THE now-deleted holiday ad campaign of luxury fashion brand Balenciaga is reprehensible not only for images of toddlers with teddy bears clad in fetish wear. What’s more disturbing is that the product line of teddy bears in itself may be used for pedophilia.
Why is this seemingly elitist issue, thousands of kilometers away, also relevant to the Philippines? US-based non-governmental organization Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center said the teddy bear may be used as tools for pedophiles lurking online, and potentially victimizing Filipino children.
- 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abusers
In the US, 90 percent of children who are victims of sexual abuse “know the perpetrator in some way.” Around 68 percent of them are abused by a family member.
In the Philippines, faith-based organization, International Justice Mission, said more than half of the arrested cases of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) they have monitored were parents, relatives or close family friends. The Philippines is the global hotspot of OSEC. World’s child predators prefer Filipino children more compared to other nationalities.
- Child with product which adults (and parents) “trust”
“Let’s picture a vulnerable child in a scenario with an adult that they know and trust.
“Now add in the images from this campaign, or worse – the product itself – and think of where that can lead.
“‘It’s okay for your teddy bear to do it, so it’s okay for you, too.’
“It’s beyond disturbing,” Abbie Newman, CEO of Mission Kids, said.
- Teddy bear as symbol of innocence and safety
Mission Kids Child Advocacy said they usually give each child who visits their center with a teddy bear.
“The teddy bear is seen by our children as a symbol of comfort and hope, so much so that they often ask if they can take one home for their siblings, too,” Newman said.
By using teddy bear in its marketing strategy, Balenciaga “warps” the toy’s symbolism into a “normalized, sexual object.”
In doing so, Balenciaga’s bag collection of teddy bears in bondage wear “ripe for abusers to exploit.”
4. Helps predators in the ‘scripts for child grooming’
“Aside from the profoundly poor judgment of featuring toddlers in a wildly inappropriate and sexualized photoshoot, this product and campaign send a message to children that would essentially save child abusers steps in the grooming process,” Newman said.
No, “grooming” is not about combing the dog or cat’s fur.
“Grooming” referred to here is a pedophile’s action preparing a child for a meeting. Pedophiles do this by befriending a child in the internet chat room, with the intention of committing a sexual offense. As soon as the child and pedophile establishes an emotional bond, the child’s inhibitions are lowered and can be lured to pose naked in front of the camera or worse, to meet the pedophile in person.
Balenciaga apology ‘not enough’
Balenciaga had apologized for the fashion faux pas, in two separate statements.
“We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative,” the company said. “Our plush bear bags and the Gift collection should not have been featured with children. This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure in assessing and validating images. The responsibility for this lies with Balenciaga alone.”
The luxury fashion house also sued the production company for another ad campaign where paperwork about a Supreme Court ruling on child pornography placed on top of a Balenciaga purse. It is seeking US$25 million damages from production company North Six, Inc., set designer Nicholas Des Jardins and his company.
But the CEO of Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center stressed that the production company is not the only one responsible for the “dangerous and irresponsible” marketing strategy.
“There are multiple times someone could have intervened: Balenciaga, the ad agency, modeling agency, photographer, assistants, copywriters, stylists, editors, agents, and even the children’s caregivers. This lack of action highlights the need for greater bystander intervention. Why did no one step in?” she said.
Newman said Balenciaga should “do more” than issue an apology.
“As child advocates, we condemn this behavior and call on all responsible parties to do more. As responsible adults, we all must take accountability and intervene when someone crosses a line with a child. If we don’t speak up for children, who will?” she asked.
