Online shoppers spotted the adverts and were infuriated, calling the images “frightening,” “creepy” and “wrong.”
“I thought people were trolling, but nope. It’s real. Maybe this is why Balenciaga left Twitter. They don’t want to be held accountable. Yes, these are children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage outfits,” one Twitter user fumed.
“The brand ‘Balenciaga’ just did a uh….. interesting… photoshoot for their new products recently which included a very purposely poorly hidden court document about ‘virtual child porn’ normal stuff,” an eagle-eyed social media watchdog alleged.
“This is f’ing gross and infuriating. I try my best to avoid what seem like conspiracies here on Twitter, but they intentionally included this child porn reference in their shoot,” another chimed in, using the hashtag “burnitdown.”
“Parents, photographers, creative directors, copy writers, web designers, design agency staff, producers, managers, advertisers,” they added. “And not one of them thought ‘hang on a minute’?”
“Jesus that’s just creepy and wrong,” commented someone else.
Based on the text in the zoomed-in image, social media sleuths claimed the document was from Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, a 2002 US Supreme Court case which struck down a ban on “virtual” child pornography.
At the time, the court found that the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 violated the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech because no children were harmed in the production of computer-generated images.
The fashion house — which has been associated with the likes of Kim Kardashian and previously made headlines for its daring fashion choices — featured the young models in Balenciaga apparel, holding plush toys that contrasted with the horrifying bondage get-ups.
“I thought people were trolling, but nope. It’s real. Maybe this is why Balenciaga left Twitter. They don’t want to be held accountable. Yes, these are children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage outfits,” one Twitter user wrote.
Earlier this month, Balenciaga joined a long line of companies fleeing the social media platform amid ongoing chaos since Elon Musk’s takeover.
“This is f’ing gross and infuriating. I try my best to avoid what seem like conspiracies here on Twitter, but they intentionally included this child porn reference in their shoot,” another user said.
Balenciaga might have left Twitter, but that hasn't stopped the social media platform from dissecting the brand's every move.
On Monday, June Nicole Lapine, better known as @shoe0nhead, took to Elon Musk's Twitter to imply that the luxury fashion label is exploiting children — an unsubstantiated claim rendered even more preposterous by the YouTuber's reasoning.Balenciaga is under fire online after showing two young girls holding stuffed animals dressed in what appears to be bondage gear in an advertisement.
The fashion house — which has been associated with the likes of Kim Kardashian and previously made headlines for its daring fashion choices — featured the mini models in Balenciaga apparel, holding plush toys that contrasted with the horrifying bondage get-ups.
In one image, a ginger-haired little girl sported a T-shirt from the brand while holding the strap connected to a white bear, which was in a vest with a padlocked choker around its neck.
In another, a brunette child donned a blue outfit while clutching a purple plush animal, which was sporting similarly BDSM attire.
She goes on to cite Balenciaga's wiped Instagram feed as further indication of the brand's supposed guilt. Of course, anyone who follows the company knows that it periodically erases its feed to reflect its latest drop.
Balenciaga could not immediately be reached for comment. At the time of publishing, its official Instagram was replenished with campaign imagery for its Spring/Summer 2023 collection, which released for pre-order on Monday morning.
Some particularly zealous conspiracy theorists commented on the label's fresh posts with references to Lapine's claims, which have garnered tens of thousands of likes and re-tweets.Balenciaga is under fire online after showing two young girls holding stuffed animals dressed in what appears to be bondage gear in an advertisement.
The fashion house — which has been associated with the likes of Kim Kardashian and previously made headlines for its daring fashion choices — featured the mini models in Balenciaga apparel, holding plush toys that contrasted with the horrifying bondage get-ups.
In one image, a ginger-haired little girl sported a T-shirt from the brand while holding the strap connected to a white bear, which was in a vest with a padlocked choker around its neck.
In another, a brunette child donned a blue outfit while clutching a purple plush animal, which was sporting similarly BDSM attire.
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