Teen Vogue Editor, 27, Resigns over Anti-Asian Tweets She Wrote as a Teenager
Jennifer Smith, Daily Mail, March 18, 2021
Teen Vogue’s new editor Alexi McCammond has resigned less than two weeks after taking the job over anti-Asian tweets she wrote as a teenager which surfaced online and cost Conde Nast a seven-figure ad campaign.
McCammond’s resurfaced tweets include one in which she wrote: ‘Googling how to not wake up with swollen Asian eyes’.
Another now-deleted tweet read: ‘Give me a 2/10 on my chem problem, cross out all of my work and don’t explain what I did wrong… thanks a lot stupid Asian T.A. you’re great.’
They were written in 2011 and resurfaced after she was named as the new editor on March 5. It’s unclear if she ever started the job. On March 9, the tweets had gone viral and she was apologizing for them.
Conde Nast – which has a history of racism allegations -stood by her and allowed her to keep the position. Staffers were irate that she was allowed to keep her job and said it sent the wrong message during a time of increased attacks on American Asians but she stayed on.
They also complained that she was inexperienced, having never worked as an editor or manager before, and that there were other black women within Conde Nast who would have been better suited to the job.
They wrote an open letter demanding that she be replaced and also complained directly to CEO Robert Lynch.
Beauty store chain Ulta then pulled a seven-figure ad campaign with Teen Vogue over the scandal. There were also talks among sales teams that it could cost the company even more in advertising revenues.
It has also emerged that in an email to staff around the same time Conde Nast HR boss Stan Duncan revealed that Anna Wintour and CEO Roger Lynch knew about the decade-old racist tweets but hired her anyway. Since the tweets emerged, Wintour has been trying to save her job, according to The New York Times.
On Thursday, McCammond tweeted that she and the company were ‘parting ways’. It sparked a mixed reaction – some said it was appropriate given what she’d done but others called it cancel culture gone too far. They criticized Conde Nast for seemingly hanging her out to dry.
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On March 11, Ulta halted advertising with Teen Vogue.
‘Diversity and inclusion have always been core values at Ulta Beauty.
‘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,’ the beauty brand said in a statement.
