Balenciaga: Social Media’s Role in Cancel Culture

In March of 2023 the popular high fashion corporation Balenciaga was under fire for an ad campaign that featured children holding sex symbols. More specifically, teddy bears in bondage costumes. While the ad was widely condemned and a major controversy, it did the very thing child exploitation aims to do: get attention. It is no surprise that Balenciaga specifically used children in the campaign as an attention-seeking tactic. The display of a teddy bear and child, symbols of innocence and comfort, featured with bondage, a symbol of sex, was clearly delivered for the purpose of something so shocking you had to take a closer look. Child exploitation has been wrongly seen for decades to capture this same attention. We as a society have a duty to condemn this exploitation and the corporations that put them up for display.

On the bright side, the power of social media did just that. Cancel culture is in full force over the last five years, and it shows no signs of stopping. In the 90’s, it was normal for children to be portrayed as sexual objects in fashion campaigns because there was no outlet for the public to express their concerns. In 2023, social media has become the biggest platform for communities to give their opinions and express their concerns. Social media has power in numbers, and allows voices all over the world to be heard. Due to the significant uprising from social media users, hundreds of people boycotted Balenciaga and threw away their branded belongings. This eventually caused balenciaga to get rid of the ad campaign entirely and publicly apologize for their disingenuous efforts. Although social media as a whole has been widely criticized, it has finally given the public a voice and allowed communities to come together in brighter and more connective ways than ever seen before.