Trigger Warning: this article references child exploitation.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you will have heard about the controversies surrounding Balenciaga’s recent holiday campaign.
In November, the prestigious fashion brand Balenciaga released a campaign that saw children holding teddy-bears and cuddly toys dressed in BDSM accessories, as well as bondage harnesses and costumes.
Social media users soon took to platforms like TikTok and twitter, using the hashtag #cancelBalenciaga to accuse the high fashion brand’s creative director, Denma Gvasalia, of condoning child exploitation and pedophilia by involving children in a campaign that includes such ‘sexual’ motifs.
Balenciaga, following this public outcry, released this statement:
“We would like to address the controversies surrounding our recent Ad campaigns. We strongly condemn child abuse; It was never our intent to include it in our narrative. The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility.”
The press release goes on to mention that the gift collection “should not have been featured with children,” further calling the images a “wrong choice” by Balenciaga.
Kim Kardashian, a key face for Balenciaga’s brand, released a quote online regarding the scandal. She said: “I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened,”
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images.
“The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalise child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society – period.
“I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology.
“In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”
However, this campaign is not the only one that has sparked online discussions.
In the brand’s previous campaign, dropped on 21 November to promote their spring/summer 2023 collection, Balenciaga, in collaboration with Adidas, used props that appeared to be documents linked to child pornography.
The documents are thought to be from the Supreme Court case ‘United States v. Williams’, a ruling that resulted in the PROTECT Act. This Act saw the increase in federal protections against child pornography.
While Balenciaga is known as a brand that takes a more ‘controversial’ approach, this dark, and undoubtedly inappropriate campaign choice has scorned Balenciaga's name for the foreseeable future.
Balenciaga, however, claims the production company responsible for the campaign “included certain documents” in the photographs without the fashion house's authorization.
They also claim, it is this that led “members of the public, including news media” to “falsely and horrifically” associate the brand with child abuse.
Balenciaga posted this statement: "We are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot," Balenciaga said. "We stand for children's safety and well-being."
Edited by Maddy Burgess
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