Doja Cat reveals shocking celeb trick for getting attention: 'Virtue signaling'



Want to make yourself the center of attention — without people thinking you're a bad person?

"Jealous Type" singer Doja Cat has revealed a trick long-favored by celebrities when weighing in on the latest scandal — and you don't even have to know anything about the topic at hand.

Welcome to the wonderful world of virtue signaling.

'What I was doing yesterday was virtue signaling ... something that I could leverage.'

The pop star's revelation came after actor Timothée Chalamet appeared on a CNN & Variety town hall, where he ruffled feathers with his passing remarks on the commercial irrelevance of opera and ballet.

"I don't want to be working in ballet or opera or, you know, things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive!'" Chalamet said to co-host Matthew McConaughey.

Whiny dancer

The comments prompted backlash from many in the entertainment industry, including Doja Cat — real name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini — who lashed out at Chalamet in a TikTok video.

After mocking the actor, she claimed that "people [do] give a f**k" about opera and ballet, and she praised its decorum.

"You show up in a nice outfit. You sit the f**k down and shut the f**k up," she said. "That's the usual etiquette around those things. Maybe learn something from that."

Mea culpa

Just one day later, however, Dlamini was singing a different tune.

"I know nothing about opera. I know nothing about ballet," she offered in a short, contrite follow-up.

"I've never been to a ballet. I've never seen an opera," she revealed. "And I took it upon myself yesterday to kind of give it to the man because there is a culture based around outrage and things like that, and people want to feel like they're part of something. It's a need to connect, whether good or bad," she added.

Dlamini then took her confession a step further and told fans she was only doing it for views.

RELATED: Timothée Chalamet is right: Opera and ballet are dying — and you'll never guess why

Rare honesty

The blunt confession was a rare moment of honesty in a culture generally concerned with trading outrage for clicks.

"What I was doing yesterday was virtue signaling because I wanted to connect, and I knew that Timothée's goof-up was something that I could leverage in order for people to connect with me and f**k with me," the Los Angeles native went on.

“And it's easy. It's a modern way to garner clicks, likes, approval, and all kinds of things like that from people. And so I did that yesterday, and I didn't really think about why I was doing it."

RELATED: Gene Simmons' advice for celeb activists Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo: 'Shut the f**k up'

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

'Wanted a hug'

"That was the perfect material for me to seem sincere. But the truth is, I don't know anything about opera. I don't know anything about ballet, and I've never been to either shows," she said.

The 30-year-old also displayed some vulnerability when she discussed the deeper motivations behind her reaction.

"I think I just wanted a hug. I think that's all that I wanted. I wanted a hug. I wanted to feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. I wanted to be pat on the back the way everybody else is patting each other on the back in the comments sections. And I wanted to look like a hero, and that's what happened. And when I got it, I didn't like it so much," she said.

The half-Jewish, half-South African has been wildly successful over just five studio albums. She has gone platinum five times between 2019 and 2023, with her music gaining recognition in Switzerland, Sweden, and Great Britain.

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Timothée Chalamet is right: Opera and ballet are dying — and you'll never guess why



Timothée Chalamet is in trouble for saying that opera and ballet are dying art forms. The 30-year-old Oscar-nominated actor, whose parents chose the most complicated way to spell “Timothy,” told fellow movie star Matthew McConaughey, “I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this any more.'”

Realizing he may have made a PR boo-boo with his honesty, Chalamet added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership.”

Yes, my wife is a dancer. Spoiler: She’s not a stripper. Strippers make money. Dancers don’t.

No matter how much Chalamet may have upset the ladies of "The View," he’s right. Opera and ballet are dying arts. And the 14 cents he may have lost in viewership will not be spent instead on the opera or ballet.

Tickets, please

I find it rather telling that so many of the people defending the honor of opera and ballet aren’t showing their receipts. Look at all the people who love these fine arts with a passion — and yet can’t produce a ticket to prove they have ever been patrons.

It reminds me of New Yorkers who mourn the closing down of local restaurants and bars they never went to. “How can something like this happen?”

Easily. It’s your fault. You’re not supporting the ballet. You’re not supporting opera.

Now, I play a role in this. I have never been to an opera. So when the murder of opera eventually goes to trial, I’ll be convicted — not of first-degree murder or manslaughter, but at most of negligent homicide. When the fat lady sings from the witness stand, she’ll be pointing her finger at me — and you too.

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Victoria Sirakova/Rick Kern/Ulstein Bild Dtl./Getty Images

Betrayed by ballet

I’m sure lots of you are saying, “But I go to musicals all the time!” Well, so do I. Musicals ain’t operas. Let’s not pretend seeing "Kinky Boots" on Broadway counts.

But I have been to the ballet. I might be the only person who has seen more ballet than I’ve seen Timothée Chalamet flicks. Over the past 13 years, I’ve seen a lot of dance. It’s one of the perks of marrying a dancer. Yes, my wife is a dancer. Spoiler: She’s not a stripper. Strippers make money. Dancers don’t. (Although the “stripper index” indicates an industry downturn.)

Most recently, for my birthday, my wife bought us tickets to see the Lyon Opera Ballet at New York City Center. Even though it has “opera” in its name, it is just ballet. And it sucked. I won’t go into details. I’ll just say this: When you go to see a live performance, there’s always the risk that it will suck. I accept that risk. In October of last year, we saw the Paris Opera Ballet at the same venue. (Again, “opera” in name alone.) That show was good … until it wasn’t.

Empty seats

No matter if it’s good or bad, I always make sure to eat at a great restaurant either before or after the show. Drinks help. And if you’re driving into the city, a bad show — when experienced with a person you love — well, there’s nothing like it! It always makes for great car conversation.

Now that I have provided these receipts, please take me at my word: When I attend these shows and look around, either I see lots of empty seats or lots of elderly patrons. It’s just the reality.

If you don’t go to the ballet, then you don’t support the ballet. The same goes for the opera. I know ballet and opera are class-coded, but tickets aren’t really that expensive compared to the more popular performing arts. But talk is cheap. Complaining is free. I say, put your money where your mouth is and go out there and support the arts you want to keep alive. And when you do, share those receipts.

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Disney features obese heroine in animated film about 'body positivity'
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Disney features obese heroine in animated film about 'body positivity'



Disney has recently released a short animated film which features the story of a young, obese heroine who struggles with body dysmorphia, a move which some have said normalizes unhealthy lifestyle choices, even as others celebrate the shift from "unrealistic beauty standards" toward more diverse female body types.

The film entitled "Reflect" is part of a larger Disney project of "experimental" films called Short Circuit. Directed by Hillary Bradfield, "Reflect" showcases a young, aspiring ballerina named Bianca, who is torn between her desire to dance and her frustration that she does not possess the long and lean body type that traditional ballerinas often have.

In the film, Bianca becomes progressively more comfortable in her own skin, eventually dancing freely and gingerly in front of a series of broken mirrors and demonstrating to the audience that she has "overcom[e] her reflection and low self-esteem," according to Samantha Berlin of Newsweek.

Bradfield, who likewise directed the highly-publicized animated film "Encanto," has confirmed that "Reflect" "is about body positivity."

"When people watch this short, I hope that they can feel more positively about themselves and how they look, and feel okay about the tough parts of the journey," she added. "Maybe sometimes you go to the dark place to get to the good place, and that just makes the good place that much more beautiful."

Some viewers have celebrated Disney's venture into plus-sized protagonists, especially since many other plus-sized Disney animated characters, such as Ursula in "The Little Mermaid," are villains.

"16 year old me needed this Disney short before I quit ballet because I didn’t want to be the fat girl in class anymore," one viewer tweeted. "I’m glad little ones will have this. 10/10 for Reflect!"

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" another wrote. "Disney+ FINALLY made a short with a Plus Size lead! It’s called Reflect and it’s part of the Short Circuit short series. Let’s just say I was SOBBING."

Others noted that Disney has already offered other unusual body types that are just as unrealistic as the remarkably thin characters such as Jasmine from "Aladdin" and Elsa of "Frozen." In particular, they point to Kate, the main character's romantic interest in the short film "Inner Workings," which was released in 2016. Kate has a thin upper body, but a disproportionately large lower body.

Screen shot of Walt Disney Animation Studios YouTube video

Some viewers see Bianca of "Reflect" as a departure from the Kates and the Jasmines so often featured in Disney animated films.

However, many viewers have criticized "Reflect" for that very reason, claiming that it, as one Twitter user said, encourages "kids to be unhealthy."

"You wouldn't represent anorexia, Disney," another user wrote, "don't represent obesity either. It's wrong. #reflect #disney #BodyPositivity is a disease. Fatness is a cancer on society."

"Reflect" is available to stream now on Disney+.