Harry Styles and Gucci called out for ‘sick’ ad campaign after Balenciaga controversy
Critics drew a connection between Gucci's HAHAHA campaign, starring Harry Styles, and a controversial Balenciaga ad
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Harry Styles and luxury fashion brand Gucci are taking heat for an ad campaign featuring Styles wearing a t-shirt with a teddy bear on it standing in front of what some are alleging is a toddler bed.
Critics of the campaign are drawing similarities to a recent controversial Balenciagia ad, which featured toddlers with teddy bears in bondage. Both Gucci and Balenciagia are owned by the same parent company, Kering Group.
"A performance piece starring #HarryStyles and the #GucciHAHAHA collection," the brand tweeted.
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LILA ROSE: BALENCIAGA ADS ARE A SYMPTOM OF A DEADLY DISEASE ATTACKING OUR KIDS
Critics immediately drew a connection between the Gucci ad and the controversial Balenciaga campaign.
"@gucci Why would you create a ‘performance piece’ with a toddler’s mattress and an adult man?" Alexandra Gucci Zarini, activist and heiress of the Gucci family, posted on Instagram. "My concerns are that there seems to be a common ideology across Kering’s Fashion Houses."
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"Gucci are having Harry Styles pose alongside a child’s mattress with a pink teddy bear shirt. Why are all fashion brand ad makers sick creeps?" tweeted political commentator Sophie Cochran.
"Why does #gucci have Harry Styles, a grown man posing with a child’s mattress and a pink teddy bear t shirt? Im not loving this," tweeted Scottish TV personality and author Gillian McKeith.
"Are you kidding me? A grown man with a toddler mattress?!" Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Katrina Scott commented on Gucci’s Instagram post of the ad. "What is going on with these brands?!"
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Balenciagia came under fire earlier this month for two separate ad campaigns. One depicted children alongside teddy bears in bondage and another included legal documents referencing a Supreme Court case about child pornography.
While Balenciaga apologized for the ad campaigns at the time, both Gucci and parent company Kering remained silent.
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Gucci, Harry Styles and Kering did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.