‘Dance Moms’: Maddie Ziegler Explains How Sia Changed Her Approach to Makeup

Any fan of Dance Moms alum, Maddie Ziegler knows that she has a close connection with Australian singer, Sia. The “Elastic Heart” singer was impressed with Ziegler’s dance performances on the hit reality TV show and tapped her to dance in her music video, Chandelier. After meeting and working together, the pair realized that they had a connection that was far beyond that of coworkers. While they continue to collaborate on music videos, songs, dances, and even a new movie, these days, they consider themselves family.

Ziegler has always been candid about how much she’s learned from Sia, who is now her godmother. The Dance Moms alum has shared that Sia has taught her how to be comfortable in her own skin and how to embrace the quirkier parts of her personality. But, in a recent video for Vogue, Ziegler also confessed that the “Unstoppable” singer has also changed her philosophy about makeup. According to Ziegler, who now has her own makeup collection in partnership with Morphe, Sia’s minimal approach to makeup has helped her accept the skin she’s in.

Maddie Ziegler shares how Sia influenced her approach to makeup

“I have been working with Sia for, I think it’s going on seven or eight years now,” Ziegler shared. “I think the reason, honestly, that I’ve kind of started to embrace the natural look is because when I was 11 and I did Chandelier, she barely had me wear makeup. It was so simple. And I was shocked because I come from a competition background and I was just like, ‘That’s it, that’s all we’re doing?’ And I really owe it all to her because now I feel like I’ve started to accept myself for the good and the bad. And she’s really helped me embrace that side of myself and I’m so thankful for that.”

Ziegler’s more natural looks are certainly a far cry from what they were during her Dance Moms days. Fans of the show will recall how much makeup the girls were required to wear when they were performing at competitions despite their young age. In fact, the makeup was so over the top at times that Ziegler feels a little embarrassed by her old pictures.

The ‘Music’ star reflects on her ‘Dance Moms’ days

“Looking back at some of my old dance photos, I am so horrified and embarrassed of what I did to my face,” Ziegler shared while doing a more minimal makeup look. “I was like, ‘I can’t believe how much contour I put!'” But face contouring wasn’t the only kind of contouring that Ziegler and her fellow Dance Moms alums were required to do. In fact, Abby Lee Miller often required her dancers to contour their muscles also.

Abby Lee Miller required Ziegler and the rest of the cast to contour their abs

“Our dance teacher used to make us contour our abs,” Ziegler shared about her experience on Dance Moms. “I feel like now it’s just kind of a funny thing to look back on and be like, ‘I can’t believe that there were so many times that it looked so intense.'” We agree that the contouring often looked intense on the show, but we’re thrilled that Ziegler seems to have adopted a healthier approach to makeup for her.