Teen Vogue advertisers pull out over new editor-in-chief’s racist, homophobic tweets
Teen Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, Alexi McCammond, speaks at Politicon 2018 (Michael S. Schwartz/Getty)
A major advertiser at Teen Vogue has pulled ads from the magazine over “racist, homophobic” tweets written by the new editor-in-chief, Alexi McCammond.
Fashion retailer Ulta Beauty distanced itself from Teen Vogue on Thursday (11 March) as it announced it was pausing all its ad spending with the publication.
“Diversity and inclusion have always been core values at Ulta Beauty,” a spokeswoman for the company said in a statement.
“We stand against racism in all forms and as we’ve publicly shared in our social channels, we stand in unity with the AAPI community. We believe it’s important that our partners share our values.
“Our discussions with Conde Nast are actively underway as we seek to better understand their next steps and determine ours.”
Alexi McCammond, 27, was a political reporter for Axios before she was appointed to the top Teen Vogue role.
Her position immediately sparked alarm among the magazine’s staff, who signed a letter of protest highlighting Alexi McCammond’s “past racist and homophobic tweets” which she deleted in 2019.
“As more than 20 members of the staff of Teen Vogue, we’ve built our outlet’s reputation as a voice for justice and change – we take immense pride in our work and in creating an inclusive environment,” it read.
“That’s why we have written a letter to management at Condé Nast about the recent hire of Alexi McCammond as our new editor-in-chief in light of her past racist and homophobic tweets.
“We’ve heard the concerns of our readers, and we stand with you. In a moment of historically high anti-Asian violence and amid the on-going struggles of the LGBTQ community, we as the staff of Teen Vogue fully reject those sentiments.”
The letter ended with staffers hoping “an internal conversation will prove fruitful in maintaining the integrity granted to us by our audience”.
McCammond did not immediately respond to their letter but apologised for her past comments on Thursday, the same day Ulta Beauty pulled its adverts.
“This has been one of the hardest weeks of my life, in large part because of the intense pain I know my words and announcement have caused so many of you,” she said in a statement shared on social media.
“I am so sorry to have used such hurtful and inexcusable language. At any point in my life, it’s totally unacceptable. I hear that you’re hurt, angry, confused and skeptical of how we move on from here.”
She went on to say that the remarks were “offensive, idiotic” and apologised for “perpetuating stereotypes” of Asian and LGBT+ people, and promised to serve those groups as editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue.
