What does SJW mean? Ethel Cain screenshots controversy explained as singer issues apology

American singer, songwriter, record producer, and model Ethel Cain has issued a lengthy apology regarding her past remarks that recently sparked controversy online amid the promotion of her upcoming album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, which is slated for an August release.

Trigger warning: This article has references to sexual abuse, assault, rape, animal abuse, child abuse, racism, pornography, and more. Readers' discretion is advised.

"To start things off, I want to address the Twitter/ curiouscat screenshots. That was my account, and they were my words. I was 19 and I was entirely aware of what I was saying and that was why I said it," Cain began her July 9 statement on Google Docs.

The statement has been obtained by People Magazine.

She was referring to the 2017 and 2018 tweet screenshots of her alleged “racist remarks,” which were uploaded by the X account @herweirdsilas on July 6, 2025, seemingly dedicated to “exposing” the singer and later circulated on Reddit.

They could be traced back to the now-defunct Q&A platform, Curious Cat, which was run by Ethel at the time. In it, she had admitted to using the n-word and wrote, “build that wall!” seemingly mocking the Latino community in the USA.

Ethel Cain, whose real name is Hayden Silas Anhedönia, continued her now-viral apology by writing:

"I spent my later high-school years being extremely progressive and 'SJW' as they called it at the time, 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."

Cain added:

"I flip-flopped again, rejecting 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."

The term SJW is an abbreviation for “Social Justice Warrior.” According to Merriam-Webster, SJW is pejoratively used to refer to someone who is “overly progressive” or “overly enthusiastic about issues of fairness in the treatment of matters of race, gender, or identity.” The term could be traced back to the 1940s.

Hayden claimed that when she made the past comments, she was part of a “subculture online that prioritized garnering attention at all costs.” Regardless, there was "no place for excuses in this matter."

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Exploring further Ethel Cain’s recent apology in the wake of the ongoing controversy

Ethel Cain recently faced backlash for several issues, including making alleged “racist” comments in 2017 and 2018, wearing a t-shirt with the words “LEGALIZE INCEST,” in 2020, making fat-shaming and r*pe jokes, posing topless with her dog, her inconsistent views on abortion, and her alleged NSFW artwork posted over the years.

The American Teenager artist also posted evidence in 2020 claiming she was aware of Dr. Luke’s alleged abuse of Kesha, yet signed to his company, Prescription Songs. She also claimed in the past that people using “they/ them” pronouns were “attention seekers.”

Now, in the wake of controversy and backlash, Ethel Cain has issued a clarification.

"I am not proud of my actions, and I have done my best to bury it as I feel strongly that no good can come from it. 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," she wrote.

Cain admitted that she was “white” and couldn’t understand the discrimination that people of other ethnicities experienced. However, she was “truly sorry” for her earlier comments.

"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... Any way you feel about me moving forward is valid," she added.

Hayden clarified that the topic of “incest” in her songs and artwork was a “layered experience,” and reflected her “own experiences of s*xual abuse or my own familial traumas.” However, she would “never “fetishize such a sensitive subject.”

Addressing her alleged “child p*rnography” drawings, Ethel Cain explained that they were a reflection of her own assault

"At the time of that drawing, I had just been r*ped by a man twice my age weeks before. The way I processed this was the opposite way I thought r*pe victims were supposed to behave, as I leaned into sadomasochism and became fixated on the event and thought that somehow s*xualizing it in a way I could control or desire would make it more bearable…" she wrote.

As for the topic of animal abuse, Ethel Cain denied ever participating in it.

According to the musician, her past comments were “not the actions of a well-meaning individual,” and she reflected at that time in her life “shamefully.” However, she called out those who obtained the screenshots through “extensive digging, hacking, and cooperative effort” without caring how those might “hurt” others in the end as long as it hurt her "worst in the end."

Ethel Cain claimed it was part of a “massive smear campaign” that has been targeting her over the past couple of years, and they chose the time of her album release as the “right moment” to unleash them, all at once. Hayden also mentioned that there were people who craved her “complete emotional destruction,” adding:

"Personal accounts of mine have been hacked, my family has been doxxed and harassed, photos of me as a child and intimate details of my past have been passed around for fun. I am an adult, and I can take accountability for my actions, but this goes beyond accountability."

Elsewhere, Ethel Cain acknowledged that she should have done her “research” on the “missing” poster she chose to promote her 2022 debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, and understood how it was “hurtful and damaging” to the family of the missing child. She added that while it wasn’t her “intention,” she would be careful in the future.

The Tallahassee native, however, condemned those who accused her of “fetishizing the kidnapping and murder” of a minor, calling them “beyond egregious and ridiculous." She also dismissed the allegations of misogyny and “fetishization of the female experience.”

According to Ethel Cain, trans and other people from the queer community were also “victims” of s*xual assault, abuse, and other violences, and to indicate otherwise was “is entirely willfully ignorant and hateful,” and disregarded their experiences.

“To try and sum everything up, no, I am not a violent misogynist fetishizing the 'female experience'. No, I am not the creator of child p*rnography, nor am I a p*dophile, a zoophile, or a p*rn-addicted incest fetishist,” she wrote.

Ethel Cain's sophomore album will be released on August 8 (Image via X/ @@PopBase)

Ethel Cain urged her fans and followers to recognize the patterns of a “targeted smear campaign” against her, adding, she won’t let it silence her. She would continue to be “diligent with my voice and my actions” and pleaded with everyone to “share the same responsibility.”

Hayden, 27, concluded by saying that she would be pursuing “legal recourse under the fullest extent of the law” against those who were using “ridiculous material” to “slander” her online. She also mentioned that her boyfriend would be addressing the allegations against him in due time.

He was recently accused by a Redditor of threatening to "kill" her while reportedly being intimate with him in 2021 and seemingly showing her photos and videos of his intimate moments with his ex-partners.

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Ethel Cain’s sophomore album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, will drop next month. Two singles from the 10-track album have already been released including Nettles and F**k Me Eyes.