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.
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I remember when this Balenciaga ad came out and the uproar it caused among social media. I think it’s crazy that in this day and age, a company as popular and prestigious as this one thought it was okay to create a campaign such as this one. It was disturbing and wrong. I think cancel culture worked greatly in calling the brand out and bring light on other campaigns they’ve done. I think something that continues to be odd is Kim Kardashian continuing to be a brand representative by wearing head to toe Balenciaga in the media. It definitely questions her stance on the controversy.
I thought your article did a great job of showing how the Balenciaga controversy reflects a larger pattern of exploiting children for shock value and attention. The example immediately reminded me of Brooke Shields in “Pretty Baby,” where she was only 12 years old playing a child prostitute. At the time, the film was defended as “art,” but decades later it’s recognized as a disturbing case of child sexualization. The fact that similar imagery still reappears in fashion campaigns today shows that society hasn’t fully learned from past mistakes.
Your point about the role of social media is also important. Unlike in the past, the public now has the power to hold brands accountable almost instantly. The Balenciaga backlash mirrors other moments, like Calvin Klein’s infamous 1980 ad campaign with a 15-year-old Brooke Shields, where she famously said, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” The ad showed Brooke in lingerie, putting on jeans while posed on the ground in highly sexualized positions. At the time it was hugely controversial for sexualizing a minor, but the difference is that without social media, outrage didn’t have the same reach or impact. Today, with platforms amplifying public criticism, brands are forced to respond quickly and can no longer hide behind “artistic expression” when their campaigns cross the line into exploitation.
Interesting article! I think that this new found use for social media has in many ways restricted art, “cancelling” individuals or groups in a way that is arguably harmful to society and culture. However I think you found a great example of how it can also be productive, such as calling out a perverted campaign from a major corporation whom should have definitely know better.