Doja Cat is one of those artists whose tendency to play with her appearance and artistic expression to the point of eccentricity has kept people talking. It was precisely this idiosyncratic boldness which helped her to rise to fame, when, a few years into her career, her 2018 single “Mooo!” — which was presented almost as a homemade parody — became a viral sensation on the internet. Since then, Doja Cat’s popularity has only skyrocketed. Her second album Hot Pink was ranked at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard 100 and her song “Say So” became a number 1 hit. Her third album, Planet Her, did even better, ranking at number 2, and her song “Kiss Me More” was awarded a Grammy. As of late August, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of her fourth album, Scarlet, which is scheduled to come out on the first day of September.
As a marketing strategy, it has worked mostly in Doja Cat’s favor to be different, unconventional, and audacious, not to mention the genuineness she’s shown when talking to the camera felt refreshing for many. The artist has molded the public’s perception of her over the years, but most recently, in the late Spring and Summer of 2023, some controversies came out that hurt her image. For one, Doja Cat’s alleged relationship with streamer turned comedian Jeffrey “J” Cyrus, who has been the target of accusations of abuse and manipulation by a number of his Twitch followers, suffered from public scrutiny. On the other hand, the singer has alienated a number of her fans, some of whom ran popular fan accounts, with comments she’s made on the app Threads regarding her fanbase, the “Kittenz,” to whom she essentially told to get off the internet and go “get a job.” Whether the harsh comments she’s made in the recent past had an unintentional or planned effect, may depend on your opinion, but the fact remains that she did rhetorically ask in her song, “Attention”: “But ain’t the bad press good?”
Despite the recent negative publicity, Doja Cat is still going strong. One of her most recent hits which is featured in her forthcoming album, Paint The Town Red, has had, at the time of this writing, over 18 million views and over 500 thousand likes in less than a month, proving that the Threads controversy was not enough to make a significant dent in her career’s progress. While some fans have indeed distanced themselves from the artist, others have not been dissuaded in the slightest, either remaining loyal or drawing a hard line between the artist’s creative products and her private life. On the video clip’s comment section, one of the most liked comments, written by @yurikiehn5410, read: “Her music is good period and that’s why we listen. I personally don’t care about her personal life or if “she loves her fans” 😂 she doesn’t know me, we’re good 🤷🏻♀️”
Nowadays, we’re used to seeing Doja’s crazy looks, like the ones she sports in the aforementioned video clip, however, true to her self-assured persona, there have been multiple instances in the past in which she showed her face without a single trace of makeup. Regardless of whether she’s wearing it or not, Doja Cat has always had a very beautiful and distinctive visage. Here’s what she looks like au natural.
Being unabashedly herself
Since the beginning of her career, Doja Cat has had a heavy social media presence and is no stranger to appearing on streams and Instagram Live to interact with her fans. This tendency may have at times reached the point of addiction as she confessed in a 2023 interview with Time: “Social media has been a really big part of what I do. And I’ve noticed that I’ve kinda become addicted to it. I think a lot of us are. It’s become part of my career in a way.” Not only does she show a great level of self-awareness, but her forthrightness during the interview is the same fans got used to and fond of seeing when she engaged with them online.
True to her candid nature, Doja Cat has also had no problem appearing without makeup on streams, or even zooming in on her pimples, as is the example of this series of Instagram stories wherein she says a few words to her haters while being unabashedly laid back and straightforward:
On other streams, she has sat down to do her makeup in front of her fans, or even guided them through her entire morning routine. Not only has she done it on Instagram Live, but she’s also done her makeup for Vogue, in a YouTube video that has over 25 million views.
One of her best interactions with fans on Instagram Live was when she spontaneously decided she was in the mood for a staring contest, and dared some fans to stare back at her without making a sound. The experience made for some hilarious and memorable moments between her and her supporters.
Whether you like her or just her music, Doja Cat is the kind of person who leaves a mark and does not apologize for it. The talented artist has shown multiple times she has no problem presenting herself as she is and has consistently had this “what you see is what you get” attitude, which can undoubtedly be refreshing in this day and age.