Bella Hadid Deletes Balenciaga Instagram Post Amid BDSM Scandal
Bella Hadid Deletes Balenciaga Instagram Post Amid BDSM Scandal
Bella Hadid is cutting ties with Balenciaga after the fashion house faces criticism for its BDSM-themed advertising campaign. The model posted some images of herself posing for the latest collection of the Spanish high-fashion label on her Instagram account before subsequently deleting them.
Bella could be seen posing inside an office wearing the $4,290 “maxi hourglass” coat from the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 line in one of the images she tweeted on Tuesday, November 22. The brand stirred controversy with its bondage-themed campaign starring children, and the 26-year-old beauty afterwards appeared to erase the post.
Children were seen holding plush animals that appeared to be dressed like bondage models in the contentious campaign, which was captured by photographer Gabriele Galimberti. It became even stranger when a sharp-eyed viewer saw that one image had a passage from a Supreme Court decision that partially maintained a federal statute against child pornography.
After receiving criticism, the company swiftly removed the contentious pictures from social media and deleted its Instagram account entirely. It also expressed regret in a statement that stated, “We regret showing disturbing materials during our campaign. We are pursuing legal action against the parties in charge of setting up the scene and including prohibited goods for our Spring 23 campaign photo shoot since we take this issue very seriously. We vehemently reject all forms of child abuse. We advocate for the protection and welfare of children.”
Gabriele also published a statement of his own, denying any involvement in the photoshoot’s creative direction. He partially stated in an Instagram post, “I am not in a position to comment [on] Balenciaga’s decisions, but I must stress that I was not entitled in any way to neither choose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same.
The photographer continued by saying that he had been requested to light the ready-made scene and take the photos in his “signature style.” He added that “direction of the campaign and the choice of the goods displayed” were outside of his control.
