Keep scrolling for the new-ish app you should be on.
Balenciaga gets cancelled for *highly* controversial new campaign
Fashion house Balenciaga is facing intense backlash for new ad campaigns that sexualised children.
The French brand collaborated with world-famous photographer Gabriele Galimberti on their holiday campaign released earlier this week.
Galimberti is known for capturing images of children surrounded by their favourite toys.
The campaign images featured children holding the brand's 'plush bear bags'. The bears were wrapped in S&M harnesses.
The label removed the images from its website and issued an apology on Instagram stories.
“We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”
To make matters worse, a Spring/Summer 2023 campaign released this week featured the Balenciaga x adidas ‘hourglass bag’ laying on top of US Supreme Court documents (Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition) relating to child pornography law.
The brand issued another apology just two hours after the first, insinuating that the court documents were “unapproved”.
"We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children safety and well-being.”
After the label essentially allocated blame to Galimberti, the photographer issued a statement via Twitter, noting that he was "not entitled in whatsoever manner to neither chose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same”.
While Balenciaga is known for pushing the envelope, many (understandably) feel this has taken things too far.
Fans are now calling on celebrity brand ambassadors Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid to speak on this situation.
See a full breakdown by fashion critic @ideservecouture on TikTok.
Gen Z microblogging app Hive reaches 1 million users in download surge
As Elon Musk continues to destroy Twitter, users are flocking to similar microblogging platforms to get their fix. While Gen X and Millennials have largely set up shop on Mastodon, Gen Z is more interested in an app called Hive.
Founded in 2019 by 22-year-old Kassandra Pop, Hive combines features of Instagram, Twitter, and MySpace.
In addition to the main feed (which is chronological rather than based on a personal algorithm!), users can explore communities based on their interests via the ‘Discover’ tab.
Users can also add music to their profile, harking back to one of the most beloved features of Myspace.
Unlike Instagram and Twitter, however, Hive does not monetise via in-feed ads. Rather, it allows users the ability to pay to unlock additional “slots” to showcase more music on their profile. Pricing ranges from $0.99 to $1.99.
In the wake of Musk’s Twitter takeover, Hive has reached 1 million users and is now in the top 20 on the U.S. App Store.
Read the full story via TechCrunch.
Are Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles dating (again)?
In this week’s edition of TikTok conspiracy theories, internet sleuths are convinced that Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles are dating again.
Rumours began swirling that the former couple might be back together after Kendall was spotted at Harry’s L.A. concert last week with bestie Hailey Bieber.
It was reported shortly after via PEOPLE that Harry and Olivia Wilde (his girlfriend of two years) were “taking a break”.
"He’s still touring and is now going abroad. She is focusing on her kids and her work in LA. It’s a very amicable decision […] right now, they have different priorities that are keeping them apart.”
Three days after this statement, PEOPLE reported that Kendall and her longtime boyfriend Devin Booker had also split.
"Both have incredibly busy schedules right now with their careers and they've decided to make that a priority.”
Kendall and Harry were romantically linked several times between 2013-2019. Despite their alleged on-again-off-again relationship, hundreds of celebrity blind items claim the couple was only ever a PR relationship.
Read the full story via HypeBae.
Charli D’Amelio wins ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale
Who could’ve guessed that a professionally trained dancer with 100 million followers and a reality show on the same television network would win this season of Dancing with the Stars?
TikTok queen Charli D’Amelio won season 31 of Dancing with the Stars with her partner Mark Ballas.
Charli was up against three other celebrity finalists vying for the top spot – comedian Wayne Brady, drag superstar Shangela, and television personality Gabby Windey.
While this season was full of talent, Charli and Mark claimed the top score every week and solidified themselves as the season’s frontrunners from the get-go.
But with the series coming down to a popular vote, there is no denying that Charli’s massive social media following helped secure the win.
Read the full story via Centennial Beauty.
Bela Delgado, Julia Fox & EmRata: Exploring celebrity feminism for the TikTok generation
Centennial Beauty’s podcast, Renegade w/ Lauren & Jordyn, breaks down the TikTok drama between creator Bela Delgado and Julia Fox, exploring what misogyny looks like for the TikTok generation, how it is often masked as “performative feminism”, and the valid criticisms against celebrity feminists like EmRata and Julia Fox.
TikToker Bela Delgado came under fire this week for making misogynistic comments about Julia Fox.
Bela was embroiled in similar controversy last month when they came after feminist creator Drew Afualo.
The saga started last week when Bela posted a TikTok video telling white women to “stop acting like the word ‘bitch’ is the n-word”.
Their video was seemingly in response to being called out for releasing a song titled, ‘Annoying Ass Bitch’.
Bela was heavily scrutinised for this take by women across the app, with many pointing out that people often hide their misogyny behind “white women” to make it more palatable.
Among the various stitches and duets of Bela’s take, celebrity Julia Fox got involved when she commented on the video directly, writing, “Babe you should get out of the house more”.
Bela responded to Julia’s comment with a lengthy rant riddled with misogynistic vitriol about her relationship with Kanye West.
"You are not just a clown, Julia Fox, you are an entire carnival. And your only remotely notable ride is the one you took on Yeezy’s [Kanye West] drop tower to increasingly irrelevant stardom.”
Following intense backlash, Bela put their account on private and issued a statement (visible only to their followers) about the video.
This led to Julia addressing her relationship with Kanye in a since-deleted TikTok video, claiming she dated him to “get him off Kim [Kardashian’s] case.”
Listen to the full episode of Renegade w/ Lauren & Jordyn on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.