Luxury Ad Featuring Child Holding Teddy Bear Bag... Turns Out to Be 'Byeontae-gom'

Holding a Bear Doll Wearing a Net Outfit Tied with Leather Straps
CNN Strongly Criticizes, Saying It Evokes Sadistic Sexual Acts (BDSM)
Luxury Brand Balenciaga Finally Pulls Ad and Apologizes

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Spanish luxury brand Balenciaga faced fierce criticism after releasing an advertisement featuring a child holding a teddy bear dressed in a 'pervert' outfit, and subsequently removed the ad and issued an apology.

On the 24th (local time), according to US broadcasters NBC and CNN, Balenciaga released a photo over the past weekend in a new product advertisement showing a young girl wearing Balenciaga Kids line clothing holding a teddy bear-shaped handbag. At first glance, the handbag looked like an ordinary teddy bear, but upon closer inspection, it was dressed in bondage gear made of leather straps with studs and a net-like outfit. Additionally, an empty wine glass was placed in front of the child model during the photo shoot. CNN strongly criticized this, stating, "This advertisement evokes sadomasochistic sexual acts (BDSM)."

The advertisement, photographed by renowned Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti, sparked a wave of criticism and condemnation from angry netizens on social media platforms (SNS) once it was posted online. One Twitter user sarcastically commented, "Balenciaga posted a photo on their website featuring a young girl playing with a teddy bear wearing bondage gear. Amazing."

A Twitter post criticizing Balenciaga's inappropriate advertisement. Photo by Yonhap News

As the criticism intensified, Balenciaga quickly surrendered. The company issued a statement on its Instagram apologizing, saying, "Our teddy bear bag should never have appeared alongside a child in this advertisement," and "We have immediately removed the problematic advertisement from all media." They continued, "We apologize for the inclusion of offensive content in an advertisement released under the Balenciaga name," and "We take this matter very seriously and will hold legally responsible those who produced the advertisement without company approval."

However, even after the company's apology, the angry public sentiment has not easily subsided. One Twitter user said, "Balenciaga may have 'apologized,' but everyone knows this advertisement crossed the line," adding, "This is a promotional strategy to attract attention through controversial content. Sexualizing children is absolutely unacceptable."

Photographer Galimberti also expressed his position. After remaining silent for several days and receiving hundreds of hate mails and messages, he issued a statement on the 23rd. He defended himself by saying that the direction and shooting method of the advertisement were beyond his control. He said, "I can only illuminate the prepared scenes and shoot in my 'signature style,' but I cannot control the advertisement's direction or the selection of subjects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.