Sia Says Maddie Ziegler Was Dressed Like ‘a Little Hooker’ in ‘Dance Moms’
Considering the success that Maddie Ziegler has found in the entertainment industry, it’s easy to forget that she got her start in reality TV. However, it was the wildly popular Lifetime show, Dance Moms that first helped The Fallout actor launch her career. Thanks to the show, Ziegler learned how to navigate the spotlight at a very young age. Her performances on Dance Moms also led also to her frequent collaborations with her now-godmother, Sia.
‘Dance Moms’ introduced Maddie Ziegler to Sia
Like many reality TV shows, Dance Moms had a few celebrity fans. Sia certainly appeared to be one of them. She found herself watching the show frequently and was positively riveted by Ziegler’s dancing skills. In fact, the West Side Story alum’s solos would often leave the “Move Your Body” singer emotional. Impressed with Ziegler’s skills, she reached out to the then 11-year-old on Twitter with the opportunity to perform in her music video, Chandelier.
The ‘Chandelier’ singer feels the ‘West Side Story’ actor was dressed like a hooker in ‘Dance Moms’
But even though Sia has Dance Moms to thank for introducing her to her goddaughter, the singer has her criticisms of the show. One such criticism seems to be the costumes that the Bloody Hell star had to wear for many of her performances. While speaking with Sirius XM’s Fierce Women in Music, the Aussie made reference to the dancer being scantily clad. “She was already in Dance Moms, you know, being dressed like a little hooker,” Sia shared.
Sia was also quick to share that she herself made some errors with the costumes she made Ziegler wear in her music videos. She admits that her choice of attire was just as bad for the dancer as the costumes she wore on Dance Moms.
Sia regrets how she dressed her goddaughter in her music videos
“I regret putting her in a nude leotard,” Sia explained. “l wanted it to be completely all about her face, her facial expressions, and the movement, and so I put her in a, you know, a classic nude leotard. But I realize now that I’m just as much to blame, I think, as that show for sexualizing her, and was not my intention.” Continuing on, Sia explained that she took measures to try to protect Ziegler from being sexualized.
Sia changed some of Ziegler’s original choreography
“In fact, I went through the choreography three times and removed like at least 30 to 40 percent of the original choreography because it felt like it was too sexy,” Sia recalled. “And [Chandelier choreographer] Ryan [Heffington] and I worked together to make it more, like, clunky. Like woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Gorilla through a toddler’s eyes. We, you know, worked together and continued to work together to try and make sure that all of Maddie’s music videos were not objectifying.”
Clearly, Sia has been concerned about Ziegler’s image since her Dance Moms days. And that concern doesn’t seem to have quelled despite the dancer now being a young adult.
