Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga came under fire last week for a series of sexually suggestive ads featuring young child models.
Children who appeared to be about five years old held teddy bears that were dressed in bondage outfits in a Balenciaga photo shoot, according to screenshots shared by several prominent Twitter accounts.
The brand also photographed a purse on a desk with a court decision about child pornography featured conspicuously in the background.
One child stood on a couch while holding a purple teddy bear that was dressed in a bondage outfit, including leather straps wrapped around its neck connected to ruffled thigh straps, according to online screenshots.
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In another photo, a different child stood in front of a table of Balenciaga merchandise holding another bondage teddy bear; this stuffed animal wore a mesh shirt, had leather straps tied around its ankles and wrists along with a choker around its neck with a metal padlock attached. This bear also appeared to have dyed fur like that of a black eye.
One photo displays a Balenciaga purse on a crowded desk with a legal document peeking out from a pile of papers. The document references Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, a Supreme Court case involving child pornography.
The photos drew fierce criticism on social media, with users writing “get away from the children. Stop normalizing pedos” and “This is child exploitation.”
All of the brand’s Instagram posts from before the firestorm over their recent ads have been deleted; the brand currently has nine posts, all uploaded Monday.
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