Children’s Mattresses and Adult Men: What Stories Are They Selling?
That’s the central question asked about Gucci’s latest ad campaign featuring singer Harry Styles.
Images from the “HA HA HA” collection were unveiled in November, but an Instagram post promoting the campaign on Monday sparked a new wave of publicity. Many of them cast shadows and question the direction of fashion houses.
“Why is it so hard to be away from kids?” asked a popular comment on Instagram.
“Is this an ad for a kid’s mattress? If not…why does a fashion ad include a kid’s mattress for men? What are you trying to normalize?” asked.
“Keep away from our children,” wrote another critic.
In a statement released with the collection, Gucci called it a “performance piece” where “play is right at the heart of it.” Styles’ dress-up game.
Gucci said in a statement at the time of its release, “It began as small oddities brought together in a childlike vision, transformed into a ‘dream wardrobe’ that reflects the two creative minds behind the collection.” increase.
but the following People online are calling for a boycott of Gucci.
Gucci and Balenciaga are owned by the same parent company, the Kering Group.
Gucci Heiress and Child Advocate Respond
Alexandra Gucci Zarini, great-granddaughter of fashion house founder Guccio Gucci, was among the critics who criticized Gucci’s campaign.
Gucci Zarini, who works as a children’s rights advocate for the Alexandra Gucci Children’s Foundation, said she was “concerned” about the direction.
“Gucci was created to be the most elegant brand with the highest quality products. Its current direction is concerning,” she said in a tweet citing an article about the criticism.
“The protection of children should always come first and not be laughed at.”
“My concern is that there seems to be a common ideology across Kering’s fashion maisons,” she wrote on Instagram.
Its widely criticized campaign by Balenciaga was labeled “disturbing” by many, with children in the ads carrying teddy bear handbags with leather straps and silver studs, and many people “It’s like bondage,” he called it.
Internet investigators found another photo from the Balenciaga and Adidas advertising campaigns containing printed documents of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on child pornography.
Another photo that drew disapproval featured the artist’s book containing images of castrated infants.
After widespread outcry, the French company was forced to issue court documents and an apology addressing the teddy bear bag.
Not the first campaign to be closed
A study published in the UK by The Bailey Review of the Commercialization and Sexualisation of Childhood found that ads featuring children are particularly vulnerable to scrutiny.
In 2010, The Sun reported that clothing store Primark was selling a “paedo bikini,” referring to a padded pink swimsuit top designed for children.
Outraged British parents and child welfare officials have similarly called on consumers to boycott the company, accusing it of promoting pedophilia by making young girls attractive to men.
The conversation escalated, with then-British leader David Cameron intervening, denouncing the “premature sexualization and commercialization” of the child.
Following public outcry, Primark representatives admitted their mistake, withdrew the clothing and donated the profits to a children’s charity.
But another old example done by Calvin Klein in 1999 didn’t have exactly the same result.
After the ad featured a child model wearing branded underwear, it was claimed that the photo focused on the child’s genitalia.
Within a day, the controversy caused the brand to withdraw its campaign, but sales of Calvin Klein’s children’s underwear soared after the scandal. Published in Pornography Studies on Child Sexualization in the Fashion Industry.
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