The Controversial Balenciaga Ad Campaign

Back in late November, the Balenciaga luxury fashion brand came under fire for launching a controversial ad campaign featuring young children. The campaign was put together to peddle the brand’s plush and extremely expensive handbags shaped like a teddy bear. In each of the print ads, a child of maybe four years hold is pictured holding one of the teddy bears. What caused the controversy is that the bears are wearing leather bdsm gear, bdsm standing for a range of sexual practices including bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism. An immediate public outcry led Balenciaga to pull the ads. But the fact that they were seen as appropriate in the first place shows just how far how culture has declined. For us as Christian parents, there are two immediate concerns that come to mind. We need to diligently teach God’s good design for sexuality and gender, and we need to teach our kids to pay attention to and evaluate the worldview messages put forth in advertising.