be anything you want to be. It just was spicing myself up a little," she said before comparing it to Harry Styles' 'controversial' 2020 Vogue cover.

"It's like back in the day when Harry Styles wore a dress," JoJo added. "Obviously, wearing a bulge is a little different than wearing a dress."

"One thing about me is I like to be for the people that are different, the people who don't fit in and for the people who are just unafraid to take risks. And I feel like being that person, I have to go as far as I possibly can into the risk zone."

See the bulge photo here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LADYGUNN Magazine (@ladygunn)

Despite the intentions behind the shoot, people still took the time to let JoJo know how much they didn't like it. At all. And the backlash was pretty intense – after scrolling through the Instagram comments, the negative comments sadly outweigh the positive ones by a long shot.

People said she was "ruining her career", others called her "desperate for attention", and another wrote: "Honestly it’s my fault for having eyes".

Addressing the comments, JoJo said they were "brutal". "It's really hard. People are just d--ks," she added.

On the flip side though, a lot of people loved it, calling it "camp", "iconic" and praising JoJo for being bold.