Grammy winning pop artist Doja Cat took to social media recently to call out her fans for a peculiar reason. A large portion of the singer’s online fanbase decided to refer to themselves as “Kittens”, similar to Taylor Swift fans calling themselves “Swifties” or Beyoncé fans as the “Beyhive.” Doja was none too pleased with their assessment, telling them to “get a job” via Threads.
Following the viral Threads post, Doja deleted her account entirely. The post is continuing to spark mixed reactions online, with some applauding the musician for calling out the parasocial relationships that young fans cultivate on the internet, and others feeling that it was disrespectful to her young fanbase.
Doja Cat calls out her fans for calling themselves ‘Kittenz’ as a fandom name:
“my fans don’t name themselves shit. if you call yourself a “kitten” or fucking “kittenz” that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house.” pic.twitter.com/NE4EbXmqvw
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 23, 2023
She’s not wrong. With social media, parasocial relationships are at an all time high. Just love the music – don’t expect a personal relationship
— Anna the Swiftie ☮️ (@SavvyB2619) July 24, 2023
Doja Cat first reached mainstream popularity with her hit track “Say So,” which inspired a viral dance trend on TikTok in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the “Cat” in her stage name, the singer has referred to her fans as Kittens before, hence the confusion from young fans behind social media accounts dedicated to her. She even wore a cat-like ensemble to the 2023 Met Gala. Numerous fan accounts with large followings shut down after the singer’s Threads rant.
Doja Cat’s top fan pages are deactivating their accounts after she criticized supporters for calling themselves 'Kittenz'. pic.twitter.com/Zy54M3y2ZS
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 23, 2023
Countless Twitter users continue to share satirical videos of people fighting paired with captions along the lines of “Doja Cat meeting fans.”
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https://twitter.com/cuntdisorder/status/1683311064564334592?s=20
Fan Theories
One Twitter user pointed to the singer’s most recent single “Attention,” which introduces listeners to her alter-ego Scarlet. The singer previously spoke to Rolling Stone in 2021 about her desire to write from an alternative perspective while making music. Some feel that the singer might be taking her alter ego persona into her social media presence as well.
https://twitter.com/liamxneedy/status/1683474095462023168?s=20
The criticism of the singer’s interactions with fans online comes amid the ongoing allegations surfacing against her rumored boyfriend J. Cyrus. The musician began his career as a digital creator on the now defunct Vine. He then moved on to Twitch and YouTube. It was his behavior here that viewers feel allegedly twisted the respective platforms’ perspectives on the allegations. In 2020, Cyrus issued a lengthy public apology for his behavior.
just so we are clear, this is the same man. i don’t want any confusion here. this is a literal predator. fuck j cyrus and anyone who associates with him! https://t.co/bMguNezmMC pic.twitter.com/hy02WEZXzv
— hey, it’s em. (@emyren_) June 9, 2023
The singer’s association with the controversial digital creator has many questioning whether she is actually in character to promote her latest album or not. The singer announced that her “Scarlet” tour will begin in October 2023.
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While the singer has not further clarified the lengths she intends to take her “Scarlet” character to, her Instagram posts have shifted to an eerier aesthetic, as have her tattoos.
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Amid the online fan debacle, listeners remain unsure whether the singer is committing to her artistry, or if she simply wants “Attention.”
