Bright and shine: a style analysis of Doja Cat

When Doja Cat made her entrance into pop culture, she immediately started making fashion waves with her viral 2018 hit Mooo!, which brought her to the forefront of many people’s minds. Dressed up in a cow costume for the parody hit, the strange attire became nearly as popular as the vocal artist singing, ‘bitch, I’m a cow!’

Explaining this in a later interview with HighSnobiety, the outfit came from the fact that she just loves cosplay, and when shopping on Instagram Live, the shirt she discovered was this “obnoxious shirt; the sleeves were so ridiculous. I loved it and I just didn't know what to write about in that moment." This obnoxious, nearly ridiculous- cow print- look would eventually become synonymous with her. Using fashion as a means to express oneself, Doja Cat shows herself to be someone highly innovative, eccentric, and - just a bit- sexual. While many of the eccentric looks would certainly make people’s heads turn on the street, though not a reason to avoid the style if it’s something you like. Taking cues from how Doja Cat dresses can certainly open you up for creativity and fun.

Skin-tight options

Often opting for sheer and skin-tight options when it comes to a night on the town, Doja Cat’s style surely knows how to make your ex’s jaw drop. As seen with her shimmering Versace number for the 2022 Grammy awards, this simplistic and eye-catching gown soon made many best-dressed lists.

Sensual and see-through fabrics

Another more risque look that can put people on edge when deciding how to appropriately style the clothing is that of shimmering fabrics. Whether with a bias cut sequin dress for the 2020 VMAs or the 2021 IheartRadio Music Awards, using semi-translucent fabric gives us a glimpse of her figure without giving everything away. These subtle hints of skin, coupled with the lyrics in her songs, probably aid in giving her the overall sex goddess energy that is attributed to her.

It’s an intergalactic world

Claiming to take more inspiration from ‘70s furniture designer Verner Panton than the actual ‘70s themselves, Doja Cat often manages to whip up plenty of details that are out of this world. This can be seen in her silver body suit for Dick Clark’s Rockin New Years Eve, along with, and probably highlighted most extremely in, her alien-esque costume for the music video ‘Kiss me More.’

Bright colors

Eye-catching bright colors seem to hold a special place in Doja Cat’s heart when it comes to her fashion sense. Usually picking yellow hues to highlight her skin and hair, bright colors are an excellent way to highlight one's playful personality.

Lingerie as outer-wear

A popular trick used among many female rappers, Doja Cat often embraces the trend of visible lingerie to hint at her deeper sexuality. With bras and corsets used as shirts, garter sets just visible underneath sheer ensembles, and underwear holding a peek-a-book effect, there is little to doubt that the taboo thought process surrounding lingerie is slowly fading away! Perfect for a date-night look, I recommend styling a corset top from Urban Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret or even Doja’s collaboration with Pretty Little Thing with a satin skirt for the ultimate impact.

As you can see, Doja Cat’s style isn’t one that could be described as easy to grasp, and like with all other style analysis that I’ve done for Fashion on the Beat, fully copying someone’s style isn’t the way to go. Instead, grasp some ideas that you can embrace for your own to highlight your sense of self. And if you really can’t live without one of Doja’s clothing items then check out her closet on Instagram!