Luxury fashion house Balenciaga faced a barrage of backlash online for “glamorizing” child abuse after a new ad campaign appeared to show children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage outfits and the bizarre inclusion of a document referencing a U.S. Supreme Court case involving child pornography.
A recent ad campaign that appeared on Balenciaga’s Instagram page featuring its new “Objects” collection was met with outrage this week after displaying young children with bondage-clad teddy bears.
Though images of the campaign have since been scrubbed from the company’s social media pages, screenshots of the various campaign images have since gone viral.
Bizarrely, in one photo, a paper used as a prop promoting a handbag displays the text from a Supreme Court opinion in the Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition child pornography case in which the Court ruled virtual child pornography is protected speech.
In response, many took to social media to slam the luxury brand’s “appalling” ads.
“This is child exploitation,” wrote Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America, a conservative women’s rights group.
“Balenciaga has a pedo problem!” she added in another tweet.
“The Balenciaga ad is disgusting,” wrote pro-life strategist Alison Howard Centofante. “Toddlers posing with BDSM sex toys and alcohol. Hiding in plain sight a Supreme Court case involving a federal child porn law….”
“Stop sexualizing kids to sell your ugly overpriced crap,” she added.
“As pornography destroys our men, and sex trafficking is rampant, we must hold companies that toy around with sexualizing children to account,” she wrote in another tweet. “This campaign is on the nose exploitation and every adult involved should be fired and investigated.”
“What’s wrong with these people?” asked award-winning journalist Lara Logan.
“I’ve never been one to ‘cancel’ but fashion brand Balenciaga needs to be shut down,” wrote influencer Xaviaer DuRousseau. “They used a CHILD in a BDSM themed photoshoot and have court documents discussing child p*rnography ‘visibly hidden’ in the photos.”
“This is a new low for society and a not-so-new high for Satan,” he added.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” wrote Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action. “Balenciaga features toddlers in ads, holding teddy bears in bondage outfits and with a court document about ‘child porn’ partially hidden in the image.”
“This is criminal & sick,” she added. “Sexualizing children must be a redline.”
She also called on reality star Kim Kardashian — a top ambassador for the brand — to “speak out now.”
“Major luxury brand Balenciaga ads seek to normalize child pornography,” wrote Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton.
“I can’t bring myself to comprehend how any adult, let alone a famous fashion house, could morally justify profiting from the sexualization of children,” wrote Kelsey Bolar of the Independent Women’s Forum. “It’s a perverse, dark, and disturbing trend.”
“The people who work at #Balenciaga should be ashamed,” she added.
YouTuber Brittany Venti slammed the fashion brand for leaving social media “at a convenient time after their predatory ad campaign of using children to promote bdsm toys.”
One user accused Balenciaga of “glamorizing” child and female abuse.
The ad comes as those on the left continue to push an ideology that manipulates the sexual development of children.
The phenomenon can be seen in the spread of “family-friendly” drag events as well as teachers discussing sex, transgenderism and pronouns with children as young as first grade.
Earlier this month, Balenciaga — which has since left Twitter — was slammed for partnering with vocally anti-Israel supermodel Bella Hadid, which prompted accusations of hypocrisy only weeks after parting ways with Kanye West over his antisemitism.
Last year, Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff made her debut on the French high-fashion scene in Paris as she walked the runway for the fashion company in its first haute couture show since 1967.
“Balenciaga couture, thank you/congrats to @demnagvasalia and the whole Balenciaga team truly amazing,” the 22-year-old model wrote on Instagram.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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