A day after the Yeezy designer called out celebrities for being silent on the controversy, the 'Kardashians' star shares a statement on her Instagram account.
- Nov 28, 2022
AceShowbiz - Kim Kardashian has issued a statement regarding controversy surrounding Balenciaga's latest campaign that involved children in BDSM-themed photoshoot. As one of the faces of the luxury brand, the reality TV star claimed in an Instagram post that she's outraged by the campaign.
On Sunday, November 27, "The Kardashians" star wrote on Instagram Story, "I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven't been shocked and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns." She explained that it's "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 those disturbing images," Kim, who shares North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm with ex-husband Kanye West, went on saying. "The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and anything against it should have no place in our society - period."
The SKIMS founder also shared that she applauded Balenciaga for removing pictures from the campaign and apologizing. "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," so she concluded.
Kim's statement arrived just one day after Ye criticized celebrities for remaining silent on the controversy as the Spanish fashion house had been accused of sexualizing children. In an interview on Saturday, Ye addressed the "Balenciaga situation" as he came out of a Messianic church. "It shows you all celebrities are controlled," he said. "You don't see no celebrities talking about the Balenciaga situation."
During the interview, the "Donda" rapper also talked about his fallout with Adidas. "We love all people. I'm known to be one of the most forgiving people, we've seen me forgive people. We saw Adidas freeze my accounts. We saw me get de-banked. If that can happen to someone like me, what's happening to all of America?" he shared.
"They tried to destroy my businesses at the same time, and the world saw it, and no one is saying anything," the Yeezy designer continued.
Balenciaga landed in hot water after the release of campaign for its Spring/Summer 2023 collection. The controversial campaign, which was taken by photographer Gabriele Galimberti, featured children holding stuffed animals that appeared to be wearing bondage-inspired outfits. A fan also noticed that one image included an excerpt from a U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld part of a federal child pornography law.
After pulling the controversial images off of social media and completely wiping out its Instagram account amid the backlash, it issued a public apology. "We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign," the brand wrote. "We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children's safety and well-being."
