The high-end fashion brand Balenciaga has received internet backlash for a creepy ad that features two young girls holding stuffed animals dressed in what looks to be bondage gear.
In one photo, a little girl with fiery red hair is shown wearing one of the company’s T-shirts while she holds the strap of a white bear that is wearing a vest with a padlocked choker around its neck.
Another photo featured a little girl with brown hair wearing a blue outfit while holding a purple stuffed animal that was also dressed in BDSM gear.
The company also advertised a handbag with a copy of the Supreme Court’s decision in a child pornography case as a prop.
The photographer behind the creepy ad campaign, Gabriele Galimberti, claimed the inspiration for the photos was part of a project series called “Toy Stories,” according to his Instagram page.
“These days I’ve been looking through my archives for old photos, and among many things, I found some alternative shots from my TOY STORIES project, like this one!” he wrote.
“Toy Stories is an ongoing project; wherever I travel in the world, I take portraits of children with their favorite toys,” he added.
The creepy ad sparked outrage online for normalizing child pornography.
“The brand “Balenciaga” just did a uh….. interesting… photoshoot for their new products recently which included a very purposely poorly hidden court document about ‘virtual child porn’… normal stuff,” one user wrote.
Another user said, “The Balenciaga ad is disgusting. Toddlers posing with BDSM sex toys and alcohol. Hiding in plain sight a Supreme Court case involving a federal child porn law… Stop sexualizing kids to sell your ugly overpriced crap.”
TV host Tucker Carlson criticized the commercial in a recent segment.
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