After the fashion brand, Balenciaga came under fire for a contentious advertising campaign, singer Brittany Aldean responded by posting a photo of herself throwing out some of her own Balenciaga clothing.
The wife of country music superstar Jason Aldean, who is 33 years old, posted a photo on social media in which she is seen carrying plastic bags that are stuffed with the brand’s clothing and shoes. The photo was accompanied by the caption:
It’s trash day.
Aldean was responding to the recent controversy surrounding the fashion house’s bizarre photoshoot, which featured child models posing with bags in the shape of teddy bears while wearing bondage and BDSM gear. The photo shoot was criticized for being inappropriate and offensive.
In addition to the photo shoot, sharp-eyed online investigators noticed that in one of the pictures, there appeared to be papers from a controversial Supreme Court case related to child pornography. This was discovered in conjunction with the photo shoot. Now, a number of celebrities, including the mother-of-two, are speaking out publicly against the Spanish luxury brand.
Aldean was seen wearing a chic all-black outfit in the picture that was uploaded to her Instagram page. Her outfit consisted of a sweater and fitted slacks, among other black garments. She finished off the ensemble with a pair of oversized black sunglasses with a cat-eye shape.
In addition to that, she was carrying a clear bag that was stuffed with high-end accessories by the label, such as a pair of slide sandals that cost $400 and an orange handbag that cost $3,000. She was also wearing a pair of platform boots.
Her husband, the musician Jason Aldean, commented on the post with a number of clapping emojis and added the following:
Show em how to ‘walk the walk’ babe!
The post by Aldean denouncing the campaign comes after Kim Kardashian, the ambassador for Balenciaga, issued a statement in response to the criticism she received from users of social media for not speaking out sooner about the contentious campaign. Aldean’s post follows Kardashian’s statement.
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.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 27, 2022
The reality TV star wrote on her Instagram stories and Twitter that she had been “shaken by the disturbing images” and that “any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society – period.”
The 42-year-old woman stated that the reason for her silence was not due to a lack of revulsion or outrage but rather because she desired to speak with the company in order to “understand for [herself] how this could have happened.”
Kardashian praised the brand for removing the campaigns and putting out a statement, and she told her followers that she believed the luxury couture house understood the gravity of the situation.
The woman, who is a mother of four, came to the conclusion that she was “re-evaluating” her relationship with them based on the amount of responsibility that they accepted.
Initially, the brand pointed the finger at Gabriele Galimberti, a photographer based in Paris, saying that he was to blame for the problematic photographs that were taken during the photo shoot.
However, the 45-year-old photographer responded to the criticism on social media by asserting that, despite the fact that he was the one who shot the pictures, he was “not entitled” to choose the products or models that were featured in the campaign. He came forward to address the controversy.
For this reason and in response to additional criticism, Balenciaga issued a third statement on its Instagram page on November 28 in which it “strongly condemned” the abuse of children.
We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in the narrative,
the luxury couture company stated:
This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure in assessing and validating images.
The label explained that the purpose of the campaign was “to replicate a business office environment,” and it claimed that all of the props had been “provided by third parties.” This clarification was made in reference to the court documents that were visible in some of the shots.
They said that it takes “full accountability for our lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background” and that the “inclusion of these unapproved documents” was “reckless negligence.”
We want to learn from our mistakes and identify ways we can contribute,
Balenciaga concluded.
Balenciaga reiterates its sincere apologies for the offense we have caused and extends its apologies to talents and partners.
