What do y'all think about the Balenciaga SS23 & Adidas collab "teddy" controversy?

[Swanky]

Bears repeating!

We'd like to leave this thread open, but political conspiracy theories, among other comments need to stop. Discuss the topic only please, let's keep the discussion open and all responses to others need to remain respectful.

Also, let’s stick closely to topic, it really helps preventing tangents and drama.

 

[ccbaggirl89]

Which just shows they were on this p*do bandwagon for a long time, and saw how much they got away with it until it blew in their faces with this teddy photoshoot because they kept getting bolder. This was planned to the most finest detail, mark my words.

Agree, it went through too many levels to have escaped notice and not have been completely planned and approved. It just makes me wonder who the Bal target audience is-- if this is what they wanted and planned, was it just for exposure/controversy or do they truly think this campaign speaks to their customers and will be ok with them?

 

[880]

int can be shorter term with decent crisis management and proper public relations. Missteps and other variations of moral rot haven't always sunk a legacy brand. What they do in response makes the difference.

I find it ludicrous to suggest that consumers should excommunicate their bags from 2001--Fall 2022 on this basis...what the hell.

Agree 100%

Also agree with @muchstuff re chanel, and in principle with @HAZE MAT re art, though the use of children is over the pale.

 

[RitaLA]

Agree, it went through too many levels to have escaped notice and not have been completely planned and approved. It just makes me wonder who the Bal target audience is-- if this is what they wanted and planned, was it just for exposure/controversy or do they truly think this campaign speaks to their customers and will be ok with them?

There is a bigger narrative here, which is desensitizing people culturally to issues of child sexual abuse. Culture doesn't change overnight. There has to be a narrative that follows a theme over and over and over again. AKA brainwashing. The more people are exposed to it, the more they become accustomed to it and desensitized so they don't question it anymore. The goal is not just to push "the envelope once." There are several different brands, entities, and individuals involved in this cultural narrative to promote a certain message so it becomes normalized. It's not as easy and simple as one might think. Some people changed the name to "child-attracted person." So, they start changing language, exposing people to images, and in your brain's neuroplasticity, society starts getting used to it. Suddenly, a sense of right and wrong is gone and we don't even know how we got there. Think about this: "child-attracted person?" What in the world happened to decency in this country?

 

[millivanilli]

The pictures that showed a toddler holding a bdsm bear in front of whine glasses?

As a kink-positive, bdsm practicing person I find that DIS-GUS-TING! I am really taken aback. As a strict antialcoholic person I am annoyed. But that BDSM element... beyond. Simply beyond.

As I read in the Twitter link the question if this teddy bear outfit would be "80ies punk": nope. this is clearly BDSM language. I remember the 80ies pretty well, too.

There is a bigger narrative here, which is desensitizing people culturally to issues of child sexual abuse. Culture doesn't change overnight. There has to be a narrative that follows a theme over and over and over again. AKA brainwashing. The more people are exposed to it, the more they become accustomed to it and desensitized so they don't question it anymore. The goal is not just to push "the envelope once." There are several different brands, entities, and individuals involved in this cultural narrative to promote a certain message so it becomes normalized. It's not as easy and simple as one might think. Some people changed the name to "child-attracted person." So, they start changing language, exposing people to images, and in your brain's neuroplasticity, society starts getting used to it. Suddenly, a sense of right and wrong is gone and we don't even know how we got there. Think about this: "child-attracted person?" What in the world happened to decency in this country?

sadly enough I agree.

I want to add: we are getting used to children as soldiers and weapons. Just watch the newest Thor movie, the last scenes. I wanted to vomitt. Sadly, husband and me were the only ones recognizing that there is a shift in the narrative. Really don't know what's going on. REALLY NOT. But it is terrifying

(I am speaking about that scene:

 

[millivanilli]

German press is writing about it, too.

Here's the link

https://www.faz.net/aktuell/stil/mo.../f25a46e8-6ccd-11ed-a257-52d1e0-18488545.html

And here's a screenshot:



the headlines translates as following:

Balenciaga in a crisis.Children with Bondage Teddybears

I let deppl translate the text:

Balenciaga apologizes for an ad campaign depicting children with fetish bags. Was this a deliberately staged scandal by the Parisian luxury brand?
Demna was lucky again. When a ****storm threatened to descend on fashion brand Balenciaga and its chief designer this week - not much happened, except for a bit of excitement on Twitter. For too much news came in between in public: the debate about the World Cup, for example, and for fashion fans then also the surprising departure of Alessandro Michele from Gucci.
Discussions about Demna, who in his role as designer does without his last name Gvasalia, are certainly scandalous. A Balenciaga Christmas campaign features young children in homey settings, with teddy bears wearing a fetish leather harness of the kind used in sadomasochistic bondage practices. Children in such a context? "I understand that a big part of Balenciaga's marketing is the shock factor," wrote one Twitter user, "but this is just disgusting."

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

and I found this intel.



I will never ever buy from them again. NEVER.

 

[millivanilli]

I think that we tend to blow things out of proportion. The so called bondage gear is no different than looking at works by Tom of Finland.

Honestly I really found the campaign a brilliant social commentary particularly about us.

Often art speaks more about us than the artist themselves. Similar flap over the Mapplethorpe stuff back in the 1980s.

no it is not. Believe an active kinkster. IT IS NOT! If you know the hidden signs you see them in the pictures. It is dog whistle policy in a picture, and not a good one.

 

[millivanilli]

Which just shows they were on this p*do bandwagon for a long time, and saw how much they got away with it until it blew in their faces with this teddy photoshoot because they kept getting bolder. This was planned to the most finest detail, mark my words.

correct. And this is even worse.

Here is my opinion about the pictures. I'm already long enough in the BDSM scene to be able to read the visual language of the pictures - what I already wrote on the subject " dog whistle in pictures".
The problem is not only the teddy, which is already disturbing enough, but in the structure of the image.
The picture on the bed shows a setup of a bed as it is defined as "appealing" in the BDSM context - everything is lying straight next to each other, a leash is ready (nobody has seen it, right? well, leashes take place in BDSM ), the items are lined up neatly and straight. The mat reminds of a pad, the towels also remind of a BDSM session. That alone is enough to make a reference to BDSM. It gets really scary when you look at the posture of the children. In the BDSM field there are different currents, one enjoys great popularity among particularly "delightful contemporaries" (which I reject by the way, but is another topic) and one of the poses is definitely a slave posture. Yes, the word is nasty, but in the BDSM context many people carry this title with pride, so no discussion here about this topic please, because BDSM is primarily consensual and categorically rejects any contact with children and also with uninvolved third parties.
So when I say that the picture has a clear reference to BDSM, then you can assume that people like me can "read" these pictures very well. And this is such frightening, disgusting, outrageous, unbearable and indiscussable that I really can't say anything more about it except: GO TO ****ING HELL!

That said, I am happy to report that the IG account of B. (won't write that name anymore) is: empty. Let's keep it that way. (and you can't comment on the Kering account, which is sad bc I wanted to let them know how I feel about them).

 

[Allisonfaye]

They are also on the list of companies who were supposedly pulling ads from Twitter for allowing free speech on both sides of the spectrum.

 

[Yhte123]

I am glad I never bought from this disgusting greedy luxury brand and never will. And I will judge whoever wears Balenciaga from now on idgaf

Right? Like thank god I’m not the only one that feels this way

They are also on the list of companies who were supposedly pulling ads from Twitter for allowing free speech on both sides of the spectrum.

That person didn’t allow free speech by recently banning multiple accounts for no reason, or ones that criticized him, and not allowing (Alex) everyone back. Very tyrannical. Makes me worried for free speech. Not very free speechy of him for me!

Also Chanel and Lvmh brands have also pulled as well. Not going to hold it against Bal bc of this!

 

[alikat33]

I just saw this news on Twitter, so looked it up. Shocking, to say the least. What’s even worse is all the people (Balenciaga execs, the photographer, the dad of one of the child models) not taking responsibility. All these people looking the other way. Not my problem.
sorry, honey, you ARE the problem.

 

[Allisonfaye]

And it wasn't just kiddie stuff. There was a woman made up to look like she had a black eye, glorifying domestic abuse?

 

[Yhte123]

correct. And this is even worse.

Here is my opinion about the pictures. I'm already long enough in the BDSM scene to be able to read the visual language of the pictures - what I already wrote on the subject " dog whistle in pictures".
The problem is not only the teddy, which is already disturbing enough, but in the structure of the image.
The picture on the bed shows a setup of a bed as it is defined as "appealing" in the BDSM context - everything is lying straight next to each other, a leash is ready (nobody has seen it, right? well, leashes take place in BDSM ), the items are lined up neatly and straight. The mat reminds of a pad, the towels also remind of a BDSM session. That alone is enough to make a reference to BDSM. It gets really scary when you look at the posture of the children. In the BDSM field there are different currents, one enjoys great popularity among particularly "delightful contemporaries" (which I reject by the way, but is another topic) and one of the poses is definitely a slave posture. Yes, the word is nasty, but in the BDSM context many people carry this title with pride, so no discussion here about this topic please, because BDSM is primarily consensual and categorically rejects any contact with children and also with uninvolved third parties.
So when I say that the picture has a clear reference to BDSM, then you can assume that people like me can "read" these pictures very well. And this is such frightening, disgusting, outrageous, unbearable and indiscussable that I really can't say anything more about it except: GO TO ****ING HELL!

That said, I am happy to report that the IG account of B. (won't write that name anymore) is: empty. Let's keep it that way. (and you can't comment on the Kering account, which is sad bc I wanted to let them know how I feel about them).

View attachment 5660580

Look at how quiet Kering is about this Bal situation but willing to issue press comments/releases about the Gucci news

T H E Y D O N O T C A R E

I’ve stopped giving them benefit of the doubt .. it’s sad when gucci/ysl/bottega etc had good designs but it’s clear this degenerate behavior runs deep in their company. like I said Kering and balenciaga have the same staff and located in the same headquarters. Kering 10000% knew about and green lit this campaign too. I bet you my entire wardrobe!

 

[Yhte123]

And it wasn't just kiddie stuff. There was a woman made up to look like she had a black eye, glorifying domestic abuse?

Omg where?! I didn’t see it! Another disgusting thing to add to this endless list

 

[HAZE MAT]

I think that we tend to blow things out of proportion. The so called bondage gear is no different than looking at works by Tom of Finland.

Honestly I really found the campaign a brilliant social commentary particularly about us.

Often art speaks more about us than the artist themselves. Similar flap over the Mapplethorpe stuff back in the 1980s.

A solid article on how much the news just like to make mountains out of molehills. https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/balenciaga-child-ad-conspiracy-theory/

 

[dangerouscurves]

I think that we tend to blow things out of proportion. The so called bondage gear is no different than looking at works by Tom of Finland.

Honestly I really found the campaign a brilliant social commentary particularly about us.

Often art speaks more about us than the artist themselves. Similar flap over the Mapplethorpe stuff back in the 1980s

Bondage gear on CHILDREN. Da heck?!?!