Finally, a celeb is speaking out about Balenciaga‘s controversial ad campaign.
As we previously reported, the fashion brand came under fire when the photos, shot by Gabriele Galimberti, featured children posing with teddy bears dressed in what appears to be bondage gear. Balenciaga apologized for the inappropriate images – but faced backlash again when upon closer inspection of other pics, social media users found the company included documents referring to Supreme Court child pornography laws. WTF! They then issue another apology on Instagram Stories, saying:
“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 safety and well-being.”
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Balenciaga has since filed a $25 million lawsuit against the production company North Six and set designer Nicholas De Jardins and his eponymous company – specifically for the inclusion of the legal docs from the Supreme Court’s decision on child pornography laws. According to The New York Post on Friday, the fashion giant said it intends “to seek redress for extensive damages defendants caused in connection with an advertising campaign Balenciaga hired them to produce.”
Balenciaga claims North Six and Nicholas included the images of the court docs without its knowledge, adding in the filing that it was “malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless.” The court docs continued:
“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. Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association.”
Hmm… It looks like the brand is just trying to avoid accountability for its errors.
Amid this scandal, it’s been disturbingly radio silent from many A-listers who associate with the brand. But now, a celebrity is saying something about the massive scandal – and no, it’s not Kim Kardashian. Bethenny Frankel, who is not one to hold back her opinions on any subject, took to TikTok on Saturday to share her thoughts on the situation – especially on why certain famous people (such as Kim and Bella Hadid) haven’t been calling out the company for what went down. The Real Housewives of New York City alum explained:
“One of the big questions has been why celebrities aligned with the brand haven’t disassociated. From a business standpoint, I assume it’s because they either are paid by this brand, legally not allowed to speak negatively about the brand if they want to get paid, or they have to associate with these brands because they like being on the cover of magazines and going to the Met Gala. Fashion means front row. Fashion means currency. Fashion has power. It seems like these days people like Anna Wintour have more power than people in the entertainment industry.”
She continued:
“I did a big photo shoot for Interview magazine recently, and there was such detail and every member of that crew from the photographer to the creative director to the wardrobe person were so tensely and intently involved. I find it very difficult to believe the story of this shoot was not made abundantly clear. In this particular case, the victims are these children who are objectified, sexualized. … It’s definitely a s**t show, and it brings up many topics about social media and kids being sexualized and all these things parents fear.”
The Skinnygirl CEO then noted that “the fashion industry is in the cover your a** game” before concluding:
“They probably don’t know what the hell to do right now. Very unfortunate, and hopefully will raise awareness on the greater topic, which is the children. I just can’t imagine how that article could arrive on a set like that and make that connection. I literally can’t understand it.”
You can ch-ch-check out her entire video (below):
@bethennyfrankel Since many of you asked… #balenciaga #balenciagafashion #fashionscandal #scandal #fashion #fashiondrama #entertainmentnews #fashionnews #controversial #controversy #honestthoughts #speakyourtruth #balenciagaphotoshoot
Reactions to the controversy, Perezcious readers? Wonder if Kim or Bella will speak out on this situation soon… Sounds OFF in the comments (below).
[Image via WENN]
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