Kim Kardashian's New Career Move Slammed

Kim Kardashian is facing criticism on social media after she was named an official ambassador for beleaguered fashion brand Balenciaga.

Balenciaga faced backlash in November 2022 for since-deleted campaign images on its website. One photo shoot featured children holding teddy bears wearing bondage clothing, while another featured an image of a Supreme Court opinion on a child pornography case.

The company was quick to apologize, with brand creative director Demna Gvasalia owning up to his role in the ad campaign. "I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids, and I take my responsibility," he said in a statement on December 2, 2022.

At the time, photographer Gabriele Galimberti told Newsweek that he had minimal involvement in the teddy bear ad and was simply asked to point and shoot.

Following days of criticism, Kardashian, who has long been associated with Balenciaga, said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that she was "disgusted" and "shaken" by the images and that she was "re-evaluating" her relationship with the label.

However, in the several months since, Kardashian has been seen wearing Balenciaga again and has now announced that she's an official face of the brand.

"For several years now, Balenciaga's designs have been a part of my many looks—and some of my most iconic fashion moments," Kardashian said in a statement. "This historic fashion house embraces modernity, craftsmanship and takes an innovative approach to design under Demna.

"For me, this longstanding relationship is built on mutual trust and a commitment to doing what's right. I'm excited about this next chapter for the brand and to become their ambassador," the reality TV star and businesswoman added.

However, the announcement has been met with widespread fury online, with one X user quipping: "Looks like the backlash and outrage at that weird campaign has passed eh."

"The same brand that sexualized children, we just supposed to forget about that?" another weighed in.

"I thought Balenciaga was canceled," one detractor commented, while another asked of Kardashian: "Has she learned nothing?"

"No integrity. No morals. Stand for nothing," another wrote. "How it went from [denouncing] the brand, relinquishing your involvement to now being the brand ambassador."

Amid the flood of critical posts, a few X users defended the move, with one saying that Balenciaga "[apologized] for that child BDSM AD."

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Kardashian via email for comment.

Kardashian's announcement comes after she said she was "reevaluating" her relationship with the brand in November 2022 because of its controversial campaign.

She said at the time that as a mother of four children—whom she shares with ex-husband Kanye "Ye" West—she was "shaken by the disturbing images" of the advertisements.

"The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period," she wrote on X at the time.

She said: "I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven't been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened."

Kardashian said that she "appreciated" Balenciaga's decision to issue an apology and drop the campaign and she was "reevaluating [her] relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with."

After initially criticizing celebrities for not speaking out on the Balenciaga scandal, Kardashian's ex-husband West defended the fashion brand in X posts shared in December 2022.

"I stand by Balenciaga and denounce all witch hunts and I cancel cancel culture. Jesus is King. Ending trafficking doesn't start or end with a fashion campaign for Christ Sake," the rapper wrote in archived tweets seen by Newsweek.

"Never turn our backs [on] Demna and the Balenciaga family for life," he said in a follow-up post that featured a photo of himself dressed in a bulky black ensemble. "Cancel cancel culture. Jesus please heal."

West, who has since been seen shopping at Balenciaga, has collaborated on a number of projects with the brand's creative director over the years. In December 2022, Balenciaga cut ties with West over his string of antisemitic statements.