In November, the Paris-based fashion brand Balenciaga released back-to-back ad campaigns featuring blatant references to child pornography, violence, and sadomasochism. One featured a toddler holding a stuffed animal dressed in sexual clothing. In another, a child lies on a couch surrounded by wine glasses. To remove all doubt about Balenciaga’s intentions, a final photo featured a purse partially covering a printed Supreme Court opinion from United States v. Williams, a case that dealt with child pornography and the First Amendment. To say that Balenciaga is an important player in the fashion industry is an understatement. They’ve dressed everyone from the Kardashians to Rihanna to Nicole Kidman to Justin Bieber. And, for a group so outspoken as champions of social justice, the silence from celebrities was deafening. Only after Tucker Carlson covered the story did Kim Kardashian speak out, tweeting, “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” adding that she would be re-evaluating her relationship with the company. Still, considering that reevaluating and cancelling are different things, Kardashian remains among the minority of Balenciaga’s clients to say anything. In fact, much of the media response to the shocking images can be characterized as naive surprise, as though this was a genuine anomaly for the fashion industry, completely unconnected from movements in the wider culture.  For example, Vogue’s Raven Smith asked incredulously, “I wonder if anyone truly believes we’re in danger of normalizing pedophilia?” To Ms. Smith, I say that even if this particular ad campaign had never seen the light of day, the answer to that question is so obvious only those neck deep in so-called high culture could fail to see it… (READ MORE)

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