Ethel Cain Apologizes for Offensive Old Posts: ‘Any Way You Feel About Me Is Valid'
The posts that have resurfaced over the past few days (many of them from Twitter and the now-defunct Q&A platform Curious Cat) date back to around 2017 and 2018, and they contain the kind of edgelord bait characteristic of that era. Per screenshots, an account belonging to Cain (real name Hayden Anhedönia) admitted to using the n-word, responded to a post about mocking Hispanic people with 'build that wall,' and made rape jokes and fat-shaming comments.
More from Rolling Stone
Ethel Cain, Sophie Thatcher, Beach Fossils Join Campaign to 'Abolish ICE'
Ethel Cain Says She Hunted Down Synths From the 'Twin Peaks' Soundtrack to Make 'Nettles'
Ethel Cain Will Follow Album Release With 'Willoughby Tucker Forever' Tour
In her statement, Anhedönia began by stating plainly, 'That was my account and those were my words. I was 19 and I was entirely aware of what I was saying and that was why I said it.'
She went on to explain that she spent much of her high school years 'being extremely progressive and 'SJW' [social justice warrior]' as a way to 'reject the indoctrination of my environment and rebel against the prejudice, hatred, and ignorance of the culture I grew up in.' After moving out of her parents' house, though, Anhedönia said she 'flip-flopped' and rejected 'all notions of my former 'cringe SJW' behavior and intended to be as inflammatory and controversial as possible. I would have said (and usually did say) anything, about anyone, to gain attention and ultimately just make my friends laugh.'
Anhedönia continued: 'I could tell you that I had no idea at the time the platform I would have in the future, or tell you I just have a dry and extremely sarcastic sense of humor, or make any other kind of excuse, but there's no place for excuses in this matter. At the end of the day I am white, so while I can take accountability for my actions, there's no way for me to fully understand the way it feels to be on the receiving end of them. All I can say is that I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart, to anyone who read it then and to anyone reading it now. Any way you feel about me moving forward is valid.'
Anhedönia said she now looked at this chapter of her life 'shamefully,' adding, 'As I move forward through my life, I aim to use my platform for good, for change, and for progress. I believe it's important to atone not through words alone, but through actions.'
But Anhedönia also pushed back against the way these old posts were dredged up, claiming the screenshots were 'obtained through extensive digging, hacking, and cooperative effort amongst a group of individuals who do not care who else is hurt by witnessing this media as long as I am ultimately hurt the worst in the end.'
Along with all the old posts, Anhedönia said some of her personal accounts had been hacked (including her Spotify page), her family had been 'doxxed and harassed,' and photos of her as a kid and 'intimate details of my past have been passed around for fun.'
'I urge you to recognize the patterns of a transphobic/otherwise targeted smear campaign, especially in this political day and age,' she wrote near the end of her statement. 'This information was hoarded until the perfect moment arose to unleash it.'
Anhedönia added: 'I am responsible for my actions and taking accountability for the mistakes I have made in the past, but everything beyond that is brutal slander, targeted harassment, and in the words of my own attackers, bullying with the end goal of me killing myself. My team and I are taking this matter seriously and are pursuing legal recourse under the fullest extent of the law.'
While Anhedönia was largely contrite in her statement, there were several specific images and accusations that she addressed directly. These included a photo of her in a homemade T-shirt emblazoned with 'LEGALIZE INCEST,' a drawing she made that some have referred to as child pornography, a photo of her that some have claimed is evidence of sexual abuse toward animals, her mock-up of an Ethel Cain missing poster for her album Preacher's Daughter based on a real missing poster made for a nine-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered, and claims of misogyny and 'fetishization of the female experience.'
Anhedönia's responses to those allegations are printed in full below.
1. Regarding the topic of incest in my artwork, it's a layered experience. I have always been interested in creating art centered around the taboo. Much like all the other topics explored in my work, it was just another part of human nature I wrote about it. However, with specific instances such as my hand drawn t-shirt (which was a ridiculous item I made in my bedroom that was never intended to be and never has been any kind of merch distributed to other people, just to clear that one up), at the time I was still of a somewhat inflammatory mindset and fully made that t-shirt to be a crude joke to garner attention. I had even been labeled 'incest girl' on Twitter in that time period, I suppose because the people I surrounded myself with knew I was a white girl from the bible belt, and that was their joke that I leaned into. As an artist with a fanbase comprised of many victims of sexual/emotional abuse of an incestuous nature who find comfort in my music because of it, I understand how painful this could be. I apologize deeply if my actions have caused you any further grief and if I have let you down. I do want to be clear, however, that I have never fetishized it. Rather, as a lonely and confused child I had my own complicated personal struggles with the concept during puberty (in a hypothetical manner, not involving anyone in my actual family). I have since untangled these feelings and I now understand their root. While sometimes the topic of incest may get intermingled on a song with my own experiences of sexual abuse or my own familial traumas, I have never and would never fetishize such a sensitive subject. All of these topics I'm going to discuss have carried the brand of 'fetish' as this is a common talking point for the transphobic brigade of individuals attacking me.
2. Regarding the topic of drawn child pornography, based off of one drawing I made at 19 years old. I am going to be brief about this because this is quite possibly one of the most serious offenses I can fathom. I had three individual characters that I drew often from the ages of 18-20, each character being a different age in that bracket. The character of Teddy, who was 19, was a hypersexual character born out of my own struggles with sexual trauma and assault. At the time of that drawing, I had just been raped by a man twice my age weeks before. The way I processed this was the opposite way I thought rape victims were supposed to behave, as I leaned into sadomasochism and became fixated on the event and thought that somehow sexualizing it in a way I could control or desire would make it more bearable, as though I wanted it. This was reflected in my artwork. All other details aside, the character was the same age I was and had the same extremely slender body type I had at the time. I utilized a more cartoonish-hybrid style for my characters occasionally as was the norm for artwork in my scene on the internet around that time, but the character was still of the same legal age I was and that has always been the case. I will not be discussing this topic again.
3. Regarding the topic of sexual abuse towards animals, because yes that is somehow also an accusation against me. I was at a Fourth of July party out in the sticks at a friend's house and the majority of us were topless because we could be. My friend's dog hopped in the truck with me and I messed with him by putting him in a headlock for a few seconds while a friend took a picture. My bare breast was squished against his face for all of two seconds. I can't believe I'm even addressing this.
4. Regarding the missing poster included in the promotional materials of Preacher's Daughter. I made that poster at 3am in a rush and was googling '1990s missing poster' looking for any kind of template to use that would seem period accurate for the character. I picked that one out of all the search results because it was in the yellowish color palette and had a font/visual language that I thought would match the other visuals for the album. I absolutely should have done my research on the poster I chose, and I understand how this could be hurtful and damaging to the family of that child. I insist that this was nowhere close to my intention by using it. Hindsight is 20/20 and I would not be so careless in that regard again. However, the accusations of me fetishizing the kidnapping and murder of a child are beyond egregious and ridiculous.
5. Regarding the topic of misogyny and 'fetishization of the female experience'. Cis women are not the only people capable of being victims of sexual assault. They are not the only people capable of being abused, kidnapped, or murdered. To posture that I have never been harmed in my life as a child or an adult trans woman, or that fearing the very real possibility of being harmed again, kidnapped, or killed as a trans woman is somehow a 'fetish', is entirely willfully ignorant and hateful. No one knows what I have been through in my personal life, and I feel zero need to share it with the world because it's no one's business but mine. You can debate the ethics of artistic expression until you're blue in the face but you cannot tell me what I have experienced and how to process that because you simply were not there and you do not know me. Preacher's Daughter is a deeply personal story to me, born from my traumas and deepest fears. If it reads as a fetish to you, then that is your problem and not mine.
Best of Rolling Stone
Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs
The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs
All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Mario Paglino, 52, and Gianni Grossi, 54, die; designers made Barbies into art
Depending on their interests, fans 'buy Barbies that have been created by Mattel, or they buy limited-edition and one-of-a-kind Barbies that doll artists make,' Kim Culmone, the head of design for dolls at Mattel, said in an interview. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'There are different levels of people who do this sort of work,' she added. 'And Gianni and Mario really were just a cut above.' Advertisement Mr. Paglino, a fashion designer, and Mr. Grossi, a graphic art director, were hailed by collectors for their meticulous handiwork — the ruffles and extravagant bows, the embroidery, appliqué, crystals, rhinestones, paillettes, and beading on silk, satin and tulle — as well as their unswerving attention to detail and their deep knowledge of fashion and art history. Most of the Barbies from their atelier sold for $2,000 to $3,000. One well-cloaked Barbie of their devising looked to be straight out of a Velazquez painting. Mr. Grossi and Mr. Paglino also created a line of Barbies wearing finery inspired by the works of well-known artists, including Vincent van Gogh ('Sunflowers' and 'Irises'), Piet Mondrian ('Composition With Red, Blue and Yellow'), Gustav Klimt ('Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I'), Andy Warhol ('Marilyn Diptych'), and Frida Kahlo ('The Two Fridas'). In a tribute to Jackson Pollock's 'Convergence,' they created a Barbie gown that echoed the artist's drip-painting technique. Advertisement Here and there, dresses also made subtle references to Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. Some of Mr. Paglino and Mr. Grossi's creations were inspired as much by pop culture as by art. The men designed look-alike Barbies to pay tribute to show-business personalities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga and Sophia Loren. They conjured several different Barbies for their favorite star, Madonna, and proudly watched from the audience of 'The Graham Norton Show' in Britain as one of the dolls was presented to her in 2012. After they died, Madonna dedicated the 40th anniversary reissue of her hit 'Dress You Up' to the designers' memory, thanking them 'for dressing up so many of your creations in Madonna iconic looks over the years,' Rolling Stone magazine reported. Gianni Grossi was born Nov. 27, 1970, and grew up in Biella, Italy, a city northeast of Turin, where his mother, Marissa Grossi, worked in the textiles industry. She survives him, as does a half sister, Luisa. Mario Paglino was born June 30, 1973, in Turin, the oldest of three sons of Maria Concetta (Albano) Paglino and Guiseppe Paglino, who ran a laundry service. They survive him, along with his brothers, Max and Matteo Paglino. For Mr. Grossi, the fascination with Barbie began early; as a child, he often played with a little girl who had several Barbie dolls, according to his family. Advertisement Matteo Paglino recalled in an email that his brother Mario's interest in Barbie dolls began as a 9-year-old. After helping with household chores and much pleading, Mario was given the coveted Barbie Dream Date doll. But when children at school taunted him, his father took the doll away. Years later, Mr. Grossi presented Mr. Paglino with the same doll, reviving his enthusiasm for Barbies. The two men met in 1997 and soon became a couple. They established their company, Magia2000, in 1999. Magia means magic in Italian; it also contains the first few letters of each founder's first name. Mr. Paglino and Mr. Grossi generally worked with Barbies that were made from silkstone, a composite material with a smooth, porcelainlike appearance. A blend of resin, quartz, and sand, it produces a heavier, more substantial doll than those typically found in the aisles of chain stores. (Mattel generally uses silkstone for its Barbie Fashion Model Collection, a higher-priced line aimed at adult doll collectors.) Magia2000's Barbies got a full makeover. Their factory face paint was removed, and they were given a whole new look with the aid of acrylic paint and watercolor pencils. Their hair was restyled or removed entirely and replaced with a different shade of nylon tendrils, a process called rerooting. Mr. Paglino designed and made the clothing; he also did the hairstyling. Mr. Grossi sewed the beading, embroidery, and appliqués by hand. (Swarovski crystals figured prominently.) He also handled the dolls' accessories and worked on photography and marketing for the company. The men typically produced four collections a year, each with close to 60 dolls. Among them: the Pink Collection (the name says it all); Bye, Bye, Summer 2018, an assemblage of dolls dressed in outfits from places that Mr. Paglino and Mr. Grossi had visited on vacation; and the Fairy Tale Collection, replete with heroines and villainesses. Advertisement 'Mario and Gianni had a very couture approach — very detailed — with impeccable gown construction, an eye for color and print and pattern, and a sense of the dramatic and theatrical,' Culmone, of Mattel, said. 'But they were also able to do very realistic interpretations of an existing person with a modern, everyday look.' The men partnered with Mattel on a handful of projects. For the toymaker's Inspiring Women project, honoring historical role models, they designed one-of-a-kind dolls to celebrate the achievements of more than a dozen American, European, South American, and Asian athletes, educators, entrepreneurs, and artists. They also made dolls for special events and exhibits, and accepted commissions. When Cheryl Burnett, a retired bank employee in suburban Houston, was celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary, she asked the couple to replicate her wedding dress and hairdo on a Barbie doll, and the tuxedo worn by her husband, Charlie, on a Ken doll. 'I'm a superfan,' Burnett said. She acquired her first Magia2000 Barbie in 2012, when she made the winning bid of $4,000 at a charity auction during the annual National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention, which took place that year in Garden Grove, Calif. The next year, when the convention was held in New Orleans, she prevailed again at the auction, paying $10,000 for Magic Carnival of Venice, a Barbie that 'looked like a Marie Antoinette type of doll,' Burnett said. Advertisement By her count, she now owns 244 Barbies made by Mr. Paglino and Mr. Grossi. At the convention's charity auction in 2015, in Arlington, Va., Burnett bid $15,000 for Magic Wanda, a Barbie cloaked in a blue gown with gold sequins, only to have a rival from Australia outbid her, for $15,250. 'At that point, my husband looked at me and said, 'Really?' And I said, 'OK, we'll let her have it,'' Burnett recalled. 'It's hard to describe the detail and beauty that went into those dolls,' she added. 'You know how some people collect paintings or sculpture? These Barbies are works of art.' Barbie may have been their 11½-inch-tall muse, but Mr. Paglino and Mr. Grossi also designed clothing and accessories and did the hair and makeup for other fashion dolls. In 2023, for example, they dressed 12-inch-tall figures in high-fashion outfits inspired by their home countries in collaboration with Integrity Toys, a company that specializes in collectible dolls. 'When I make dolls for Barbie,' Culmone said, 'I have a group of artists who specialize in pattern-making, embroidery, and beading. Someone else specializes in face painting. Someone else specializes in hair design. Think about the rarity of finding a pair of individuals who could take all those parts of doll — coming up with the vision, the fashion design, the pattern-making, the sample-making, the embroidery, the hair design, the hair embellishments, the shoe creation.' 'These are two people who played a big role in our community,' she added. 'Because of them, our community is better. My design team is better. Barbie is better.' This article originally appeared in Advertisement
Buzz Feed
3 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Podcast Host's Viral Takedown Of MAGA Voters
Former Bravo star and current I've Had It podcast host Jennifer Welch is going absolutely viral for delivering what people are calling "a read that will live on in infamy." During a recent episode of Jennifer's podcast, she starts her monologue, "I've had it with white people that triple Trump-ed. That have the nerve and the audacity to walk into a Mexican restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, an Indian restaurant. Go to, perhaps, their gay hairdresser." "I don't think you should be able to enjoy anything but Cracker Barrel," she continued. "The felon is the teeny, weeny, mushroom cock piece of shit, cankles McTacoTits at the top of the ticket," she pressed on. "I have had it from top to bottom." "White people that triple Trump should be banned, boycotted from enjoying the best thing that America has to offer, which is multiculturalism." A clip of Jennier's passionate take made its way to X, formerly known as Twitter, where it's been viewed over a whopping 16.3 million times. "This is the most savage takedown of anyone I've ever heard in my life," one commenter reacted. "If there was ever a person who had the right to free speech and chose to use it freely," another agreed. Someone said Jennifer gave, "A read for the ages." Overall, she's being largely applauded by non-MAGA voices. One person said, "She's right... If you genuinely hate immigrants & minorities that much, you're not allowed to partake in any part of the culture they've brought with them." You can watch the video of Jen's monologue here: What are your thoughts on the podcast segment? Let us know in the comments.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Is Honoring Kiss' Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. They've Criticized Him in the Past
Kiss co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley — who will be among this year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients after Donald Trump's takeover and populist revamping there — haven't had much to say about the president during his second term. But before that, they were fairly vocal about Trump, with opinions from Simmons, who competed on the Trump-hosted Celebrity Apprentice in 2008, notably shifting over time. (Former guitarist Ace Frehley, for what it's worth, said he was a Trump supporter in 2020.) Here's what Simmons and Stanley had to say over the years about Trump, who's hosting the event himself. Gene Simmons March 2016: Simmons predicts Trump's victory in a Rolling Stone interview, while stopping short of declaring his support. 'He is the truest political animal I've ever seen onstage,' Simmons says. 'He has no speechwriters, no editing, no nothing. He's actually on tape going 'motherfucker.' You cannot turn away… He has said some very vile, unkind things. But don't kid yourself. He speaks off the cuff, and what you see is what you get. And he'll double down. If you ask him about building a wall [between the U.S. and Mexico] he'll say, 'Fuck you, I'm going to make it 10 feet higher, just because you asked me.' He's not there to be your friend…. He's good for the political system.' More from Rolling Stone Kiss, Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor to Receive Kennedy Center Honors Trump's Military Crackdowns Are Only Going to Get Worse Stephen King Compares Donald Trump's Presidency to 'a Horror Story' July 2016: Simmons calls Trump a 'legitimate, upstanding guy' and a 'straight shooter' on CNN, while acknowledging Trump had been 'ungentlemanly' and was 'better and smarter' than some of his worst comments. September 2017: After Kiss turns down an invitation to play Trump's inauguration. Simmons tells The Daily Beast, 'In this polarizing era, it's not a good idea.'September 2017: 'Whether somebody likes it or not, he's the duly-elected president and I think you have to respect the presidency,' Simmons tells Rolling Stone. Asked if he thinks Trump is doing a good job, he replies, 'not yet.' May 2018: Simmons defends some Trump policies, including moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem plans to build a border wall. 'The Vatican has a big wall around it for the same reason,' he tells CNBC. 'They want to find out who's coming in there.' July 2019: 'Politics has forever changed,' Trump tells Good Morning Britain. 'Whether you like it or not, this president has changed it.' He describes Trump as 'a New York streetfighter' and says 'Earth has never been in better shape… Unemployment in the United States is the lowest it's been in 50 years.' January 2021: Simmons counters Trump's election fraud claims on his Twitter account, posting: '60 courts in various states and 60 Judges (including Pres Trump appointed Judges) UNANIMOUSLY, and without exception, dismissed ALL allegations of a rigged that Includes Trump appointed US Attorney General Bill Barr!!!'August 2021: Simmons tells Yahoo he strongly supports Covid-19 vaccines and says precautions like masks 'should be a law.' He suggests the Trump Administration bears some blame for the pandemic. 'The gentleman who was in office, the former president, I knew before the political world. It's the same person I knew before; the stripes of a tiger don't change. And the unfortunate thing is that, look, we all lie to some extent, but what happened in the last four years was just beyond anything I ever thought imaginable for people who have lots of power — not just him, but the administration, everybody…. all these QAnon people.' May 2022: 'Look what that gentleman [Trump] did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top,' Simmons tells Spin. 'Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it… I don't think he's a Republican or a Democrat. He's out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker.' November 2022: When Bill Maher says that Trump doesn't understand how the U.S. government functions, Simmons says: 'I agree. The person that I saw first coming into power is not the person I saw within a year or two of that… But I changed, the way lots of people changed.' Paul Stanley August 2020: 'REGARDLESS of who you support, it is incendiary & abhorrent for ANY candidate to say 'If I lose, the election is rigged,'' Stanley tweets. 'It's an insult to those who have fought for the free, safe elections we have and dangerously implies that citizens who don't share your views are the enemy.' September 2020: Responding to Trump's Twitter attacks on various targets, Stanley tweets, 'Controversy… Is this what a president should be doing in the morning? Is it presidential? No opinion from me. I'm asking YOU! Tell me.' January 2021: Stanley condemns Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to 'find 11,780 votes': 'This is ABHORRENT. A true danger to our democracy. The issue isn't that it WON'T work. It's Mob Boss behavior and politicians putting party over audits, investigations, court rulings & COUNTRY in an effort to overrule the will of American voters.' January 2021: Stanley tweets an unequivocal response the January 6 attack on the capitol: 'These are TERRORISTS. This is armed insurrection. The flames were fanned today & over time by the president & specific senators who CANNOT be allowed now to distance from or denounce what they have directly caused. Know their names. THIS is the result of their deception. Shame.'November 2024: Stanley is conciliatory after Trump's second presidential victory. 'If your candidate lost, it's time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why,' he tweets. 'There will be no building bridges to those you don't agree with by being condescending, insulting, talking AT them or removing yourself. If your candidate won, it's time to understand that those who don't share your views also believe they are right and love this country as much as you do.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
