Julia Fox is on the receiving end of backlash following her stint at this year’s New York Fashion Week. The 33-year-old model and actress walked the runway in an exposed mesh dress that left little to the imagination. However, it wasn’t her outfit that set the internet ablaze — it was her association with the controversial fashion designer Alexander Wang who, in 2020, was accused of sexual assault.
Shortly after it was discovered that Fox had walked Wang’s runway — a runway that also saw Anna Wintour, Nikita Dragun, and Ava Max in attendance — she was called out for hypocrisy since her brand is based on female empowerment and ending the patriarchy. On TikTok, user @marleeloiben wrote, “Julia doesn’t walking for Alexander Wang fo against everything you stand for??”
Instead of letting the comment fall by the wayside, Fox addressed the user, writing, “2b frank i love cancel culture but we do need to leave room for rehabilitation & for those who put in the work & heal & learn from their mistakes.”
The mistakes in question involve several allegations that state Wang, 39, sexually assaulted multiple men in the past, many of whom came forward in 2020 with disconcerting experiences working with the famed fashion designer. Wang, for his part, vehemently denied these allegations when they emerged, but did eventually release a public statement in March 2021 promising to “do better” in the future.
Lisa Bloom, the attorney who represented several of the men accusing Wang of sexual assault, also shared a statement in March 2021 about how all parties involved had decided to move on: “We have met with Alexander Wang and his team. My clients had the opportunity to speak their truth to him and expressed their pain and hurt. We acknowledge Mr. Wang’s apology and we are moving forward. We have no further comment on this matter.”
TikTok user @marleeloiben, who refers to herself in her bio as a “Joan Rivers prodigy & future star of RHONY,” does not feel that this is enough.
In response to Fox’s comment to “leave room for rehabilitation,” @marleeloiben wrote back, “I must’ve missed the part where he took accountability #alexanderwangny #alexanderwang.”
“I would like to preface this by saying I’ve been a Julia Fox fan, supporter, for the last year and a half – I’ve died for you,” she began her TikTok video by saying. “Which is why I’m having such a hard time comprehending this. The math is not mathing.”
After addressing Wang’s several sexual assault allegations and Fox’s brand of “ending the patriarchy” and “supporting women,” @marleeloiben addressed the elephant in the room, i.e. the work Fox believes Wang has put in following the sexual assault allegations.
According to @marleeoiben, Wang has done “absolutely none of the above. We have not seen a single campaign from Alexander Wang as a person or a company that sheds light on sexual assault. We haven’t seen them do any sort of work to fund and help sexual assault survivors. They have done absolutely nothing but bury the story.”
@marleeoiben concluded her rant by thoroughly searing Fox to a crisp, saying “And I’m sorry but all you are is a pawn in his capitalist scheme to keep making millions of dollars while taking no accountability.”
An argument for Wang’s seeming lack of reparations — at least the kind @marleeloiben deems substantial — could be that to do so would be to claim admission of the allegations he so vehemently denied. However, as the saying goes: actions speak louder than words, and in this case, Wang’s actions, or lack thereof speak louder than anything he’s said thus far.
As for Fox, well, she’s made clear where she stands on the matter.