Kim Kardashian further shares her stance after people accuse Balenciaga of sexualizing children through its latest campaign. In a new Instagram Story, “The Kardashians” star reveals how the controversy will likely affect the future of her partnership with the Spanish luxury brand.
“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand,” the SKIMS founder said on Sunday, November 27, “basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with.”
The 42-year-old star, who shares four children with ex-husband Kanye West, also noted that she’s going to see whether the brand will take “the actions I am expecting to see” to protect children.
Internet users, however, appeared to be skeptical that Kim would cut ties with Balenciaga. “Reevaluate on child abuse & pedophilia??? Got it…,” one person commented. “Say you’re going to continue working with them without saying you’re going to continue working with them…,” another person added.
“So you were ready to cancel your ex husband in the quickness for speaking facts but you’re willing to ‘reconsider’ working with a company that BLATANTLY displayed such distasteful advertisement surrounding child p*rnography!?Money really TALKS huh? But its protect the kids lol these ‘celebrities’ yall look up to smh,” another comment read.
Someone, meanwhile, thought that slamming Kim for the matter was unfair. “Before we start holding Kim to this standard….: I just want to know…..how many of y’all threw away ALL of your Balenciaga bags/shoes/clothes? Asking for a friend,” the person said.
Prior to this, Kim issued a statement regarding the whole controversy. Writing on Instagram Story, she explained, “I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been shocked 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.”
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by those disturbing images,” the daughter of Kris Jenner 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.”
After applauding Balenciaga for removing pictures from the campaign and apologizing, the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” alum concluded, “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.”
Kim’s comment came after Ye called out celebrities for remaining silent on the controversy. In an interview on Saturday, the “Gold Digger” spitter said, “It shows you all celebrities are controlled. You don’t see no celebrities talking about the Balenciaga situation.”
As for Balenciaga, it removed pictures from the campaign, which featured children holding stuffed animals that appeared to be wearing bondage-inspired outfits, immediately following the backlash. The luxury brand also apologized in a statement which read, “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 photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children’s safety and well-being.”
