Actress Nicole Kidman is taking flack on social media right now for failing to speak out against the fashion brand Balenciaga, which is under fire right now for alleged involvement in child pornography, according to a report by The New Zealand Herald. While other stars who have collaborated with Balenciaga have made public statements about the controversy, Kidman has not.
The backlash at Balenciaga reportedly began two weeks ago when the brand published an ad campaign that featured images of young girls carrying stuffed animals wearing bondage gear. Many were disturbed by these sexualized images and wondered who their target audience was. Meanwhile, another image showed a page from the Supreme Court ruling United States. v. Williams, which was the ruling that deemed child pornography illegal and not protected under the right to freedom of speech. Last week, Balenciaga announced that it is suing the photographer responsible for the latter photo and apologizing to fans.
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In the meantime, the company’s work continues – as does work for its hired models. Kidman was among them, posting two photos of herself in a Balenciaga ad campaign on Instagram while the whole controversy was taking shape. Commenters wondered why Kidman would participate in this promotion in the midst of such scandal, though some defenders speculated that she may have been contractually obligated.
“Shame on you,” one person wrote, while another added: “Silence is deafening. So disappointed.” While some figured that Kidman may have signed on for this campaign before seeing the offensive images, others pointed out that some celebrities were able to extricate themselves from the scandal anyway. A prime example was Kim Kardashian, who condemned Balenciaga on Twitter.
“At least [Kim Kardashian] has spoken out. Why the silence here?” one fan wrote. Another added: “Oh sweet [Nicole Kidman], you best remove this and cut ties with this company! Going to [lose] many fans.” A third wrote: “Um – have always loved you Nicole but I’m shocked you haven’t said ANYTHING about the horrendous photos that this brand you’re representing posted.”
Kardashian posted her two cents on this controversy on Sunday, writing: “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. As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard, and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society – period.”
“I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again,” Kardashian concluded. Many fans are holding out for similar statements from Kidman and other stars.
