has been criticised for refusing to denounce , despite a controversy that saw the company linked to a
The Australian actress, 55, stars in the fashion brand’s Spring 2023 campaign, just as the scandal broke.
Fans have since flooded the comment section of Kidman’s Instagram page with calls for her to denounce the brand or release a statement – which have so far gone unanswered because Kidman has kept quiet on the scandal.
‘Silence is deafening’: Nicole Kidman has been lambasted for refusing to address Balenciaga’s BDSM child photo scandal after working with the brand (pictured at the brand’s FW22/23 show)
Underneath the post, which was simply captioned with tags to Balenciaga’s creative team, fans penned: ‘Shame on YOU’; ‘You look beautiful…and I’d drop that campaign like a hot potato.’; ‘WHERE IS YOUR STATEMENT’;
‘Oh sweet @nicolekidman , you best remove this & cut Ties with this company!!Going loose many fans.’ ;’You support this company?!’ ;’Silence is deafening. So disappointed
‘Um- have always love you Nicole but I’m shocked you haven’t said ANYTHING about the horrendous photos that this brand you’re representing posted.Is that something you stand for???????’; ‘Shame on you for keeping this up.’; ‘How is this still up?? You stand by this brand?!!’; ‘Why are you associated with this company? Expected better :(‘
Brand: The Australian actress, 55, stars in the fashion brand’s Spring 2023 campaign, which was unveiled last week just as the scandal broke
Another fan referenced as they penned: ‘At least @kimkardashian has spoken out.Why the silence here?’, while another quipped: ‘Not me looking for clues in the background’.
Kidman, who shares daughters Sunday, 13, and Faith, 10, with husband Keith Urban and two adopted children with ex Tom Cruise was also asked how she’d feel if her children had been featured in the campaign.
MailOnline has contacted Kidman and Balenciaga for comment.
Speak out: Fans have since flooded the comment section of Kidman’s Instagram page with calls for her to denounce the brand or release a statement
Among the clothing worn by the children’s toys in the ads are fishnet stockings, chokers, string vests and chains leading to many on social media to refer to it as ‘child porn’ and ‘disturbing.’
Perhaps the most shocking image is that of a document from a previous advertisement, pictured close to a child and tucked under a purse, the 2008 Supreme Court ruling United States v Williams which examined if laws against the promotion of child pornography were in violation of the first amendment.
The ruling determined that offering or requesting to transfer, sell, deliver, or trade child pornography did not violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, even if a person charged under the code did not in fact possess child pornography with which to trade.
Disturbing: Among the clothing worn by the children’s toys in the ads are fishnet stockings, chokers, string vests and chains leading to many on social media to refer to it as ‘child porn‘
Shocking: One of the ad’s photos contained an excerpt from the US Supreme Court opinion in United States v.Williams, which upheld part of a federal child pornography law, which Twitter’s own fact-checkers confirmed
The late Justice Antonin Scalia noted specifically that offers to engage in illegal transactions are categorically excluded from First Amendment protection.
‘As a result of Defendants’ misconduct, members of the public, including the news media, have falsely and horrifically associated Balenciaga with the repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision,’ court documents reveal.
‘Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association.’
Ads were initially released over Paris Fashion Week at the end of September, start of October and were intended to boost the fashion house’s spring 2023 collection.
On Tuesday, Balenciaga publicly apologized and announced that it will be swiping off the ad from all of its social media profiles.
Clearly embarrassed by its ill-judged campaign, Balenciaga took the drastic step of wiping its social media pages clean.
‘We sincerely apologize for any offense 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,’ the high-end luxury house shared on Instagram.
Apology: Balenciaga issued a public apology on its Instagram profile last week, before deleting its social media history
Speaking out: Kim Kardashian shared a statement addressing the brand after working with them previously (pictured at Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week Show)
Meanwhile, the father of a British child model who posed in the campaign has defended the photoshoot, that his daughter had a ‘fantastic time’ on set.
Balenciaga is typically associated with A-list celebrities but in the fallout from this most recent scandal, model Bella Hadid deleted an Instagram post promoting the brand, but has left several others up that promote Balenciaga.
Balenciaga was founded by Spanish monarchist Cristobal Balenciaga in 1991.The current creative director of the brand is Georgia native Demna Gvasalia.
In 2001, the company, which quotes annual revenues of nearly two billion, was acquired by Kering from Gucci.
