Kim Kardashian broke her silence on Balenciaga's controversial ad campaign. The entrepreneur, influencer and mother of four said that she is currently "re-evaluating [her] relationship with the brand" after an ad in which the company showed minors alongside erotic bondage content.
Balenciaga withdrew the ad following after it was met with vast criticism, especially from social media. Kardashian, who starred in the company's fall/winter 2022 campaign, is rethinking her partnership with the brand in the face of events that "should have never happened to begin with."
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.
- Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 28, 2022
The celebrity justified her delay (one week) in responding to the controversy. Ultimately, she stressed that she had waited to speak with the company's team before commenting on the matter:
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.
Finally, once the situation was understood, the businesswoman was stern regarding the luxury brand's campaign:
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.
Balenciaga's ad accused of being pedophilic
The haute couture brand Balenciaga received a lot of criticism after publishing an advertising campaign with children and teddy bears dressed in BDSM attire. BDSM (an acronym stemming from bondage, discipline, domination, submission and sadomasochism) is an erotic practice based on the immobilization of the person with ropes, ribbons or other items. The Balenciaga ad featured images of children holding teddy bears dressed in this attire, which have since been removed from its website and social networks.
The CEO of the conservative association Concerned Women for America, Penny Nance, called the campaign child exploitation and pointed out that Balenciaga had a problem with pedophilia.
Balenciaga has a fart problem! "sparks outrage over 'depraved' ad campaign with toddlers, teddy bears in bondage " https://t.co/1MRi3JZfm5@FoxNews
- Penny Nance (@PYNance) November 22, 2022
Balenciaga apologized for the ad and have since withdrawn it from all platforms.
