controversy

Balenciaga Artistic Director Speaks Out On Child Ad Controversy

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In November of last year, Balenciaga found itself under fire after not one, but two offensive ad campaigns. First, it was the Gift Shop campaign that featured photos of children with inappropriate paraphernalia. Using toddlers as models, this series of advertisements captured images of the children holding bears seemingly dressed with BDSM gear. The background took place in a home setting and was scattered with a variety of items, including inappropriate props like wine glasses.

But, this poorly thought-through campaign wasn’t the only tasteless mistake made by Balenciaga. Only 5 days after the Gift Shop photos were released, Balenciaga also dropped their 2023 Garde-Robe ads. For this campaign, the brand opted for models Nicole Kidman and Bella Hadid. However, they still stirred up trouble. A photo of a Balenciaga x Adidas handbag sitting on a desk turned sour as soon as social media viewers recognized the paperwork that was sitting underneath. One was a copy of the 2008 Supreme Court ruling on US v. Williams, which banned the promotion of child pornography. In addition, the brand placed a book by Michaël Borremans on the desk. Borremans’ work is known to depict seemingly playful scenes of toddlers with a dark and violent twist.

Balenciaga Apologizes for “Unsettling” Mistakes

Evidently, both of these Balenciaga campaigns overtly shed light on a disturbing subject. While the fashion house has been known to spark debates over design choices (such as their crocs with heels), the undertones of these two advertisement concepts didn’t sit well with the internet. The brand eventually removed all images from the campaigns and released public apologies for the controversy.

In a recent interview with Vogue, Balenciaga’s artistic director Demna Gvasalia explained these “unintentional” mistakes. “Despite what many people may have suspected … never, ever would I have an idea to mess around with such an awful and horrible thing,” Demna says. His influence on the initial Gift Shop campaign was intended to be an homage to the “punk and DIY” cultures. As for the following handbag photo, Demna insists that all paperwork was supposed to be fake, and was received from a prop box. In an attempt to make up for their negligence, Balenciaga is actively working with the Kering Foundation and National Children’s Alliance.

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Tiffany & Co x Nike, ‘A Legendary Pair’

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On Sunday, Tiffany & Co. and Nike officially announced their collaboration on the  Nike x Tiffany & Co. Air Force 1 1837s. The shoe is being produced in honor of the 40th anniversary of Nike’s Air Force 1 and was teased over the weekend in a New York Times print ad of a Nike shoe box in Tiffany’s signature robin egg blue. The ad read  “A Legendary Pair.” Shortly after this announcement, the sneaker collab made its way to social media platforms where that “legendary” sentiment is quite hard to find. 

By Tuesday, sneakerheads and social media users largely dismissed the $400 Nike Air Force 1 Low Tiffany & Co. 1837 shoes– proclaiming them as a huge missed opportunity. The shoe is essentially an all black Air Force 1, already deemed a persona non grata of the shoe world, with a Tiffany blue swoosh and silver plated back. 

Commentary now began to flood comment sections across Twitter and Instagram. Users intervened stating: “They’re not bad if you don’t look at them,” “Is this a joke,” “Just Don’t Do It,” “You are a luxury brand, this looks so cheap” and “The design team was high for this one.” On other pages of youth culture such as Highsnobiety, Hypebeast and on popular archive account @liljupiter, people were even less inhibited. 

American rapper Reese LaFlare deemed the entire collaboration “T R A S H,” going on to state that “Nick Diamonds did it better,” in reference to the Diamond & Co. founder who in 2005 collaborated with Nike Skateboarding on what was later dubbed the “Tiffany Dunk.” That sneaker currently fetches over $3,000 on sneaker reseller StockX and remains highly acclaimed. 

Just a short time after the initial announcement of the shoe, the internet made up its mind. The collaboration, cool in theory, lacks substance and the cultural integrity to pull off what now seems like an uneducated marketing ploy. 

Christopher Morency, chief brand officer of Vanguards and the former editorial director of Highsnobiety summed it up best. “Cultural credibility cannot be bought. And it certainly can’t be reduced to a tired marketing template. Tiffany and Nike’s partnership failed on multiple levels. The bottom line: cultural credibility needs to be earned with respect for sneakerheads and their culture, not on their backs.”

Ultimately, the shoe highlights a lack of synergy and fluency with youth culture. Marketing efforts, while clever, lacked knowledge of sneaker culture and were limited by a great lack of imagination. Other creatives on the internet have reinvented their own version of the shoe, many of which are being celebrated by others. So while the Nike x Tiffany & Co collab is generating buzz that will likely lead to purchases, the general consensus on the shoe reflects a much less triumphant affair.

The post Tiffany & Co x Nike, ‘A Legendary Pair’ appeared first on The Source.

Bad Bunny Goes Private On IG Following Phone-Throwing Controversy

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Bad Bunny is undeniably one of the biggest artists on the planet. He effortlessly topped Apple Music’s year-end charts last year, alongside Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI.

His surprise-released album, 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti, effectively catapulted him to new heights in his success and popularity around the world. Furthermore, the city of Los Angeles even honored him with his own day in October.

Bad Bunny performs during his first concert at Azteca Stadium as a part of World’s Hottest Tour on December 9, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Medios y Media/Getty Images)

However, the 28-year-old has recently been wrapped up in some controversy. It all began when a video started surfacing on social media of the “Me Porto Bonito” artist walking around in the Dominican Republic. The footage shows him seemingly having a good time with some fans and taking pictures with them. However, he grabs one girl’s phone from her hand and aggressively throws it away.

Of course, he has since responded to his controversial action. “The person who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something, or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect. Those who come to put a phone in my face, I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect and I will treat it like one,” writes the superstar in his translated tweet.

On Monday (January 9), the Puerto Rico native took to his Twitter account to share a mysterious message. His bio now reads, “me van a extrañar,” which directly translates to “they will miss me” in English. Although the Twitter account is still public, he has changed his Instagram account to be on private mode.

It certainly seems as though some fans agree with his actions, while others are arguing it was unnecessary. Regardless of your thoughts, it’s certainly causing lots of conversations online.

What are your thoughts on the situation? Comment your thoughts down below. Finally, make sure to say tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates.

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Logan Paul Catches Heat After Former Pet Pig Found In Critical Condition

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Logan Paul has been going through more than a few controversies as of late. For instance, he was recently exposed for some allegedly shady practices within his CryptoZoo project. In fact, Paul was going to sue creator CoffeeZilla for his reporting. However, Paul decided to drop the case.

Now, Paul is being criticized for a completely different situation. According to TMZ, a pig named Pearl was rescued by Gentle Barn in California. This pig was found in critical condition in an abandoned field and was laying next to a pig that had actually died. Subsequently, it was revealed that Paul used to keep Pearl as a pet.

As the story goes, Paul had purchased the pig, thinking that it would stay small forever. However, Paul eventually moved to Puerto Rico and needed to give it a new home. The pig was sent to Santa Clarita, however, Paul seems to think the new owner ultimately abandoned the big.

Logan Paul Speaks

Following this news, Paul wrote an email to Gentle Barn where he thanked them for giving the pig a home. He was extremely grateful for the organization, noting that he cared deeply about his former pet.

Logan Paul looks on during the game between the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Unfortunately for Logan, many weren’t buying his comments. While it was confirmed that Logan hasn’t had the pig for two years, many noted that this is a worrying trend amongst influencers. For instance, some pointed out that he should have known the pig wouldn’t be small forever.

“Logan Paul should have been punted into the sun after the evil shit he pulled in Japan. This is also evil. Also I am begging folks to understand that mini pigs DO NOT EXIST there is no such thing as a mini pig! They will not stay tiny!” one Twitter user wrote. “Influencers need to stop buying animals just to abandon them when they’re no longer farming them enough ‘clout.’” another said.

Overall, it is definitely a sad situation as you never want to see an animal in such poor condition. For now, however, it still remains to be seen who is truly at fault.

Let us know what you think of the situation, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more updates on this developing story.

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Akon Draws Backlash After Comparing American & African Performers

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Akon found himself on the wrong side of Twitter this week after a video of him began making the rounds on social media. In the now-viral clip, he compared performers from Africa with those in the United States, seemingly implying that Africans have a better stage presence than their Black American counterparts.

While sitting down with the Zeze Millz Show, Akon and Millz were on the topic of a young African musician. “Well he’s African,” the “Locked Up” singer shared, adding “We’re a little different when it comes to stage presence.”

Akon continued that those in America are often “wobbling, pants hanging half down, bored as hell, half asleep ‘cause they high as hell on stage. But [in] Africa, we wake up in the morning, like look at these YouTube clips of all these kids from Uganda. Like these kids are performers. So for us, it comes natural.”

READ MORE: Akon Believes Canada Is Dominating Hip Hop: “Don’t Get It Twisted”

Shortly after the clip was shared on social media, many gave their thoughts on the singer’s controversial comments.

“As a Ghanaian-American, I hate this with every fiber of my body for so many reasons, but what really gets me about this entire ‘conversation’ is Akon using AAVE while degrading African-Americans,” one user tweeted. “It is both a slap in the face and peak anti-Blackness.”

Another responded with, “FURTHER, I cannot fathom a time when I have EVER heard someone say ‘I wanna see that Akon concert’. From what performance expertise is he coming from and what showstopping stage presence is he under the impression he provides? F**k Akon.”

Akon recently faced backlash for a clip from the same interview. While discussing Nick Cannon’s growing family, the “Soul Survivor” singer supported him, saying, “That’s how life is supposed to be. Why not? He’s rich … He’s responsible.”

Continuing to discuss fatherhood, Akon was asked if he actively shows up to children’s events, with Millz posing, “So every single time, you’re at every single recital?”

“No, that’s a white man’s thing. Who gives a f**k about a recital?” Akon then asserted, adding, “No, seriously. Listen, my job is to raise my kids, to be responsible, to be understanding, to protect their mother, to give a hand with their father, and to assist with family planning, and to be responsible adults.”

What are your thoughts on Akon’s recent interview? Watch it below and share your thoughts in the comments.

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