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Harry Styles and Gucci slammed for 'creepy' ad featuring toddler bed weeks after Balenciaga scandal

In the set of images shared by Balenciaga's sister brand Gucci, Styles wearing a teddy bear shirt is seen standing in front of a toddler mattress leaning against a wall

A few weeks after the Balenciaga scandal erupted over child imagery, its sister brand Gucci and Harry Styles have been heavily criticized online for an ad campaign featuring Styles who poses in a teddy-bear t-shirt, standing next to a toddler bed. Both Gucci and Balenciaga are owned by the Kering Group, a French powerhouse fashion conglomerate, and have now turned out to be a name for controversial fashion campaigns, particularly child-imagery related. The global luxury fashion brand Balenciaga's 'pedophilic-like' campaign created a major uproar on social media that led to the brand apologizing for the project.

Titled 'HA HA HA', the images for the campaign were released last month on November 2, several weeks prior to the controversial Spring 2023 Balenciaga campaign. In the set of images, next to a toddler mattress leaning against a wall, Styles is seen standing in front of it wearing a teddy bear shirt and carrying and caressing the mattress. 

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Conceptualized by former Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, his last work with the brand was the fresh scandal 'HA HA HA' campaign.  Mark Borthwick was the photographer for the campaign and Christopher Simmonds was in charge of art direction, according to Daily Mail.  

Calling it a 'performance piece' by Styles, Gucci unveiled the images and stated "Play is at the very heart of the Gucci HA HA HA collection...its name after all is the onomatopoeic sound of the written essence of the ‘laughing face’ emoji, as well as the serial crasis of the initials of ‘Harry’ and ‘Alessandro." Gucci took to social media to announce their new advertisement campaign 'HA HA HA' featuring the singer wearing outfits with different props in the background including this toddler mattress.

'Why is there a child's mattress in this photo?'

Meanwhile, Internet is fuming over Gucci's new ad campaign. A Twitter user wrote: "Why is there a child's mattress in this photo? Hmm? Does that pink bear mean anything? Hmm?" while another pointed out the scandal saying: "Why the child’s mattress after the BALENCIAGA scandal? Really!!?" and using #boycottabalenciaga and #boycottgucci hashtags, a user wrote: "A grown man posing with a child's mattress wearing a pink teddy bear tshirt. Nothing at all creepy about that But then what else did I expect when they are owned by same company as #Balenciaga #BalenciagaGate #BalenciagaGroomers #boycottbalenciaga #boycottgucci"

Not only was the brand slammed, but Styles' was also called out for his participation in the campaign. A user tweeted "The #Harrystyles that everyone needs to see. People gotta stop being so blind. When the f are we going to rise up against these companies that are running our humanity into the ground? Rally up and take them down," and another user tweeted: "Sick in the head and shame on you @Harry_Styles I actually thought you were different from all the rest. Why on earth would you want to be associated with this!! So sad". A user responded to the post saying: “sees Harry Styles showcase the ‘dream wardrobe’ defined by the eccentric use of romantic accents, whimsical prints, vintage details, and the expressive emotionality of the individual” So are the child’s mattress and teddy bear shirt are “romantic accents” ?"

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