Ethel Cain has issued her statement addressing recent controversies. Dealing with dire allegations including Racism and Zoophilia, Ethel Cain took to Instagram to share a piece of her mind. (Trigger Warning: This article deals with themes of Rape and Abuse.)
2025 has been a successful year for Ethel Cain. Her year began with the release of her hour long ambient album, ‘Perverts’. She gears up for the release of her sophomore album ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’ in August, with her highly emotional song ‘Nettles’ being her first single. The album follows the character Ethel Cain’s story before the events of her debut album, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’. Amidst her album rollout, Ethel found herself surrounded in a storm of controversy.
Promotional artwork for ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You.’
Screenshots from old blogs and accounts resurfaced online, where Cain confessed to making racist remarks. Further, old art accounts were dug up– her drawings taken out of context to make it seem like Cain enjoys Pedophilia. Pictures from her friend’s personal blogs were posted online, and one picture stood out. Ethel Cain, topless, cuddled with a dog. A seemingly innocent act with no bad intentions was misconstrued to accuse Cain of Zoophilia.
The question arises– Why was Ethel Cain’s past suddenly dug up a month before her album release?
Who is Ethel Cain?
Ethel Cain, born Hayden Anhedonia, grew up in an Evangelical household in the Southern USA. Anhedonia transitioned to a woman during her teen years, her struggle with religion eventually causing her to quit Religion as a whole. Her debut album, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’, dealt with themes of religious trauma and sexual abuse. Her previous EP ‘Inbred’ also dealt with similar themes. Ethel’s presence online has been esoteric– gothic, dark and raw. With lyrics like, “You get off on innocence so you savour this, Does your baby know her daddy’s a rapist?” Anhedonia has never shied away from talking about taboo topics.
Alongside her jarring lyrics which talk about the real world, Cain’s online presence has always been more alternative and liberal in nature. She has never been afraid to call out Israel for its genocide or Donald Trump’s faulty presidency. She has been a staple voice for minorities– holding conversations which people would rather avoid.
Addressing allegations of her racist past, Cain comments: “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.”
The Smear Campaign
Cain, in her statement, brings attention to a major problem. The controversial screenshots weren’t gathered by any well-meaning individual seeking justice, rather they were obtained through extensive digging and hacking. It was a collaborated effort, a smear campaign, against a trans woman, aimed only at complete emotional destruction and public humiliation.
Fueled by transphobia and hatred, Ethel Cain’s Spotify account was hacked– she was called slurs, her promotional videos being replaced with memes. These memes of black women were posted online against racism allegations. Ironic, isn’t it? Cain, a woman, is accused of ‘fetishizing’ misogyny. Other than just facing misogyny and transphobia, Hayden reveals in her statement that she had been raped as a teenager–her ‘controversial’ art being her only way to cope with the trauma. Her layered art does not condone incest, abuse or rape. Rather, she provides representation to victims who have often only identified themself in slasher films.
Ethel Cain’s statement deals with her experience of abuse and sexual trauma. She explains the ‘Incest Girl’ allegations and firmly stands up for her own privacy.
“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.” She declares.
Ethel Cain has grown since being nineteen, atoning with actions rather than words.
She has aligned herself with morally correct decisions, being a specimen of a celebrity who uses their platform for good. Any black person who was hurt by her actions has the right to decide whether or not to support her. However this does not negate the fact that the entire controversy around her was fabricated, fueled by misogyny and transphobia.
So is Ethel Cain truly a Pervert? Or is she a victim, a prey, of misogyny and transphobia?
Let us know in the comments what you think. Keep up with The World Times for more news.
