KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Singapore influencer Wendy Cheng, better known as Xiaxue, is facing intense criticism after a clip of her comments about Thai women went viral.

The controversial social media personality found herself at the centre of a storm when a video clip surfaced where she made generalisations about Thai women, linking them to the sex trade, according to a report on Stomp that was published in The Straits Times today.

Her remarks sparked outrage among Thai netizens, with many calling for an apology.

On July 27, she posted her apology and explanation on Instagram and TikTok where she said: "So I’ve recently gone viral in Thailand and not in a good way. Apparently, a video that I was in really offended many Thais.”

Forced to do damage control, Xiaxue released an apology video claiming the clip was taken out of context.

She explained that her original comments were about Thai sex workers specifically, and not all Thai women.

However, her explanation did little to quell the anger, with many dismissing it as a weak attempt to save face.

The influencer said a police report had been made by someone.

In the controversial clip, a viewer asked Xiaxue on her YouTube show, Ladies First, why Singaporean men preferred Thai and Vietnamese women.

"The number of friends I have whose exes cheated on them with these women is staggering. What do you think they have that we don’t?"

In her response, Cheng suggested that because these women come from less affluent backgrounds and may work in occupations that are generally stigmatized — specifically the sex trade — the men who support their lifestyle often exert significant control over them, dictating their actions, destinations, and attire.

The 40-year-old influencer — who shares an 11-year-old son with her American ex-husband Mike Sayre, whom she divorced in 2023 — then mentioned a male friend who returned from Thailand with a "beautifully formed” heart-shaped love bite.

"How can we compete with this?” she remarked.

Although the original clip was deleted, it was widely shared online. A Thai Facebook user even posted screenshots of the comments from the video.

In the caption of her apology video, Cheng clarified, "The video everyone was angry about was taken out of context due to editing. Was not talking about all Thai girls, but only Thai sex workers.”

She added, ""If you’re Thai and you felt hurt or attacked, I’m sorry and that’s not my intention.”

Cheng admitted the clip did "sound horrible” when taken out of context. : "The original long-form video, meaning the one where I explained a lot more, is a lot less offensive because in this particular clip... it was edited into a very short clip. So the meaning has completely changed.”

She then went on to explain the context and her intended message.

The video also included a translated transcript of her apology in Thai.

In response, one of her Thai critics posted on Facebook: "Seems like it’s getting worse. The better way is to just say sorry. That’s all. Don’t explain anything else. Because we can see it’s fake. Just say sorry to Thailand and Vietnam.”