Kim Kardashian has opened up on Balenciaga's 'child abuse' controversy, the ad featuring young children holding teddy bears in BDSM-inspired clothing, which some compared to child pornography. It's been more than a month since Balenciaga faced massive backlash and public scrutiny over the same. Along with this, Kim was also bearing the brunt because of her close association with the brand. Now, she has finally addressed the matter.
According to People magazine, she said, "With the Balenciaga thing... everyone was like, 'Why aren't you speaking out? Why aren't you speaking out?' And I'm like, Wait. I'm not in this campaign. I don't know what's happening. Let me take a minute to like research this."
"And then as soon as I saw what everyone was seeing on the internet and the reality of the situation, I completely spoke out and gave my thoughts," she added.
Kim denounced the Balenciaga campaign a week after it was all across the internet. She took to social media to call the brand out and even said that it was time for her to rethink her association with the brand. While speaking on the podcast, Kim felt like her statement wasn't enough for people. "But because I didn't say, 'F--- you, Balenciaga. That's it,' people got mad at that," she said. "So they're mad if I don't speak out. They're mad if I do speak out, and if I don't cancel."
Kim said it was tough having to deal with that situation knowing that "no matter what you can't win." "You don't want to be a part of the narrative, but you're brought in," Kim explained. "But then I have to take responsibility and say, 'Okay, people look at me as the face of this, so let me speak out.' I just always want to do the right thing."
On November 26, Balenciaga released its new campaign that featured kids holding teddy bears dressed in bondage. It took the internet by storm and many called the brand out for allegedly sexualising children and promoting child pornography. Later, Balenciaga issued a public apology via a statement on social media that read, "We sincerely apologize for any offence our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms."
