Kim Kardashian took to social media to condemn Balenciaga’s latest ad campaign which features children holding teddy bears dressed in, what looks like, bondage-like harnesses.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened,” Kardashian tweeted.
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period,” she continued to write.
Kardashian said she appreciated that Balenciaga has since removed the campaign and apologized.
“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,” the reality star continued.
“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — and the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children.”
The Los Angeles native has been a brand ambassador for the fashion house since the 2021 Met Gala when she famously wore a blackout gown that obscured her identity.
Her comments come days after Balenciaga issued an apology on its Instagram story and pulled the images from the ad from its platforms.
“We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused,” the statement said.”Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”
Later, the brand issued another statement regarding another campaign that made reference to a Supreme Court case about child pornography laws.
“We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. 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 photo shoot,” the company said.
Just last month, Balenciaga cut ties with Kardashian’s ex-husband, Kanye West, over his antisemitic comments.
Kardashian and West have four children together: North, Saint, Psalm, and Chicago.
