Something we don’t see everyday is a celebrity asking their fans for advice on how to be a celebrity. But leave it up to Doja Cat to make it a topic of discussion on her TikTok page. The funny part is that she’s not a bad celebrity at ALL, and she knows it.
I have to be honest—I’m one of those people Doja refers to in the video. She’s just one of those celebrities that I’ve looked at as different because she does her own thing, no matter what the general consensus is about how celebs present themselves. The general idea is that celebrities have their own section of society that acts in a more elevated manner because of their status. Doja is one of the few that have taken a different route. An example would be the posts she was sharing about Super Bowl Sunday…
…which were different from the glamorous content we got from other celebrities.
Not only is Doja’s personality endearing and hilarious, but it also makes for great content like this:
Trust me, there is PLENTY more from where that came from on her TikTok account (you’re welcome).
She’s pointing out the obvious—she stands out from most of her peers when it comes to the way she freely expresses herself. But this TikTok where she’s asking for “help” because she’s concerned she’s “doing her job wrong” is allllll a part of what makes Doja Cat, Doja Cat. I mean, look at that smirk. Even though she’s asking for help on how to “celebritate” better, she’s actually setting herself aside from what Gen Z describes as boring, robot-like celebrities.
Because what celebrity goes to their fans to ask how to be a better celebrity?? And that’s why she did it. While there are some out there who think that Doja’s online engagement ruins “celebrity mystique”, I think she’s doing the opposite of that. Showing various sides of her personality makes her that much more interesting. Gen Z fans LOVE to feel seen by their faves, so Doja interacting this way is her way of adapting to what the next generation wants. This kind of engagement on social media doesn’t work for all celebrities (I cannot imagine a world where Beyoncé would post TikToks like Doja), but just like any other celebrity traits, it works for some and not for others. It really all comes down to genuineness, and there’s no denying that this is Doja being genuine.
The thing that makes this better is that her TikTok personality isn’t the thing that made her famous. She’s great at what she does professionally. Her music is always on the charts, she’s got amazing stage presence, and she doesn’t seem like she’s going anywhere but up. Doja in performance mode and Doja on TikTok feel like completely different people.
Exhibit A:
@4m4la we really witnessing her becoming a superstar #dojacat #doja #austincitylimits #acl #needtoknow @dojacat
♬ Need to Know - Doja Cat
Exhibit B:
For her TikTok personality to feel like something completely separate from her music gives her more credibility in a sense because she got famous because of her talent—the TikTok thing is just for funsies. As for celebrity mystique, Doja being able to switch from Exhibit A to Exhibit B is pretty mysterious to me and I want to see more.
She has had quite a number of her songs go viral on the platform, and even included the dance created on TikTok to her music video for “Say So”. It makes perfect sense that she engages with fans on the app if it was a big reason why her music blew up, but her way of engaging on the app feels more authentic than someone like Katy Perry. Katy shares good content and gets great views on the platform, but the content is mainly press based. It’s the weird content that Gen Z likes to consume, and Doja joining in on the fun makes it feel like it’s coming from the heart. It’s like when the nice cool kid you’ve always admired wants to sit with you at lunch. Doja recognizes that we are eating it UP, and she seems to really enjoy it, too. It’s a win-win.
I don’t think she needs help on how to be a celebrity at all. And quite frankly, I don’t see her actually taking any of the advice because she knows it works for her, too.
