January 1, Balenciaga Under Fire for “Disgusting” Ads Featuring Child Abuse

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1951: 1st underground atomic explosion at Frenchman Flat in Nevada.

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga has issued an apology and pulled its new holiday ad campaign after it sparked significant backlash. The series of advertisements featured children posing with teddy bears wearing bondage gear. Another ad displayed documents from a Supreme Court case related to child pornography.

The ads were widely vilified on social media, with viewers decrying them as “disgusting” and “over-sexualized.”

I thought people were trolling, but nope. It’s real. Maybe this is why Balenciaga left Twitter. They don’t want to be held accountable. Yes, these are children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage outfits. pic.twitter.com/zBlACUiZjo

— Sav! (@thisissavvy1) November 21, 2022

the brand "Balenciaga" just did a uh….. interesting… photoshoot for their new products recently which included a very purposely poorly hidden court document about 'virtual child porn'

normal stuff pic.twitter.com/zjMN5WhZ0s

— shoe (@shoe0nhead) November 21, 2022

The company issued an apology on Tuesday, announcing that it had pulled the controversial ads.

“We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms,” Balenciaga said in a statement posted to Instagram.

Balenciaga has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the producers of the ad campaign “to seek redress for extensive damages defendants caused in connection with an advertising campaign Balenciaga hired them to produce.”

The lawsuit alleges that production company North Six, Inc. and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins included the images of the court documents without the company’s knowledge. The filing describes the action as “malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless.”

“As a result of Defendants’ misconduct, members of the public, including the news media, have falsely and horrifically associated Balenciaga with the repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision,” the complaint reads. “Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association.”

Kim Kardashian, who has worked as an ambassador for Balenciaga, said she was “currently re-evaluating” her relationship with the brand.

“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,” Kardashian tweeted Sunday night.

“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 normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period,” she continued.

Kardashian said she appreciated “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.”

“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — & the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children,” she concluded.

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 normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.

— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 27, 2022

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Sources: Cosmopolitan | People