TikTokers destroy Balenciaga products to protest the brand

• Last week, Balenciaga apologized for its recent ad campaign that was accused of pedophilia.
• TikTokers have been destroying Balenciaga products on social media to protest and boycott the brand.
• A TikToker company said it got rid of a pair of sunglasses that retail for $1,035.

TikTokers are filming themselves burning, chopping up and throwing Balenciaga products in protest of the brand’s controversial ad campaign featuring children carrying teddy bear bags with what appears to be bondage equipment.

Balenciaga I apologize and removed Announcements from social media on November 22, In the wake of accusations that they have sex with young children.

in social media statementThe brand wrote, “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with the kids in this campaign.” The brand added that it strongly condemns “child abuse in any form.”

Netizens continue to speak out against Balenciaga on social media after the brand apologized. hashtag #cancelbalenciaga It has 70 million views on TikTok, which is where people are Discuss Their thoughts on controversial photos.

They are also now public destruction or Renounce Their Balenciaga products.

One A user with 65,000 followersHer name is Gianna C. Avalos, and she can be seen cutting a black leather bag that she said cost $1,500 when she bought it at Balenciaga, in California. video From November 28.

“This is basically my everyday bag. It won’t be like that anymore,” she says in the clip, as she cuts the straps with scissors.

She told Insider that she wanted to use her platform to address the issue.

“I think as influencers, it’s important we don’t lose sight of the oomph that our voice has on the platform that carries our followers. We can either use that voice to raise awareness or stay silent,” she said, adding, “There’s a reason I didn’t throw away the bag, repurpose it, or make a donation.” with it or sell it. I no longer want this bag to have a place in our society.”

British TikToker Chloé Hennessey posted a similar comment videowhich has received 1.2 million views, on November 27, she cut off her blue Balenciaga jacket and discarded a number of other items she said she bought from the brand, including what appeared to be a pair of LED sunglasses. Retails for $1,035 in the United States she is open She had just bought a day ago.

Hennessy, who I gave birth to a baby last yearShe said that as a mother, she felt, “It’s really disgusting to see children being sexually exploited and exploited in this way.”

Most commenters on Hennessey’s video said they supported her decision to discard the products, but one comment with 1,000 likes suggested TikToker should have donated the items instead.

“In general, I find cancellation culture really annoying, but in this case, I think it’s for a good reason,” Hennessy told Insider, adding, “If you give it to a homeless person or if you give it to a charity, somewhere it’s still hanging around with Balenciaga, who represents this brand.

“I would really feel uncomfortable if someone wore Balenciaga around me knowing that what they did was already widely publicized,” she said.

Alexis Adjei, Lifestyle TikToker with 6,000 followers photographed herself Throwing a number of Balenciaga-branded apparel in front of 3.8 million people echoed a similar sentiment in a statement provided to Insider.

“It belongs in the trash,” she said, adding, “I think anyone who is angry, upset, upset, or frustrated by Balenciaga’s actions has every right to feel what he’s doing.”

Destroying products from controversial brands has become a popular form of online activism to protest and engage in boycotts against them.

In April, Insider reported that Chanel bags were slashed by Russian influencers In front of the camera after the luxury fashion house banned them from buying its goods in the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

And recently, in October, A Florida man named Danny Schiff posted a series of TikToks burning 10 pairs of shoes from Yeezythe brand founded by Ye, formerly Kanye West, to protest anti-Semitic remarks made by the rapper.

—Kim Kardashian November 27, 2022

a Celebrity number She has spoken out against Balenciaga in the wake of the controversy, including Kim Kardashian, who said she was “disgusted and outraged” by the recent ads on Twitter. Mail From November 27. In the statement, she told her followers that she is currently “re-evaluating” her relationship with the brand, because She previously appeared in Balenciaga ads And her too They wore the brand to red carpet events.

Kering — the French luxury goods company that owns Balenciaga — did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from the Insider’s Digital Culture team here.