If you have been paying attention to the news or have access to the internet, you know that multi-billion dollar fashion house Balenciaga has found itself in the hot seat.
On Nov. 26, Balenciaga published a campaign titled “Balenciaga Gift Shop” featuring images of young children holding the brand’s line of teddy bear bags. The bears are decked out in BDSM gear. Other images featured pictures of paperwork concerning child pornography laws.
Balenciaga faced immediate backlash, and the criticism has only increased. Coverage has been widespread and the story has been picked up by almost every major news outlet. Many celebrities have spoken out against the brand, some even burning, discarding, or mangling their Balenciaga gear.
On Nov. 28, Balenciaga issued a statement of responsibility, apologizing for the campaign and announced that they would be conducting an external and internal investigation. They also threatened a lawsuit against North Six, the production company responsible for the child pornography law paperwork in the images, and Nicholas Des Jardins, the set designer for the campaign.
The lawsuit was dropped after various stars called out the brand for attempting to deflect responsibility. The CEO of Balenciaga has apologized and promised to donate significant amounts of money to child protection agencies. The CEO also pledged to start trainings on “responsible communications” across the company and engage with child advocacy groups.
There are two sides to this controversy.
Associating children with bondage gear is a slippery slope regardless of intention. However, many say that this campaign is representative of a dark glamorization of child pornography. Many have called it “disgusting,” “unsettling,” and even “evil.”
In an interview with Fox News, Brittany Aldean said “I, for one, love fashion… but I refuse to represent or wear a brand that has any affiliation with sexual exploitation of children or the sexualization of children.” She even posted a picture on her Instagram of her with clear trash bags filled with various Balenciaga items. Some celebrities have even begun protesting outside of Balenciaga stores holding posters that read, “Just Why?” Some have burned their Balenciaga gear or cut the label off. Some have even refused to say the name of the brand.
While the backlash the brand is receiving is valid, one cannot help but wonder if the campaign was a strategy to bring attention to the brand. Balenciaga is a fashion house that is constantly redefining fashion and their brand is centered around marketing that garners attention from people who think their work is weird and ugly and those who believe it to be groundbreaking.
This campaign is really no different from what they have done in the past. Just months before this, their fashion show was housed in a literal mud pit. The show attracted tons of attention and parodies of the models took over social media for weeks. A few weeks after the show, however, it was pretty quiet for them, until their holiday campaign. Now, almost a month after its release, Balenciaga’s campaign is still all over social media and the news.
Some say that any publicity is good publicity. If that is true, their marketing team deserves a pat on the back. I think that Balenciaga probably thought the campaign would be received very differently than how it actually was.
So, is this a real problem or just cancel culture at work? There are many things to be said about the campaign, but as the campaign begins to fade from the media, I am sure Balenciaga will be back on the shoulders of celebrities come spring.