Balenciaga Drama: Where do they go from here?
Celebrities remain silent among cries for condemnation
I’m so sick of Balenciaga. They’ve been everywhere lately since their recent emphasis on strategic partnerships. Balenciaga is responsible for those sock shoes, Kim K’s full-body Met Gala catsuit and poots (pant boots). They had freaking Nicole Kidman walk in the Paris Fashion Week show. They’ve been on top of the world. Now, they’re in deep after two back-to-back disturbing ad campaigns.
The Skinny:
On November 16, the brand issued a press release announcing their Home Objects campaign in which they’d be releasing a line of home goods called Balenciaga Gift Shop. Balenciaga also released photos alongside the announcement shot by documentary-style photographer Gabriele Galimberti. The campaigns, which featured images of children holding teddy bears in BDSM gear and a court document from United States v. Williams, a historic child pornography ruling, caused such severe backlash that fashion lovers are debating whether or not the fashion house will be able to come back from this.
On November 23, the brand apologized on its Instagram story, reading: “"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.”
Five days later, they issued a second, more thorough apology, which is now the only content on its Instagram profile. In it, the fashion house says, “We strongly condemn child abuse; It was never our intent to include it in our narrative. The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility.”
The Reaction:
By this time, conspiracy theories about the Iluminati and Satanists began to swirl and clueless people like Teresa Giudice were being admonished for wearing Balenciaga in public. Considering the rise in popularity Balenciaga has experienced in recent years, particularly with celebrities, lots of angry people are paying close attention to their reactions.
Here’s who the internet is most angry with:
Bella Hadid
The younger Hadid sister starred in Balenciaga’s campaigns for the last two seasons, in addition to walking in their presentation at Paris Fashion Week. She has yet to speak out against the brand’s recent flub, despite outcry from fans. However, she subtly removed the photos from her campaign from her Instagram feed.
Kim Kardashain
Kim Kardashian is perhaps the most famous name associated with Balenciaga, as she has acted as the face of the brand since February of this year. Some theorize that this is tied to her divorce from Kanye West, but that’s for another time. Kim has been exclusively wearing Balenciaga for what feels like years now and as a mother of four, many fans were shocked when she did not immediately speak out about the controversial ads. On November 28, Kim finally spoke, before the brand released a statement of their own, condemning the use of BDSM imagery with children in the campaigns and claiming she was “reevaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga moving forward.
Fans are taking this to mean that while she does not approve of the ad, she plans to continue working with Balenciaga, which many think is simply not enough. That same day, she was spotted out, carrying a Balenciaga bag.
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek is married to a man named François-Henri Pinault, who happens to be CEO of Balenciaga’s parent company, Kering. The couple is frequently spotted at Balenciaga fashion shows and events and Salma has promoted the brand on her social media in the past. Despite this, both have remained silent on the recent scandal.
The Takeaway:
This ordeal reveals the biggest flaw within influencer culture: the lack of authenticity. By remaining silent, these highly influential people are showing their hand, revealing to us all the levels of their greed and proving that those who make it to that level of wealth have to sacrifice some humanity along the way. This is detrimental to their relationship with their audience, lifting the veil on the parasocial relationship and revealing that they never cared about you in the first place - just their coin.
Remaining Questions:
Will Balenciaga ever recover? What will it take to get back in the public’s good graces? And what happens when celebrities max out their influence? Time will tell!
But overall, my thoughts on the matter:
