The 'Dance Moms' Girls All Got Real About How Traumatizing The Show Was On TikTok
No one could ever forget Abby Lee Miller's intense teaching tactics on Dance Moms, and the young cast has often spoken out about the questionable way she ran her dance studio. Even in 2020, the stars of the show often reflect on their reality show run, and they recently took a walk down memory lane. Taking part in the "You think you can hurt my feelings?" meme to La Roux's "Bulletproof," former castmates, including Jojo Siwa, Mackenzie Ziegler, Nia Sioux, and Chloe Lukasiak, created TikTok videos about their respective TV show experiences. For anyone who used to watch the show, the Dance Moms cast's "Bulletproof" TikTok videos are required viewing.
Siwa is one of the few former castmates to remain on good terms with Miller, but even she can admit the show was stressful at times. Siwa was the first to post about her experience, writing, “You think you can hurt my feelings? I was on Dance Moms.” For Siwa, most of the traumatic treatment actually came from fans. The former reality star said she gets called a "giant toddler" by online trolls and often gets made fun of for her hairline.
Fellow Dance Moms alum Chloe Lukasiak also posted on TikTok, and included a very telling caption below her video. "My experience was so traumatizing I don’t remember those 4 years. It’s an actual coping mechanism!" she said.
Former cast member Nia Sioux did not hold back when sharing her TikTok video, pointing out her experience on the show was uniquely challenging as the only Black star. She captioned the post, "And that’s on being bullied by the biggest bully in America lmao."
Brooke Hyland and Kenzie Ziegler also shared TikTok videos using the trending song, but they didn't share any specific details on their Dance Moms experience.
Growing up on reality TV can't be easy, but for Siwa, any past drama is all water under the bridge. She has nothing but love for her former dance teacher, and actually makes a point to stay in touch with her.
“I actually talk to Abby the most out of anybody from the show. She’s great. I think Abby got hurt by a lot of people and it’s really, really, really sad that a lot of the people don’t talk to her anymore," she told Us Weekly in May. As much as Siwa realizes Dance Moms fostered a toxic culture, she's not on-board with throwing anyone from the show under the bus.
Her castmates, however, feel differently, and they don't look past the treatment they endured on the show, which is made clear by their "You think you can hurt my feelings?" posts.
