I enjoy and learn from all of your posts, and this is no exception. I think what most posts on this thread react to is the juxtaposition of children, not with punk elements, as one member pointed out, but with the BDSM gear, that apparently (I learned this from this thread) lays out a pretty obvious ‘secret’ coded message.
I am horrified that the creative director and associates may have personal Instagram pages filled with far more graphic and objectionable and grotesque images, and I believe that these people should not have been in charge of final vetting of creative decisions. I do think that vetting of those images should have been done with more care. I am also disgusted with the way Balenciaga did not step up to the plate to take entire responsibility of their own ad campaign (I think we disagree on that point). I didn’t think that anyone on this thread equated this with child pornography or supported vigilante behavior of the sort that you mention, but I will reread. I am sure that I am not alone in being grateful for your providing a counterweight to the rest of the thread.
ETA: I was only aware of and focusing on the child with a bondage bear ad campaign, and I was most disgusting with posts that tried to spread disinformation by mentioning tropes, pizzagate, Soros, woke media, and other unrelated stuff, that I do think is conspiracy theory inspired or adjacent. And, I don’t think that Broadway plays or Balthus, or even this ad, as distasteful as it is, do anything to normalize pedophilia. I do think it’s disgusting that some posts cannot even tolerate the existence of a play that discusses the marginalization of offenders, yes rapists etc, who have served their time in state incarceration. We are supposed to believe in a system of Justice after all. WTF is up with those posts, I really don’t know.