Balenciaga apologises for bondage bear advert involving child

[PandorasMailbox]

They're also taking legal action against its creator

What I want to know is who the hell signed it off and why were the parents happy to let it go ahead?

I've included the images for anyone who hasn't seen them.

First model walking in this show has mastectomy scars.

www.balenciaga.com/en-gb/summer-23

Fugly clothes. The whole thing is intensly sordid and depressing. Why would anyone want to buy this crap?

Looks like mouth-breathing is in for 2023, anyway.

After two minutes I gave up looking at such angry, miserable, depressed looking people. Though I'd be all those things if I had to wear those clothes.

Was that a deliberate expression?

I thought it was a group of very unfit or people without enough energy having to walk fast so they didn't sink in the mud?

Not to mention that after the photo shoot, the photos would have been poured over, air brushed, particular ones selected, and then someone high up in the company would have had to authorise them for publication. At that point, the point of publication, the photographer is well out of it. The decision to put this shit out in public is director level perversion.

I’ve seen the fact that the Telegraph and the Times has reported it, but I am genuinely shocked that people with a high profile platform, including gender critical Twitter and newspaper columnists aren’t calling it out or writing about it. Other than being warned of it from editors re advertising revenue from Kering (the parent company of Balenciaga and many others). But if that’s the case, that’s a horrendous and hypocritical moral choice for them. Photographer Misan Harriman has called it out unequivocally.

Marvellous. 🙄

Thanks for the explanation though Clymene.

She’s got a huge following? I’ve never heard of her and you’ve missed my point which was why isn’t someone more mainstream picking it up! Or is she really mainstream interjecting pro life propaganda into all her broadcasts!?

I’ve already said previously that it’s outrageous. I’m not defending Balenciaga I’m expressing surprise that these random people are being posted with their views as if anyone will be interested in them. I’m disappointed someone more famous isn’t outraged. Talk about twisting words! 🤣

Thank you! so desperate to sniff out an apologist for the sexualisation of kids, some posters will read what they want into anything 🤣
I wanted and expected to see outrage from someone well known.

What are they getting wrong?

Candice Owens is a very popular conservative voice in America.
If you want to wait for ‘your’ people to speak on it, it may be a while…..

Candace Owens is a very famous name in US media. Just because you haven't heard of her, doesn't mean others haven't. I've been aware of her for years.

Here's ABC's Good Morning America (mainstream, liberal) covering it:

New York Post - mainstream, centrist:

What do you mean by ‘my’ people? Do you know me?

I'm also disturbed that the right is vocalising this so strongly (and getting it slightly wrong) and the left are doing what? Are their left wing people in the US discussing this? If not, why not? I would like to stand beside people I also have other things in common with ie not TC.

I’m expressing surprise that these random people are being posted with their views as if anyone will be interested in them. I’m disappointed someone more famous isn’t outraged.

What do you mean by ‘my’ people?

Whoever it is you want to speak out about this rather than the conservative voices you're here complaining about. If you don't want Owens and Carlson and "randoms" covering it, who are you expecting to and why do you thing they aren't? I suspect they aren't because they either don't see a problem with it, or have an agenda leading them to down play it - vested interests, cowardice etc. Which leads me to think that the people you'd ideally like to hear from actually don't share your values. If the people you'd like to hear from behave like that, don't have a go at conservative voices for filling the void; and maybe have a think about what it is you have in common with them and whether it's worth their silence/complicity.

Was just going to respond, but see Moiras done it for me perfectly.

Candace Owens. A random.

Moiras. Cowardice plays a big part and that's tied in with groupthink too. No body else "on my side is" so I'm not going to raise my head over the parapet in case "my side" disown me.

Using the term "kiddie porn" for one.

I'm starting to think that pedophilia is a lot more widespread than I had thought. I work in the creative industries and for a big campaign my work is seen by at least 9 people in my team before it even goes to the client for approval. It's signed off by 5 people before it's briefed to me!

"Child pornography" is part of the offences under US federal law. I wouldn't say it and we don't have that terminology here, but to go from "child" to "kids" or "kiddie" is not exactly unexpected.

What is unexpected, is this photo shoot and the denials and deafening silence from celebs who have deals with the brand. As well as the silence from left wing media outlets.

I was thinking about the whole ‘pizzagate’ thing yesterday.
While I don’t believe the specific ins and outs of it, a circle of powerful people physically and sexually abusing and torturing children absolutely wouldn’t surprise me, and I think the main elements of it are true.
I don’t care if people call me a nut job or conspiracy theorist either

I expected to hear from famous people like Kim K for example - I doubt she’ll wear them again!
I don’t understand why you think I’m saying something about left wing people and why you’re saying left wing people are complicit with child abuse, just because I was surprised at the low quality clips that were posted- one that was basically a platform to promote pro life and the other a kind of badly staged ooh they’re cutting me off stunt. It’s embarrassing and I’m totally baffled by what you’re saying.

Tucker Carlson speaks to his audience. I imagine the ugly term "kiddie porn" hits home in a way that "child sex abuse images" wouldn't. I'm not even sure whether American culture has moved away from the term "Child pornography", and as the document used in the shoot refers specifically to that, then referring to it in a colloquial variation of this term is hardly the worst crime. Concentrating on this rather than the Balenciaga images themselves plays straight into the hands of those who would like to minimise their heinous acts and deflect everything back to the right, finding a way to blame the right for bringing this up, as they do with many such controversies.

I think the reason we think you’re saying something about left wing voices is because you were asking where all the left wing voices are….
You’ll be waiting a long time to hear them say anything.
We think they’re complicit, because they never say anything….