Kim Kardashian breaks silence and slams Balenciaga over ‘disturbing’ kids ads
Kim Kardashian has broken her silence following the backlash against Balenciaga’s new campaign, which featured images of children holding teddy bear bags in bondage gear.
The reality TV star slammed the fashion brand over the controversial ads and revealed that she’s "re-evaluating" her relationship with the brand.
In a series of posts on Twitter, Kardashian wrote: "I have been quiet for the past few days..
“Not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.
As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 27, 2022
"As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images.
"The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalise child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period."
The high-end fashion house removed the images, which show children clutching teddy bear bags adorned in bondage gear, and issued an apology last Tuesday amid public outrage.
The problematic campaign also included a printed copy of a US Supreme Court decision on child porn laws in the background of one image.
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. pic.twitter.com/zBlACUiZjo
— Sav! (@thisissavvy1) November 21, 2022
Kardashian continued: "I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology.
"In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again."
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star concluded by revealing that she’s mulling over if she’ll continue to work with the retailer.
She said: "As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with - and the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children."
Balenciagas previously stated: "We sincerely apologise for any offence our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign."
They added they strongly condemn the "abuse of children in any form".
The Skims founder’s tweets come after fans had been flooding her social media comment sections, slamming her over her silence.
One wrote under her post that promoted a sale on her skin care line: “Nobody wants to buy anything from you.
“Speak up and stand for something.” Another wrote: “When are you going to respond Kim?! Your reputation is on the line here.”
On Friday, Balenciaga filied a £20 million lawsuit against the production company and set designer behind the ad campaign.
The ads supported Balenciaga’s spring 2023 collection, which recently debuted at Paris Fashion Week.
Kardashian has worked with the brand for the past few years and posed in its winter 2022 campaign.
