Theories abound, but right now it seems that everyone involved is pointing fingers at each other and no one is actually taking accountability for anything. For those of you unfamiliar, recently Balenciaga had a campaign advertising their spring 2023 line that featured toddler-aged children posing with teddy bears.
In theory this would be cute, however the bears were all dressed in hardcore bondage gear, not to mention the children were surrounded by not child-safe paraphernalia such as alcohol, and in one of the photos there were documents relating to a supreme court decision involving the depiction of minors which really disturbed a lot of the people that saw this campaign.
So who was responsible for the controversial Balenciaga campaign?
What on earth was actually going on here? It would seem that right now, that is the question of the ages. Balenciaga finally seemed to backpedal on their decision to run this campaign but for some people they didn’t take action fast enough, and an even bigger question is who on earth approved this campaign anyway?
Anyone who has watched the Devil Wears Prada has some basic knowledge about how the fashion industry works and if nothing else knows that these things are subject to approval by higher ups. Who on earth was the higher up that approved this specific ad campaign and why?
What were they thinking? So far no one has come forward and said anything… then again, after this much hate, who would want to come forward and claim responsibility for it? Balenciaga issued this statement on their IG page:
“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.
We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our spring 23 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children’s safety and well-being. “
Even the photographer who shot the photos had attempted to distance themselves from the shoot by issuing this statement on their own IG:
“Following the hundreds of hate mails and messages I received as a result of the photos I took for the Balenciaga campaign, I feel compelled to make this statement.
I am not in a position to comment on Balenciaga’s choices, but I must stress that I was not entitled in whatsoever manner to neither chose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same.
As a photographer, I was only and solely requested to lit the given scene, and take the shots according to my signature style.
As usual for a commercial setting, the direction of the campaign and the choice of objects displayed are not in the hands of the photographer.
I suspect that any person prone to pedophilia searches on the web and has unfortunately a too easy access to images completely different than mine, absolutely explicit in their awful content. Accusations like these are addressed against wrong targets, and distract from the real problem and criminals.
Also, I have no connection with the photo where a Supreme Court document appears. That one was taken in another set by other people and was falsely associated with my photos.”
Okay… so who approved it? Who set it up? We just need a signature, that’s all. Stay tuned!!!
