Lana then addressed the situation directly in a comment on a news post, making serious claims about Ethel’s past behavior toward her.
“I didn’t know who Ethel was until a few years ago — when someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters, making constant comments about my weight,” Lana wrote in a comment on Instagram.
“Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life, I was definitely disturbed.”
The feud also comes on the heels of a difficult summer for Ethel, who faced backlash in July after old posts from her late teens resurfaced.
The posts included offensive jokes, racist language, and provocative imagery. On July 9, Ethel issued a lengthy apology, admitting the posts were hers and calling them a product of a provocative online persona she adopted while dealing with personal trauma, saying she was intentionally being as “inflammatory and controversial as possible.” She also claimed the resurfacing was part of a transphobic smear campaign.
Ethel has previously acknowledged Lana’s influence on her work but has also taken shots online, once replying to a fan who compared them by saying, “I pushed her over when I ran past” and “She’ll never catch up to me in her Macy’s dress,” per Dazed.
Whether this will escalate into more music or public statements remains to be seen, but for now, the indie scene has its own headline-making drama.
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